Gabe, this sort of thing comes up a lot with people accusing Jan of bias in his studies, but what people miss is that the science came before the products. Compass/RH sells the products they sell because they like them and because the Bicycle Quarterly research says they work well. The first several rounds of tire tests happened before Compass even existed, and the tests are what informed the design of the tires, so OF COURSE the tests say that RH and similar tires perform well - that's the point of the tires!
I don't work for RH/BQ and am only vaguely acquainted with most of that crew, I just don't like seeing false accusations go unchallenged. Josiah Le sam. 10 janv. 2026 à 9:21 AM, Gabe <[email protected]> a écrit : > Hi Eric et al., > Sometimes i feel like Jan's experiments always lead to the conclusion that > one should buy something he is selling!!! However, he DOES sell tires of > various widths, so his research could go either way on this one. I > currently have Rene Herse 48mm tires in the endurance casing (the knobby > ones) on a big Appaloosa. Before, I had some 37mm WTB tires with a fine > tread of mini knobs. The narrower tires definitely made the bike "feel" a > little lighter and more appropriate for a longer road ride. The bike was > still close to 40 lbs but I'd say the skinnier tires felt better on the > road. And I feel like nice quality 38mm tires should still be fairly > forgiving on crappy roads, while, at the very least, being lighter. I can't > imagine the lost "suppleness" / squishiness/ bounciness would cost you much > speed (if any) and if the bike feels easier and more spry that could help > morale the last hour or two of the long ride. I feel like that could be a > middle ground without putting 23mm slicks at 105psi on the bike! Feel > lighter, still have not-to-skinny tires. > > Happy Friday!!!! > Gabe > > On Fri, Jan 9, 2026, 16:10 Eric Daume <[email protected]> wrote: > >> According to RH, you're not going to gain any speed by going to a >> narrower, supple tire: >> >> https://www.renehersecycles.com/bq-tire-test-results/ >> >> Eric >> >> On Thu, Jan 8, 2026 at 6:20 PM Stephen Martinez <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> TL;DR: Looking to make my Rivendell Platypus faster and more efficient >>> for long century rides on rough chip seal without losing comfort. >>> Considering narrower/faster tires (38–40mm) and possibly a lighter >>> wheelset. Curious what’s worked for others. >>> >>> >>> Spring rides are coming up, and I’m thinking about taking my Rivendell >>> Platypus out for a few local century charity rides this year. >>> >>> >>> In past years, I’ve done these rides on my faster steel road bikes with >>> ~28mm tires, but several of the routes have long stretches of chattery chip >>> seal, potholes, and general road roughness. Comfort can become a limiter >>> later in the ride. I’d like to try the Platypus instead—ideally still >>> riding in sandals on flat pedals—but with a setup that’s a bit quicker and >>> more efficient over distance. >>> >>> >>> Right now the bike is very much in winter/comfort mode: >>> >>> **Rear*: René Herse Antelope Hill 29 × 2.2 (700 × 55) >>> >>> **Front*: IRC Marbella 29 × 2.25 >>> >>> **Wheels*: Velocity Cliffhangers (30mm) with a Peter White Cycles >>> dynamo hub up front and a Rivendell Silver hub in the rear. >>> >>> It’s extremely comfortable and stable, but once I hit a certain pace, it >>> feels like I’m pushing against a speed ceiling—especially on longer climbs. >>> >>> >>> I’ve been considering swapping to something narrower and faster, like: >>> >>> **René Herse Barlow Pass (38mm)* >>> >>> *or *Pirelli P Zero Race ~40mm* >>> >>> I’m also curious what something in the *32–35mm range* would feel like >>> on a Platypus—whether it would still play nicely with the geometry while >>> offering a meaningful bump in speed and climbing efficiency. >>> >>> I’ve also briefly thought about a lighter wheelset, but I haven’t gone >>> very far down that path yet. I’ve even wondered about putting together a >>> second, more performance-oriented wheelset—something like a carbon >>> deep-section setup—and what that would look and feel like on a Platypus. >>> >>> >>> Has anyone here experimented with setting up a Platypus (or similar Riv >>> geometry) with lighter, faster road-oriented tires or wheels? I’m not >>> chasing aero road-bike speed, but I am hoping to improve cruising speed and >>> climbing comfort over long endurance rides while still keeping the Platypus >>> character intact. >>> >>> >>> Would love to hear what’s worked (or hasn’t) for others. >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1a81404d-7958-4747-83f4-23a1e27f0908n%40googlegroups.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1a81404d-7958-4747-83f4-23a1e27f0908n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAHFNW5DrmuBadxA%2BrFCEHnSaeLy8TDd4Q9cQ1L7OQCziePiZew%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAHFNW5DrmuBadxA%2BrFCEHnSaeLy8TDd4Q9cQ1L7OQCziePiZew%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAEFJR8p_FX2TvCOmL0sQu0WuH5q9NvL9LEFTY9LRGUuVTjg-8w%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAEFJR8p_FX2TvCOmL0sQu0WuH5q9NvL9LEFTY9LRGUuVTjg-8w%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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