What tyre pressures?

[APK]

Having just got a new pump with a gauge, I tried to set my tyres based on the CTC guide ( http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3802 ) rather than just inflating till they felt right, and used 80 f 100 r on my Allez, just been out now, and the ride feels quite comfortable, however it was like riding through treacle, I stopped twice to check I didn't have a puncture or my brakes were binding.

At this stage I will assume the gauge is fairly accurate, but what pressures would you recommend, I am just under 14 st and purely leisure rides, no racing, I was thinking of about 100 f 110 r?

 

[srw]

Note that this chart gives the minimum pressure for smooth roads. You should never let your tyres be lower than this and usually aim to pump them harder. Remember that narrow tyres lose pressure quite rapidly and should be ‘topped up’ every few days. Most people will want to use a higher pressure to minimise rolling resistance (although that reduces comfort) and to avoid tyre or rim damage on rougher surfaces. To allow for this add a safety factor to the weight of about 25% for poor roads and gravel tracks, or up to 50% for real rough-stuff.

Personally I always aim for a smidgen over the maximum pressure indicated on the tyre. For road bike tyres that's likely to be 100psi+.

 

[steve52]

im 14 st and go with 120

 

[APK]

im 14 st and go with 120

Interesting, I think I will experiment around the 100-120psi region, would you normally, have slightly less in the front?

 

[philipbh]

Interesting, I think I will experiment around the 100-120psi region, would you normally, have slightly less in the front?

Whilst commentating "recently" Brian Smith* mentioned tyre pressures - his thoughts were that whilst you could ride at 120 psi (or what ever the max rating is for your tyre) it made for a hard / less comfortable experience - so he settled for "about 90"

( * http://www.briansmithcycling.com/ )

 

[steve52]

no i just stick em up to 120 i have gone more for a tt, on my tourer i run maratond at 100,psi, on my allez it dose get verey twitchy when over 40mph, but all manageble, do what your comfortable with,

Interesting, I think I will experiment around the 100-120psi region, would you normally, have slightly less in the front?

 

[Moodyman]

Max on rear wheel and a just under on front - 120 & 115 PSI respectively - but I am 17 stone.

Higher PSI is uncomfortable, but reduces tyre wear and minimises punctures. There's also the rolling faster element though many dispute this.

 

[ColinJ]

Whilst commentating "recently" Brian Smith* mentioned tyre pressures - his thoughts were that whilst you could ride at 120 psi (or what ever the max rating is for your tyre) it made for a hard / less comfortable experience - so he settled for "about 90"

( * http://www.briansmithcycling.com/ )

I'm over 15 stone and I ride my 23Cs at only about 90 psi front, 100 psi rear. Significantly more and the crappy road surfaces round here become unbearable, significantly less and the rolling resistance goes up.

 

[HLaB]

I'm only 9.5 stone but for what its worth I like to ride with 95-100psi front, 100-105psi rear. I dont find any performance advantage for me in going higher but if I suffered from pinch p'tures I'd go for higher pressure but its a trade off with comfort, experiment until you find what is right for you.

 

[Rebel Ian]

Out of necessity (I didn't have a pump to hand) I recently rode my Allez with about 80psi thinking it would feel terrible as I'm usually always up around the 120psi mark on the Allez or the Bianchi. It was slightly more difficult for sure but noticeably more comfortable!

I've no idea whether this is related to running maximum pressures but I've covered significant mileage on average tyres with no p*nctures. I'd like to see some real data though on rolling resistance on tyres at certain pressures given certain load conditions.

 

[cyberknight]

10 stone 11 Lbs .

I run 110 psi front and rear , 700 x 23 mm

 

[TheDoctor]

I look at the recommended pressure on the tyre and go with that. If there's just a max pressure stated, I go a bit below.

 

[JonnyBlade]

10 stone 110psi front and back

 

[slowmotion]

Whatever the max. rating of the tyre is ( having checked that the rims can take it). It is supposed to give the greatest puncture resistance.

 

[JonnyBlade]

Whatever the max. rating of the tyre is ( having checked that the rims can take it). It is supposed to give the greatest puncture resistance.

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