crossbike tyre pressures?

luv2ride

hi all. I'm using a Specialized Singlecross on a quick evening route involving approx 40% tarmac and 60% rough cinder track (old railway line). I'm running Kenda small block 8 tyres (700 x 32) @ 85 psi. trouble is its pretty harsh on the rough stuff, although fine on the tarmac. what pressure do you run your cross tyres at if doing a mixture of rough and smooth? cheers

Monty Dog

85psi is way too high - I would try dropping to 50-60psi. Factors include rider weight, whether you've got panniers etc. For looser / muddier conditions I'd drop to 40-50 and 30-40 for offroad only.

woolwich

Exactly the same as Monty suggests. After a lot of experiment I settled on 60ish psi for the sort of mix of terrain your doing. Nice compromise of ride quality, grip on the loose and rolling between the off road sections.

Depending how your route goes you could always ride to the trails on hard tyres, then let them down for the loose stuff and pump them up again before riding home. A pain though if your on and off lanes for the duration.

luv2ride

Thanks both, really appreciate the replies. You've suggested pressures much lower than I might have been inclined to try, so I'm keen to see the difference it makes (and whether I'll keep some fillings in a little longer as a consequence!)
cheers

luv2ride

tried the tyres at 60psi today, felt much better. might try a touch lower next time out given MontyDogs advice, as a particularly stony section was still a bit of a rattler! still, got nice and muddy which always brings a smile to your face...