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Wouldn't the size of the contact patch be dictated entirely by tire pressure and not tire size? A 100lb person+bike and 100psi inflation means 1 sq inch of contact regardless of tire dimensions.

They're circles on a plane, after all. In ideal conditions they'd only contact at a single point.

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No, because the tire has substantial structure and isn't a latex balloon, for lack of a simpler explanation. In the case of automotive tires, the carcass (structure) of the tire governs the contact patch much more than the inflation amount.

So, part of the point of the Rene Hearse tires is that they’re as supple as they can possibly make them. They are producing essentially the same best tire that they can in a huge range of sizes.

(Well, at least until they started doing endurance casing and knobbies, so now it’s more like 4 of the best tires they can, aimed at slightly different target users/races)

Yes, with pneumatic tires the contact patch area is the load force divided by the pressure.

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