The article first appeared on BikeRadar.
As of Friday, four of the six road stages thus far in the 2017 Tour de France have been won on 26mm tubulars. While 23mm was the pro standard not so long ago, this year 20 teams are using 25mm tires for non-time trial stages, and the other two Specialized-sponsored teams are using 26mm rubber.
Continental remains supreme in the Tour peloton, with nine of the 22 squads racing on Competition Pro LTD tubulars. Vittoria has reasserted itself, with six teams. And after Specialized with two, the remainder of the tire brands represented — Challenge, Mavic, Hutchinson, Schwalbe and Kenda — each have a single team.
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As for stage wins, Specialized's 26mm rubber has taken four, thanks to the now-disqualified Peter Sagan capturing stage 3 and Marcel Kittel swooping up stages 2, 6 and 7.
Vittoria is enjoying a resurgence in the pro peloton with its 25mm Corsa tubular
While it is obviously the riders' ability winning the stages and not the tires, there is something to be said in terms of rolling resistance for a slightly wider tire.
26mm FTW
Tubular count by team at the 2017 Tour de France
- Continental Competition Pro Limited - 9 - 25mm
- Vittoria Corsa - 6 - 25mm
- Specialized S-Works Turbo Allroad 3 - 2 - 26mm
- Challenge Strada - 1 - 25mm
- Mavic Yksion Grip Link - 1 - 25mm
- Schwalbe Pro One HT - 1 - 25mm
- Hutchinson Pro Tour Super Light - 1 - 25mm
- Kenda SC - 1 - 25mm
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