{"id":262740,"date":"2026-09-15T10:46:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T10:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/15\/thanks-but-no-thanks\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T10:46:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T10:46:23","slug":"thanks-but-no-thanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/15\/thanks-but-no-thanks\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanks But No Thanks"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I have dedicated my life to cycling. This is because there is so much that is wonderful about it: the joy\u2026the freedom\u2026the exhilaration\u2026 But what I love even more than any of those things is that it requires no personal growth from me whatsoever.<\/p>\n

See, in real life, no matter how obstinate you may be, you still have to come to terms with change every now and again. Maybe it\u2019s adopting a new set of guidelines at work. Maybe it\u2019s learning how to book an appointment online because a business doesn\u2019t take phone calls anymore. Or maybe you have kids, so you need to have at least a passing familiarity with this weird new world for which you\u2019re ostensibly preparing them.<\/p>\n

But none of these things are true about cycling. When it comes to your bikes and how you ride them you can be as closed-minded as you damn well please. And there\u2019s always something new and exciting to spurn, too, such as the nascent aero gravel tire craze<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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At first I thought this was ridiculous:<\/p>\n

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In a world where aero is, allegedly, everything, the lack of aerodynamics in gravel tires is a bit strange. Then, when you consider how much the airflow around a gravel tire can matter, even at slow speeds, the lack of optimization is even stranger. So far, all the aero-engineering in gravel has been around the wheel. Stromm and WTB, however, saw a big, bright flashing light of opportunity that nobody in the industry seemed to be addressing.<\/em><\/p>\n

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But then I realized it is in fact strange aero gravel tires didn\u2019t happened sooner\u2013not because people were clamoring for them, but because every tire company basically sells the same tires with the same tread patterns, so it was only a matter of time before someone figured out a new angle.<\/p>\n

\u201cBright flashing light of opportunity\u201d indeed:<\/p>\n

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Yes, \u201cvortices\u201d are now the new knobby:<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n

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What WTB and Stromm landed on was a small but significant aero \u201ctreatment.\u201d On the sidewall of the tire, there are vortices and a trip line. The vortices are elevated, V-shaped rubber ridges. They create small areas of swirling air that serve as a buffer for high-speed air to flow around the shoulder of the tire tread when the air hits the front of the bike. The trip is a small, elevated line of rubber further down the sidewall. While that trip also helps create smoother airflow along that \u201cleading edge\u201d of the tire, the trip is more important for the \u201ctrailing edge\u201d when the air is flowing across the rear of the tire and wheel.<\/em><\/p>\n

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And here\u2019s why your skepticism is unfounded:<\/p>\n

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Oh, and before you mention that aero goes out the window when it gets dirty, that is just not the case. Even with mud and dirt on the tread, the treatment to the tire\u2019s sidewall can still produce aero gains at a range of speeds.<\/em><\/p>\n

Or, to put it differently: a muddy sedan is still more aerodynamic than a muddy pickup truck.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Right. Now let\u2019s take a look at some of those muddy sedans, shall we?<\/p>\n

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