Tom A. wrote:
valdlaw wrote:
Tom A. wrote:
Canadian wrote:
If we were to test additional tires then those tires may have rolling resistance values that counter any aero benefit you may gain, OR perhaps the tires lack grip in corners or in wet conditions. If a tire doesn't corner well and the rider on the bike knows that, they will be hesitant going into corners. In a race like a crit where you can have dozens of corners, holding back on every corner will cost you far more time than a 50gram aero benefit.Baah...tire width (i.e. NEED to be wider for handling) is over-rated IMHO, even for fast crits. For example, just a few weeks ago a rode a TT on a Sunday with a 20C Supersonic on the front Jet 90 and a 21C Specialized S-Works Mondo Open on the rear Jet 90 (both narrow rims). I had a crit to race the following Saturday, and being lazy I decided the only mod to the wheels was to remove the cover. I never felt that my tire choice held me back in the crit :-)
If one chooses wisely, it IS possible to get low Crr AND good handling properties in a narrow tire (or, at least what is considered now-a-days to be narrow...heck, it wasn't long ago that everyone raced RRs and crits on 18C and 19C tires!)
Interesting tire choice Tom. I can still get my hand on the open tubular 21 but the 23 is gone. I know Al had roller data on the 23 but is there anything on e 21 that you know of? I think if the crr is similar the 21 would probably be faster than the 23 on the FC 808 which is still apparently relatively faster with a narrow tire. Thoughts? BTW are you pleased with what you've seen from the supersonic on the front? Do you think it would be a good choice for the FC as well or would you stick with the R4 Aero?
I guess you missed this: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ring=roller;#3819430 ;-)
Due to the shape of the tread (i.e. Specialized's "dual radius" thing...the center of the tread is flattened out) I probably wouldn't run an S-Works Mondo Open on a front application.
The SS works nicely on front...both in TTs AND in crits ;-) I'd be interested to see how it tests out on an FC404 or FC808...
Ok I got my hands on the closeout Mondo Opens 21's and 23's for 35 bucks a piece. I've been thinking about the front aero application issue for the 404FC on my Venge-I've had Conti 4000s front and rear. The aero data suggests the thinner tires work best on the FC rim. You've also said that the good Crr makes up a lot for the aero deficit. Given those factors wouldn't you still expect the Open mondo 21 ( and maybe even the 23) to outperform the 4000S?