I’m getting the HED Stinger 50mm wheels and the Tufo S3 lite tires. What width should I get for these wheels, the 19’s or the 21’s? I’m thinking a 21 for the rear and a 19 for the front. Would this be a good combination or both 19’s or 21’s. I’m 5’9" and weight 140lbs if this matters and I’ll be using the wheels for triathlon racing from Olympic to 1/2 IM distances on mostly hilly courses. Thanks for the advice. Scott
Your light enough that the ride comfort won’t be sacrificed much if you use 19s on both. I am between 155 and 160lbs and I run 19s on both front and rear on my race wheels. Less tire is less resistance, so unless it is a comfort issue, go with less tire.
----->Trent
Wouldn’t a 21 on the rear give me more traction especailly up a hill or is there really no difference.
Scott
Wouldn’t a 21 on the rear give me more traction especailly up a hill or is there really no difference.
Scott
If you can make the rear tire of your tri-bike PEEL OUT while you’re climbing a hill - truly you are a God among cyclists. Or you’ve got a strange bunny-hopping climbing form that can’t possibly be very efficient… but I digress.
The answer is: a fatter tire might give a little better traction going DOWN the hill, in an off-camber turn, when you’re leaned over enough to scrape your lifted, inside pedal or shoe. And if you can do that - you’re still a God among cyclists. Oh but I digress again!
Use the skinniest tires that don’t bust your butt, lower back, palms, wrists, neck… you know.
-Zo
On a technical course in wet weather, a wider tire will absolutely give better traction, as the limits of adhesion can be ridiculously low in such conditions.
I would be more inclined to use 21mm tires regardless of conditions, as narrower is not necessarily faster. The tire width should match rim width as closely as possible for best aerodynamics, normally that means a 21mm tire or so, although we are not talking about radical differences in drag.
As for rolling resistance, a 21mm tire will have lower rolling resistance than a 19mm on all but the smoothest surfaces, as the pressure can be a little lower for less of a jackhammer effect (read, suspension). Even if inflated to the same pressure, the 21mm tire’s casing will deform less than the 19mm tire by virtue of the wider contact patch, which will lead to lower rolling resistance.
Thanks for the info. I think I’ll get the 21’s as the roads around here aren’t getting any better and I think too much tire preasure would actually be slower. Also this article really helped:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/rolling.html
Let me know if you dissagree.
Scott