What's It Like To Ride SUPER Wide Road Bike Tyres?

After 40mm performance road tyres proved remarkably popular, Ollie and Conor had to scour the market in order to finally get hold of a set. While Ollie gives us the theory about their performance, Conor put them to the test. But what actually happens when the rubber hits the road?

⏱️ Timestamps ⏱️
00:00 - Intro
00:38 - We got some 40mm slicks!
01:52 - Performance differences
03:45 - The big problem with these tyres...
04:42 - Let's put them to the test!
05:49 - Run 1
07:06 - Run 2
08:00 - Results are in!
09:50 - Conclusion

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[gcn]

Would you put 40mm tyres on your bike? Or have you done so already? Let us know! 🛞👇

[zsvrljuga]

30/32mm are probably best of both worlds.

[TomHassan.]

The excitement I get when GCN drop a new video about tyres is quite ridiculous

[danwaller]

I went from 25 to 28 mm tires on my road bike. Im 73 and ride about 3500 miles a year. Comfort factor increased greatly

[johnstrac]

I remember testers running on 18mm telling me that 20mm would never catch on.

[KetilWendelboAanensen]

I’m in Norway, and on the shoulder seasons (between proper winter tires, with studs, and road tires), I have for a while stuck 40 mm semislicks on my gravel bike, following the logic that the risk of punctures (which is significant with all the gravel that is strewn on the winter roads, as well as debris) will slow me a lot more than a rolling resistance penalty will. The added resistance is also much more predictable.

[philipcooper]

I went through the same phases, starting on 25mm, trying out 28mm, now riding 32mm. I even gave up on mudguards, when commuting in winter, so I could fit the 32mm tyres. The extra comfort is worth the lost watts, if you asked me. On 32mm tyres I just ride longer and farther than I would on 25mm tyres, let alone 23mm tyres.

[Alex-toes]

Glad to see this product come out, I have been thinking that a Gravel bike with another set of wheels is the way to go for most people for a long time, might as well use a fast 35-40mm tyre if you can at that point as 1 minute over an hour is irrelevant, and comfort, grip, and puncture resistance easily win over a 1minute/hour of speed.

[baladec]

GCN slowly realizing that going fastest isn't everything and riding bikes just rules. 5 years will pass and we'll get a video on belt-drive internal gear hubs being so easy to maintain.

[rainyambience]

Loved this video, however as we know the rule of 105 is massively important for aerodynamics, it would be so interesting to repeat this test using a set of the zipp XPLR 303 wheels that have a 40mm external width, to see if the wider tires can be made equally fast as the skinny ones with the right rim

[markmonroe]

Another key issue is the inertia to speed the tires up and also slow them down. I also winter train on wider heavier tires but when it comes to sprinting or closing the gap, it just takes a lot more work. Over a long 3-4-5 hour day it’s incredibly draining but great for training.

[MrMartinSchou]

For comparison:

40 mm tyre lap time: 1, 027 seconds
28 mm tyre lap time: 1, 009 seconds.

That is a 1.75% time difference.

40mm tyre: 334 W * 17m 07s = 343 kJ
28mm tyre: 331 W * 16m 49s = 334 kJ

That is a 2.62% energy expenditure difference.

[RobertAdairWorkshop]

I've kept most of the bikes I've owned over the last 20 years. The oldest being a 2002 Giant OCR. It runs on 23mm at 110psi. My daily rides are all on 32mm tubeless tires that I run at 35 to 40 psi. Every once in a while, I get out on the OCR just to remember how much narrow, high pressure tires suck.

[imbackinthegame]

I’ll never forget the moment I experienced the true difference narrow tires can make. A friend lent me his road bike with 23mm tires, while everyone else in the group was cruising comfortably on 28-32mm ones. As I tucked in behind them, drafting effortlessly, I quickly realized I couldn't see the road ahead clearly—and that’s when it hit me. Every bump and crack in the pavement felt like a jolt through my entire body. The others, however, barely seemed to notice the rough terrain, gliding along as if it were perfectly smooth.

[BlackTopAdventureCo]

When I get my Specialized Roubaix SL8 in the New Year I will be equipping it with Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 40mm tyres. Been looking into these tyres for sometime now. Prioritizing comfort and endurance over speed and time. Yes, there was a significant time gain on this short distance but over 200 miles that difference would reduce substantially. Effort can be sustained longer when stress is relieved throughout the entire bike set up.

[romeandcurry]

32mm on the summer bike with Roval cl 2 wheels feel just about perfect, I have 40mm Schwalbe G one RS on the gravel winter bike on Zipp 303s, they are slower but very confidence inspiring on wet muddy roads. I’m also 100kg - I think weight to tyre volume is a factor to consider.

[Hur]

I’ve been riding René Herse 38mm road (extralight casing; 350g) and 32mm (265g). Before that I rode the 28mm (230g) tires on bikes that had rim brakes. As to the 38mm vs 32mm, I’ve never noticed a difference in performance. The 85g weight difference is not even noticeable and, for those who are fussed about aero, bear in mind that your down tube is usually wider than 38mm so the fact that your tires are wide is irrelevant.

[DxnielxSG]

Hello. In autumn and winter I ride the Continental Grand Prix 5000 AS TR with 32mm. Fast and yet comfortable. NICE.

[johnfitzgerald]

8:29 Just for 18 seconds faster. I would go with the 40" for comfort and avoid pinch flat safety measures. According to where I live there's a lot of potholes and I catch a lot of pinch flats with the 23-28 mm tires.

[davidwrightsr]

It seems to me that this is a similar question as the "one bike for all uses" we all have asked about. If it's for the rest of my life (and I'm late 70s) I would pick the 40s as soon enough (maybe already?) I'll worry less about snappy handling and accelerating out of corners and just enjoy long distance (at any pace!) rides on any surface in comfort. So... I think there is a place for both the smaller tires as well as the 40s, assuming you have one bike that fits them all... which brings me back to the other question....