tyre pressure

skinnydog1973

I was wondering what tyre pressure i should be aiming for on my bike, i got my first bike last week and the tyres were inflated to 115 psi is this what i should be aiming for all the time cheers

lotus49

You should give more information such as the size of tyre, type, your approximate weight etc. There is nothing obviously wrong with 115psi but it does depend.

lc1981

The recommended pressure range should be stated on the sidewall of the tyres. The exact value you go for within this range will depend on road conditions and perhaps your weight.

leepez

skinnydog1973 wrote:

I was wondering what tyre pressure i should be aiming for on my bike, i got my first bike last week and the tyres were inflated to 115 psi is this what i should be aiming for all the time cheers

I think most tyres say a max of 120psi but to obtain 100+ psi I would advise that you obtain a track pump (unless you already have one) as most small hand pumps will struggle to get upto that sort of pressure.
I used only a hand pump for a couple of months thinking I was putting the correct pressure into my tyres until I decided to buy a track pump (from advice on this very forum).
The difference on the road was amazing once I was accurately inflating my tyres with a track pump (110psi)

Mikey41

It depends on your weight too, a heavier rider will want higher pressure (particularly on the rear wheel) than a lighter one. I am using about 105 - 110psi in the rear and about 90psi in the front. Lower front pressure will give you a nicer ride over rough surfaces with less jarring to your hands and wrists.

I also second the track pump, they are essential for high pressure tyres. With my first Hybrid, I used a small hand pump and thought I was getting enough air in (I only needed 80psi for those tyres). When I got the track pump I found I was at least 20psi too low! It takes quite some time and effort to get a tyre to 100psi with a hand pump, they are emergency use things to get you home, nothing more.

smidsy

Also tyre width.

A 25mm can be run on less psi than a 23mm for example.

desweller

Pressure = Force / Area

Area changes with tyre size.

Force changes with rider weight.

So if you're a heavier guy and/or running skinny tyres you need higher pressures than a light guy or a guy with gurt big tyres.

Gizmodo

As others have said, it is based on load (weight) and tyre width. The rating on the side of the tire is the maximum for that tire, not the correct pressure to use.

See the chart on http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf

keef66

I'm a midget running 25mm tyres so I use 70psi front and 80 rear. Any higher than that and the ride's noticeably harsher.

smoggysteve

I like my tyres around 115 120psi, I don't mind sacrificing comfort for puncture resistance. Lower pressure will be slightly softer to ride on but hold the risk of punctures especially in wet weather.

lotus49

SmoggySteve wrote:

I like my tyres around 115 120psi, I don't mind sacrificing comfort for puncture resistance. Lower pressure will be slightly softer to ride on but hold the risk of punctures especially in wet weather.

I can see that lower pressures make pinch punctures more likely but why does wet weather increase the risk of punctures?

Buckie2k5

gravel , thorns etc can stick to wet tyres and then get pushed in on next rotation.

ilm_zero7

SmoggySteve wrote:

I like my tyres around 115 120psi, I don't mind sacrificing comfort for puncture resistance. Lower pressure will be slightly softer to ride on but hold the risk of punctures especially in wet weather.

agree - I have more punctures at lower pressures, and dont like the feel of the bike at 100 psi or below, it feels sluggish