ideal tyre pressure for Fortezza Tricomp?

neeb

Just got some shiny new Vredstein Fortezza Tricomps and notice that it's possible to pump them up to 175psi :shock: :shock:

Is this a good idea? Will I go faster? Will I come off on the first corner?

I've heard that there's an ideal pressure for a given weight of rider (I'm about 65kg +). I wonder if this is necessarily the same for different brands of tyre though. The tricomps seem quite rubbery and compliant so perhaps they are designed to work best at higher pressures?

robbarker

See what your rims are rated to before you go too mad. Open Pros, for example, are subject to a 140 PSI recommended maximum.

Monty Dog

Depends on the road conditions too - if you pump them up rock hard, which means high rebound and can feel pretty harsh on anything but billiard-table smooth tarmac - OK for outdoor tracks, but probably OTT for normal road use. I weigh about the same and never put much more than 100psi in my tyres - it gives me better feel and handling. Just because it says you can on the label doesn't mean you have too - at your weight, there's less risk of an impact puncture and you can't flex the tyre as much as a 100kg rider, so why put the same air pressure in the tyre?

neeb

The wheel manual gives the "operating pressure" as 113psi, without actually saying that this is a maximum. Elsewhere it simply warns against inflating beyond the tyre manufacturer's recommended max.

I take the point about there being no point in inflating them to a high pressure unnecessarily, especially at the expense of safety and comfort on everyday rides. I'm just curious if they would roll significantly better at higher pressures or if they would just skip about and waste energy (dependent on surface). I had them at 120psi today and they felt pretty good.

Lagavulin

I posted a thread on the same issue when I first bought Tricomps as I thought 175 was quite extreme but that running them some 50psi less would leave me prone to flats. The previous tyre makes/models I'd used had all been around the 110-125 max. pressures.

I'm under 70kgs and I've been running them at 125psi and they give an excellent ride.

Interestingly my DT rims claim to be good for 12 bar/170psi. I don't want any more dental work though so won't be trying it out.

dennisn

Just checked the Vredstein web site and that tire is recommended for 145 PSI. Now I
don't ride clinchers much but 175 sounds like way too much. I would be afraid that the
tire bead couldn't hold that much pressure and / or the sidewall of the rim might actually
give way. Seems I've read somewhere that rims can fail at really high pressures.
Add to all of this, the fact that I know quite a few racers who run clinchers and none of
them has ever mentioned 175 PSI as anything they have ever tried.
Vredstein tubular tires are another story altogether. One bad thing about running really
high pressure is that tires cut and / or puncture easier.

Dennis Noward

SteveR_100Milers

I use the tricomps on fuilrcrum 3's and use 110 rear 100 front and I'm 98kgs!!!

I wouldnt want to put more than 120 in a tire because of the stress on the rim, plus there is no apparent benefit to me anyway despite my weight....