Bud_Bent
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But at higher speeds, rolling resistance is only part of the equation. Skinny tires are used on racing bikes mainly because of their aerodynamic superiority over wider tires. It's less pronounced on a bike where the rider is lower and therefore more behind the front wheel, but it's still there. I've read a couple of interesting articles that claim that with a 20 inch front wheel, the aerodynamic gain from a narrow tire isn't worth its increased rolling resistance on every day roads, and I guess that might also be true for a bike that has bigger wheels, but a lower rider position, like the X-Stream. With a high racer or upright bike, though, your top speed wouldn't be nearly as fast. How much difference wider tires make on a long ride, where you're only going to average 14 to 16 mph anyway, is subject to debate. Some randonneurs seem to opt for a bit wider tire while some don't.
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