Tire width
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 178
Bikes: 2017 Spez Allez Sagan Superstar
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Tire width
Hello,
I just started getting into track racing. I bought a used track bike with HED Stinger 6. The tires on them are 22mm wide. The widest tubular track tires on sale at the moment is 23mm. I have been road racing for several years now. Coming from road racing, this is all new to me.
Is there a trend of going to wider tires (25mm) on track racing? If not, is 22mm as fast as 23mm on track?
I just started getting into track racing. I bought a used track bike with HED Stinger 6. The tires on them are 22mm wide. The widest tubular track tires on sale at the moment is 23mm. I have been road racing for several years now. Coming from road racing, this is all new to me.
Is there a trend of going to wider tires (25mm) on track racing? If not, is 22mm as fast as 23mm on track?
#2
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 114
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 30 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Based on my limited experience, there are a few things to look for in track tires, in addition to width. You need to consider the total rolling resistance of the tire, and the rolling resistance at the pressure you intend to use, as well as how the tire width and rim width interact. If you take a listen to the CyclingTips podcast episode from the TTT in the Tour, Josh Poertner, formerly of Zipp, talks about his 105% rule. For maximal aerodynamic advantage, the rim should be 105% wider than the tire, at a minimum. Your current setup should be good, provided you have fast tires, and frame clearance for the Stingers.
In general though, yes, wider is slowly becoming adopted by the track community.
In general though, yes, wider is slowly becoming adopted by the track community.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,433
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 741 Post(s)
Liked 412 Times
in
230 Posts
That’s interesting. I wonder if that is a trend happening indoors? Some of the advantages of wide tires on the road, like lower pressure, would not seem to be as big of an advantage on a smooth surface.
#4
Senior Member
When tires get wide they will limit your gearing choices unless you put on a longer chain. I learned this after experimenting with 25mm tires. Stick with 22-23mm.
#5
Lapped 3x
There might be a minimal, immeasurable advantage to going slightly wider on an indoor track. As you go through the banking, the tires will deform more because of the G forces. A larger tire deforms more readily with less energy loss than a narrower tire. You can counteract this in a narrower tire with higher pressures. For indoors, my guess would be 22-23mm would be fastest if you aren't running high pressures. Ultimately, my guess would be narrower rims and tires at higher pressyres would be fastest on an indoor track.