![]() TJ Tollakson has used the 20mm Supersonic with success. I myself have used the 23mm Supersonic in 25+ Ironman 70.3 and Ironmans with success. Riders using the tire have experienced very little issue with the tire. One false belief regarding the Supersonic is that it is "fragile" due to the lack of a puncture protection strip. In conjunction with this test I will reach out to independent tire testers to see if they would be willing to test the tire. Presumably the Supersonic rolls even better given a wider width but it hasn't been tested as far as I know. The Continental TT tire also rolls fast and I assume the only difference between the two is that the Supersonic lacks the puncture strip. Continental has recently introduced a NEW slightly wider version of the tire using a similar casing width and tread pattern to the Continental TT. In the past, the tire was 23mm wide but measured narrow. It has been shown to have better aerodynamics than traditional cotton-based open-tubulars like the Vittoria Corsa Speed and Specialized Turbo Cotton. The Continental Supersonic was selected for its superior rolling ability as determined by independent testing. The ability to use sealant may reduce the possibility of a puncture in a race situation The Corsa Speed doesn't have a puncture protection strip, and the Turbo Cotton, a similarly constructed tire with a puncture strip, has had spotty results thank to numerous high profile flats by Ironman World Champion Jan Frodeno. The shape of the tire inflated and width could also play a significant role, but this test aims to see how the Corsa Speed performs aerodynamically. Reducing the size of the lip could improve airflow over the transition. It is believed that part of the poor aerodynamic performance of the Specialized Turbo Cotton could be explained by the pronounced lip of the tread to casing. In addition, the lip of the tire tread to casing combination may be thinner. Its 23mm width is smaller than the 24mm Specialized Turbo Cotton yet rolls much better - likely due to the elimination of a puncture protection strip. It is also a tubeless compatible tire and can be used without a tube and sealant instead. Recently, Vittoria has released the Corsa Speed which has been 2x independently tested to be the fastest rolling tire. The equipment was selected based on a variety of factors, but careful thought has been put into testing the equipment that could yield the fastest practical result without compromising safety. This is wheel-only testing, but wheel-only testing has been shown to be a good representation of how the wheel performs in a bike. I have selected three wheels including: HED JET+ 6 Black, Specialized Roval CLX 64, and Enve 7 SES. All tires and wheels are rim-based clinchers. The tires for the test are the Vittoria Corsa Speed and Continental Supersonic. Tires and wheels are always a hot topic and I am looking forward to finding the fastest combination of tires and wheels for Ironman racing. If you can't donate then please 'like', 'share', 'retweet', to help the cause. ![]() This test is part of a GoFundMe campaign started Friday, April 14th. This post is for the purpose of defining the testing protocol and explaining the choices behind the equipment being selected for an upcoming wind tunnel test at A2 in Moorsville, NC on Wednesday the 19th of April.
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