Why do road bikes have narrow tyres but off road bikes have wide tyres?

Because of the longer flattened area of the narrow tyre, the wheel loses more of its roundness and produces more deformation during rotation. However, in the wide tyre, the radial length of the flattened area is shorter, making the tyre rounder and so it rolls better and therefore quicker.”

Which cycle is best thick tyre or thin tyre?

Thin tyres result in less rolling resistance, better for speed on good surfaces. Think road race bikes. Thick tyres usually have a tread pattern and are designed for better grip, at lower speeds, on poorer surfaces.

Do wider bike tires slow you down?

It turns out that despite previous thinking, wider tyres are no slower than skinny tyres, and in some cases actually produce lower rolling resistance. A wider tyre has a short and wide contact patch compared to the long and skinny contact patch of a narrow tyre.

Why do electric bikes have fat tires?

Fat tires were designed to reduce the overall pressure of the bike and rider by having an extra-wide contact surface. This helps the tires get a solid impression even when the surface is covered with snow. Fat tires make it possible for you to ride your electric bikes on the sandy beaches, which most bikes don’t have.

Why do road bikes have thin tires?

Road bikes have such thin tires for two main reasons. The first is that with less contact between tire and road there is less friction and a wheel rolls faster than a fat tire at the same level of energy expenditure. Second is weight. The thinner the tire the lighter it is going to be.

Why do some tyres have no tread on them?

Everyone knows that racing cars, when racing in the dry use ‘slick’ tyres. What this means is that the tyre has no tread at all. And as anyone who has driven such tyres will tell you, such tyres give incredible levels of grip. In effect taking away all the grooves in the tyre (the ‘tread’) means more rubber** on the road.

Why do different tires roll differently?

Different tires roll with different smoothness levels. This happens because of rolling resistance, which is the energy necessary to flex the tire surface where it contacts the ground. It’s also the second reason for drag after wind resistance. Here are some of the tire specifications that affect rolling resistance:

What is the correct tyre pressure for a touring bike?

Thirdly is that ground pressure thing. A typical touring bike tyre has a contact area of about 4 cm3. Let’s say that the tyre is supporting a mass of 40 kg (count the weight of yourself, your bike+luggage). So we have a pressure of 10 kg/cm2.