road tyre pressures ?

[sussex old beginner]

no I don't ive got schwalbe durano etape tyres things are ok with that thanks

 

[donnyjnk]

less tyre in contact with the surface will result in less rolling resistance but don't get hung up on the whole thing. try 100 in the front and 110 in the back. if you are getting bounced about drop the pressures by 10psi and see. all have an advantage. less pressure means more suspension but if you hit a pothole strong chance of a puncture imho (or experience) Also do you have carbon forks or alloy. its all science but main thing is enjoy it and the rest will come along as you go.

 

[JSS]

A lot of it is weather dependent too. If it has been raining a lot or the forecast is for wet I will drop my tyre pressure from 110 to 100 because it reduces the likelihood of punctures. Wet weather means more debris on the road (washed from the hedgerows) and the higher pressure your tyres are the more likely you are to flat.

 

[KneesUp]

I got my first road bike at 11. I asked my dad how hard the tires should be. Now my dad is the most charming mild-mannered of people, so I remember his reply because it was uncharacteristically blunt:

"Like bullets. If you can squash it, it's too soft"

 

[sreten]

"Like bullets. If you can squash it, it's too soft"

Hi,

Realistically that will get you to about 2bar/30psi squeezing the tread and about 3 bar/45psi
squeezing the sidewalls. After that its very difficult to judge the tyre pressures accurately.

So squeezing the tyres is good enough for my 47mm tyred folder, but my 30mm/32mm
road bike I go more on the pumping effort to judge the tyre pressures reached. FWIW
said sized tyres are great on poor roads.on my very budget road bike.

If you not a racer I find it hard to understand why anyone (unless your very light) would
use anything other than the really good 28mm tyres at sensibly lower pressures on
typical british roads. If your heavy fatter tyres are the way to go.

Hard tyres feel faster but are not on poorer roads. I think I use about 65 psi 30mm
rear and about 50psi 32mm front, suits my clunky budget road bike which has a
very stiff (because its not that light) aluminium frame, straight steel forks.

rgds, sreten.

 

[John the Monkey]

If you not a racer I find it hard to understand why anyone (unless your very light) would
use anything other than the really good 28mm tyres at sensibly lower pressures on
typical british roads. If your heavy fatter tyres are the way to go.

Clearances, mostly.

There are some 25s that ride really nicely though - the aforementioned Krylion Carbons, for example, feel pretty plush.

 

[madpensioner]

Ive reduced my tyre pressures again - just to recap - if you remember i was up to 2/3 weeks ago running on both front and rear tyres at 145 psi and all recommended this was too high - did a 60 miler
yesterday and reduced my tyre pressures again to - front 85 rear 90 - my average was 14.1 mph - this is an added bonus - the reason for seeking advice in the first place was because of the discomfort
every time i went out - my average before on a 60/100 ride was say 12.5 mph - the added bonus is an improvement of 13% with an overall tyre pressure reduction of 40% - I know that 14.1 mph is not very fast to some of you - i would like to point out that i am 74 years of age
- again i would like to thank you all for your help - another added bonus is that there are no more complaints from my arse !!

 

[sreten]

Hi,

FWIW I'd look at about 15% lower for the front than the rear,
i.e. seriously about 75psi front for a 90 psi rear, 85psi on
the front is still too high IMO, it will make it better, I'm sure.

rgds, sreten.

Too high tyre pressures feel fast but they are not. Vibration
not smoothed by the tyres (and bike) is absorbed by your
body and is tiring. What you want is optimum suspension.
That depends on the average condition of the roads ridden.

 

[maltloaf]

I run my Schwalbe Ultremo at 140. I do get a fair amount of jarring, especially downhill at speed but much lower than about 120 and it feels like I'm riding through treacle. I agree lower tyre pressures are fine for most but I'm 17 stone. I'm sure I saw a formula somewhere for optimum tyre pressure depending on weight.

 

[madpensioner]

I run my Schwalbe Ultremo at 140. I do get a fair amount of jarring, especially downhill at speed but much lower than about 120 and it feels like I'm riding through treacle. I agree lower tyre pressures are fine for most but I'm 17 stone. I'm sure I saw a formula somewhere for optimum tyre pressure depending on weight.

yes ive seen the same calcs/ graph - im 13 stn - ive extended the same graph and my pressures should be 170 psi - im using the same tyres as you - i dont know the answer for you - but you have seen my comments which are based on my runs and i agree with feeling that your tyres feel spongy - but it works for me

 

[madpensioner]

Hi,

FWIW I'd look at about 15% lower for the front than the rear,
i.e. seriously about 75psi front for a 90 psi rear, 85psi on
the front is still too high IMO, it will make it better, I'm sure.

rgds, sreten.

Too high tyre pressures feel fast but they are not. Vibration
not smoothed by the tyres (and bike) is absorbed by your
body and is tiring. What you want is optimum suspension.
That depends on the average condition of the roads ridden.

I couldnt agree with you more - besides it being more comfortable - which was my aim in the first place - i am cycling faster over the same routes

 

[madpensioner]

Ive just been given a set of tyres to try out by my local bike shop - they are 700X25 CONTINENTAL GRANDSPORT RACE - maximum 120 psi - i would like some advice/comments please

 

[ColinJ]

Ive just been given a set of tyres to try out by my local bike shop - they are 700X25 CONTINENTAL GRANDSPORT RACE - maximum 120 psi - i would like some advice/comments please

Same as before really, though the bigger the tyres, the lower the pressures that you need. Maybe start by trying about 5 psi less than you put in 23s?

 

[madpensioner]

Same as before really, though the bigger the tyres, the lower the pressures that you need. Maybe start by trying about 5 psi less than you put in 23s?

Thanks - ill try that

 

[sreten]

I run my Schwalbe Ultremo at 140. I do get a fair amount of jarring, especially downhill at speed but much lower than about 120 and it feels like I'm riding through treacle.
I agree lower tyre pressures are fine for most but I'm 17 stone. I'm sure I saw a formula somewhere for optimum tyre pressure depending on weight.

Hi,

Your tyres are too skinny, by a long way. Optimum tyre pressure goes up with weight and down with tyre size.
Anything above about 100 psi rear and 85 psi front on the road means your tyres are too skinny, and you
are losing a lot of comfort (which is tiring) for no advantage, you would be faster overall on fatter tyres.

How fat is fastest depends on the average conditions of the roads you ride, mainly the worst parts,
as they slow you down and tire you more than you gain with high pressure on the good parts.

Skinny tyres are for skinny people and .......

rgds, sreten.