Yeah, I did a calculation over on the 41 one time, looking at my best acceleration in a 1650W 5" power test. I used that acceleration to estimate what a 4-corner crit would be like, accelerating from 20mph to 30mph, four times per minute. I found that completely eliminating a mediocre tire and rubber tube would save you 0.2% of your energy from the race, assuming you could accelerate at a 1650W pace 240 times. How much difference does it make going from 35 to 40 in the final sprint?
x > 0
So, yeah, it's (very) small, but as RX has illustrated, it's nonzero. Everyone just needs to decide what price/benefit is right for them. I had four road wins this year, and one of them was by 10cm or so. The rest were multiple bike lengths. I lost a place in a TT by 1/4" last year. I won't be shaking my head at a finish line, holding steak knives, wishing I had bought a $180 set of tires, even if they would have made the difference. I just don't spend like that, and my results will pay for the difference -- but it's a concious decision that I'm racing on training gear.
I think it's awesome that some of us pull out all the stops and get the best stuff there is, and set it up the best way possible. It's fun to see, it's fun to read, hear about, and examine. It's amazing in this sport how inexpensively you can get gear better than the pros are racing. Really, if I just added one order of magnitude to my budget, I'd be on a crazy setup. In auto racing, sailboat racing, etc, there are many more zeroes to add from mid-level to top-end.
Last edited by waterrockets; 10-20-09 at 03:04 PM.