I had questions, he had answers and I'm sharing:
me: atkins.
me: tread vs. volume. lets say a 2.1 with more aggressive tread vs. a 2.2 with faster rolling tread. bascially the same weight.
go.
i like low tread tires usually
me: are they equally grippy. or does more tread mean more grip. or more volume mean more grip?
Dan: they're not equally grippy
lower tread height tires typically have less grip
but that doesn't really mean its a worse tire
i like low tread tires on the rear because it helps me move the bike around with the brake a lot easier
me: agreed.
alright
how about puncture resistance
any difference?
Dan: not really
me: ok, what is an advantage of volume?
and what is the advantage of less volume
Dan: lower pressure, better traction for higher volume tires
generally
less volume is lighter and potentially faster
its hard to generalize
you really need to compare one tire to the next
like so much road
seems like u want like 45 psi
Dan: no
never
me: hah, ok
Dan: it might make sense reading race reports and descriptions of the course
but in reality it's a terrible idea
me: good to know
Dan: just run whatever your regular tire pressure is
you will be MUCH more comfortable
i made that mistake the first time i did a 100
at wilderness
i rode like 45 PSI because i heard that there was so much stuff other than singletrack
and it was awful
me: lol, ok i was def heading towards that mistake for wildcat 100
Dan: don't do it! 
me: i
rode 40 psi last night just to see. seemed alright. but only rode one
trail in ccbc (over by my house) so tough to tell. this helps
Dan: you will regret it for sure
after 8 hours your back will be dead
me: excellent info thx! ok to post this to my blog "tire talk with dan atkins"?
Dan: for sure
me: jackpot
