Have you noticed that wider rims and fatter tyres on road bikes are all the rage at the moment? Truth is, there's nothing really new about this at all.
In the 1980s there was a trend towards narrower tyres based on the belief that "thinner is faster". To some extent this was true but to achieve lower rolling resistance the tyres themselves had to be pumped to a much higher pressure resulting in a harsher ride and skittish handling, especially in the 19 or 20mm widths popular at the time. A number of studies were done prior to 1990 which proved conclusively that fatter tyres did, in fact, roll faster and gave a smoother and more comfortable ride at a lower pressure than the ultra skinny versions. I recall that, all other things being equal, 700x28 was actually the optimal size.
So you might think, well why didn't the bicycle industry simply move up to 700x25 or 700x28? The main reasons for this were that manufacturers had invested a lot in the 'skinny is better' concept and most frames had limited clearance between wheel and frame tubes plus the wider rims required to safely mount wider tyres were a lot heavier. With the greater weight of 700x28 tyres over 700x20 this created a wheel package which was compatible with few frames at the time and increased the weight of the complete bicycle.
Fast-forward to the current era and we find that the improvements made in materials used to manufacture wheels have finally delivered on the promise of those studies from the '80s. You can now have great handling, improved comfort and lower rolling resistance without a significant weight penalty and providing your bike has the clearances to allow for today's fatter rubber.
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