April 1/15 7:16 am - New Tire Sizes Announced UPDATED

Posted by Editor on 04/1/15
 

April Fools!

Another salvo has been launched in the unending battle between bike companies to set the new standard for tire size.  Researchers at The Institute of Rubber Engineering have determined the optimum diameter for mountain bike tires.

Dr Caucho Bibendum, Director of the Institute, explained "there has been a proliferation of sizes over the past few years - 26", 27.5", 29" ... and each has its own attributes.  We wanted to see if there was a single size that best fit all the needs for mountain biking."

After extensive computer modeling and testing, the Institute came up with a formula that determined the optimal size:

"The Optimal Size, or OS, is equal to the square of 27.5 divided by 29, rounded to the nearest inch," revealed Dr Bibendum.  "We believe that this answers the question once and for all."

Institute researchers are now investigating whether tire colour can impact performance.  "Early results suggest that Nino Schurter has been receiving a 1% increase in performance from running white tires, but we need to do more research."