How Does Tire Casing Affect Rolling Resistance?

Question

Can you expand on how the tire structure impacts the rolling resistance concentration even more than the tread which of course does affect the accurate rolling resistance as well.

Answer 1

The evelope of a tire is one of the most critical factors that play an important role in the rolling resistance of the tires. It is a common practice to accept that with respect to mechanization and when the speed of the tire is concerned thin construction is preferable to thick. Such thin construction will give more flex and hence reduce the energy irrecovably lost in the tire deformation process. The tread design, on the other hand, has been shown to have a weaker correlation with rolling resistance. There is an opinion that the sliper tread geatures will make the tire faster which is correct only when the tire is slim.

Comments

Fantastic content as always. Love the statement regarding "people who look at tyre tread as the sole determiner for speed know nothing about rolling resistance". Been saying this for years - feeling particularly validated!

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It’s so refreshing to listen to an intelligent person discuss this subject. You totally get it. I would add that while tire casings do indeed play a huge role in roll resistance, it’s fairly difficult to determine how soft your casing is. TPI is the only factor I’m aware of and often you don’t have options there. Durometer of the rubber is key too and again is not often known but what is in your face obvious is the tread pattern and there are a lot of them that are clearly slow. When you can feel and hear the vibrations when on pavement you know you have a slow one. In any case almost all high end race mtb tires (ie low profile mtb tires) will be low resistance and perfect for gnarly gravel races.
PS: I would argue the Salsa Cutthroat is a drop bar mtb. It’s not designed for racing but you could if you swamp out for some lighter parts.
Thanks again, great content and keep up the good work.