René Herse Cycles, a maker of bicycle tires and components, writes about tire testing, tire width and pressure, and aerodynamics.
HN commenters link it for its case that wider tires are not slower, and a bike mechanic says the evidence for wider tires has built up.
Quoting the article posted in another comment (https://www.renehersecycles.com/12-myths-in-cycling-1-wider-tires-are-slower/)
> The German magazine TOUR built a sophisticated setup with a motorized dummy rider and found that a 28 mm-wide tire had the same wind resistance as a 25 mm tire when the wind was coming from straight ahead. With a crosswind, the wider tire was very slightly less aerodynamic. Even then, the wider tires required only 5 watt more – on real roads, the reduced suspension losses make up for that.
> To summarize all this research: Narrow tires (<25 mm) are slow. Above 25 mm, the width of your tires are won't change your speed on smooth pavement (at least up to 54 mm wide tires). On rough surfaces, wider tires are faster. That doesn't mean you can just slap any wide tires on your bike and expect it to go fast.
As a recovering bike mechanic of 20 years (my retirement goal is to be able to afford doing that job again, it’s joyful but hard to make a living) the writing has been on the wall for several years about the many benefits of wider tires (and rims too I suppose). From fewer puncture flats, to greater comfort and traction, to actually lower rolling resistance, I dknt see a move back to narrower tires being something that ever happens and I couldn’t be happier about that fact! I’m too slow and old to reap any performance benefits, but my comfort and enjoyment of wider tires makes me ride my bike more. https://www.renehersecycles.com/bq-tire-test-results/
Don't forget Jan's signature word: planing.
This is prob the Open vs Firefly test you're thinking of: https://www.renehersecycles.com/what-makes-a-bike-fast/
In the test, they apparently isolated the wheel weight by swapping out wheels on the slower-on-paper Firefly and the bike didn't ride up the hill significantly faster.
However Jan Heine's experiments are often pseudo-sciencey and subject to rider effort. In this test, there were no power meters to show the difference in rider efforts between the two bikes. But somehow planing gives you free watts.
This is valuable context.
Yet, some high profile riders such as Ted King (possible the top gravel racer) and Lael Wilcox (ultra endurance racing and bikepacking) use these tires with success. If someone is getting a lot of flats using the Extralight casing, they should consider the Endurance or Ultra Endurance casings and/or setting up tubeless.
But even Jan will recommend the Panaracer Gravelkings when necessary, especially off-road[0].
[0] https://www.renehersecycles.com/how-are-compass-tires-different-from-panaracers/
> Carbon fiber frames dampen road vibrations a lot better than aluminum and are noticeably less “harsh” to ride.
This opinion piece argues that steel, not aluminum, is the alternative. Slightly wider tires makes differences between frame materials subtle[1]. Wider tires are more comfortable and certainly not dramatically slower[2].
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcRzp6xwuzE
[2] https://www.renehersecycles.com/why-wider-tires-are-not-slower/ (written by a wide tire salesman)
It's my firm opinion, and that of many people who've looked at it, that flipping over the bars is caused by the rider not bracing themselves as they use the very powerful front brakes.
https://www.renehersecycles.com/how-to-brake-on-a-bicycle/ https://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html
If most cyclists don't use the front brake, that is their loss. Most advanced cyclists, in my experience, rely heavily on the more powerful front brake.