Obviously bigger is better. I came across this lovely illustration while digging for material. In August of 1989, it was certainly known that a larger contact patch is superior to a smaller contact patch. Funny, right now with the craze of fat bikes and plus sized tires, this certainly seems to be becoming known again. Also tucked away were some sweet drawings of dirt movement and extreme schralpability through a vector diagram depicting cornering loads on the contact patch:
As threatened, cornering loads, I do not lie:
And, also helpful, I found a simply effective setup guide for Speedmaster pads:
They came from sheets titled like this:
And this:
And that's just it, WTB's been trying to make mountain biking better since the start. From understanding contact patches and appropriate brake pad set up to simplifying and standardizing tubeless, it's a never ending quest for perfection for the rider. Here's to more years of advancement to come!