This is a bit of a follow-up to yesterday. I’ve long been tweaking my bike to make it more comfortable. I changed the handlebars and raised them a while back, I’ve picked up a new seat (the Brooks that I recommended here), and now I’ve decided to make one of the most significant moves to improve the comfort of my bike – I’m going tubeless. Not only that, I’m moving up to the max tire-width for my bike: 32mm.
Through my talks with Chris and reading The All-Road Bike Revolution, I know that wider tires aren’t slower tires. In fact, in some cases they’re faster. But it’s really about comfort. Another thing I learned from the book is that the further from the source of the vibration of the road, the less you can do to dampen it. Think about it. If you had solid rubber tires, no amount of padding in your handlebars and seat is going to help.
There are three things about the upgrade I’m making. First, wider tires run at lower pressure and so can absorb more of the road’s vibration. Second, tires with tubes are prone to pinch flats if you don’t have enough air in them, so you must be sure to keep your pressure high enough. Tubeless tires won’t give you “snake-bit” tubes if you hit an object – they can take a lot more punishment without giving you a flat – so you can go with even lower tire pressure. And third, because tubeless tires are filled with a special sealant, small holes repair themselves, and large holes can be repaired with a special patch kit.
Importantly too is the reason for needing a smoother ride. It’s really a matter of physics. The vibration of the road has to go somewhere. It’s either absorbed by the bike, or it’s absorbed by the body. When it’s absorbed by the body, the body doesn’t like it. It’s uncomfortable on a deeper level. As the body vibrates it expends energy. The more it vibrates, the more energy it uses. The more energy it uses, the shorter the distance it can travel before becoming fatigued.
There’s a reason for working out the little things. Handlebar height. Seat position. And especially tires. It’s not just a matter of being more “comfortable.” It’s a matter of conserving energy. It’s a matter of physics.
