Originally Posted by
datlas
I feel the same way, but sometimes I wonder how much of that extra smooth/supple feel I get is really just the placebo effect.
Some day we need to do a randomized trial with identical wheels/tires/pressure to see if we really can tell the difference.
I have done that very thing with a couple of different bikes. Both times were with the same wheels and tires, same routes at approximately the same speed, and same psi in the tubes. Certainly not a scientific trial, but my feeling is that there was a definite, quite noticeable difference it the ride quality. I did not try to go faster on one or the other, as I was not concerned with the weight/speed difference. I will say, IME, quality wheels and tires also make a difference. One stretch of road that I used has a lot of cracked tarmac that was repaired with the spray on tarry substance road crews use. It makes for a very bumpy, not drastic, ride. If riding that stretch with butyl tubes, I find myself avoiding as much of the repaired area as I can, with latex, not so much.