Re: does the mass,tire size,and tire type of a bike affect speed?

Hi Kenneth

Tire mass, size (diameter) and type all affect bicycle speed.

Tires with a low mass reqire less power to accelerate than those with higher mass, allowing the rider to reach top speed more quickly and reduce the overall mass of the bicycle.

I assume that by tire size you are referring to diameter which most definitely affects speed. The larger the diameter, the greater the circumference of any given tire which will result in a greater distance travelled with each revolution. You may have seen pictures of racing bicycles from the late 1800's and early 1900's with a very large front tire and a relatively small rear tire. The front tire on these bikes were so big because effective gearing had not yet been developed and the only way to make the bicycle go fast was to use a large diameter wheel so that each revolution carried the bike and rider a great distance. Some of these bicycles had front wheels 10 feet in diameter.

Tire type affects speed relative to the terrain, a road racing bike typically uses tires very much like racing slicks, while BMX or Mountain bike racers would prefer a tread with more grip, such as knobbies.

I hope this is helpful.

Greg