Tyre pressures. How do you ride yours?

ct8282

So, as title suggests, how do you guys ride your pressures? Do you have different psi for front and rear? Do you vary your pressures depending on conditions or is that too much hard work?

seejay

Just pump it to the recommended PSI, always even front and back - unless different wheels.
FYI, I do 100PSI front and back, min recommended for my 25mm is 90PSI, max of 110PSI.

plymouthsteve

I do max which is 110 psi front and back. I have to, because at 15 stone, it looks like I have a puncture else!

VTech

I run 100 front/rear on 25mm continental and find this much better and far more comfortable than the original 23mm with 110 front/rear.

Mikey23

100 front and back on contis 25

KevChallis

110psi front and back on standard giant tyres, rated at 120 max, but found it too hard so let a little out

blueneedles

having 2 sets of wheels i have tried 2 different pressures, with the std set of wheels 28c ( kenda tyres )ive run them at 85-90psi but the alex rims 23c wheels (specialized mono) ive run them at 95-100 for the last 2 weeks but have topped them up tonight to see how the 120psi max pressure feels like ive only been rideing road bikes for the last 2 months so trying differnt stuff to see what i like...

elderone

I use 100 psi front and rear on 23 tyres

ct8282

Very interesting. Will up my pressures and see how I get on.

simmo3801

100 front and rear for me on Michelin pro race 3s

Barteos

For the best performance on typical road surfaces you want the lowest pressure at which the bike still handles well and you don't suffer from pinch flats.
Harder always feels faster but usually isn't

Also there's no reason why front and rear tyre should be inflated to the same pressure.
They carry different loads (typically 60%/40%).

simon_masterson

Barteos wrote:

For the best performance on typical road surfaces you want the lowest pressure at which the bike still handles well and you don't suffer from pinch flats.
Harder always feels faster but usually isn't

Also there's no reason why front and rear tyre should be inflated to the same pressure.
They carry different loads (typically 60%/40%).

This.

I use 85 rear and 80 front; 27x 1 1/4 (32mm) tyres on the main bike.

ct8282

Barteos wrote:

For the best performance on typical road surfaces you want the lowest pressure at which the bike still handles well and you don't suffer from pinch flats.
Harder always feels faster but usually isn't

Also there's no reason why front and rear tyre should be inflated to the same pressure.
They carry different loads (typically 60%/40%).

I run lower psi in the front too. Makes sense to since the rear tyre takes more load.

I'd like to see the science behind your first statement though....

CYCLESPORT1

90 - 100 ! (more when I was racing)

Bozman

Squash the tyre with my thumb. I wouldn't have a clue what psi I run at, it'd be interesting to check and see just how close I am to the correct psi.

Mindermast

Science seems to keep silent about this subject, scientists disappear in a cloud of "knowledge" that everybody seems to have. But there are a few simple rules that seem to persist and might be correct:

Road
- There is a pressure at which the wheel rolls best. Higher pressure is possible but doesn't improve that.
- Lower pressure is more comfortable
- If the pressure is too low, you risk "snake bites" because small bumps in the road will compress the tube completely and push it against the rim sides.

Offroad
- no idea, but people seem to ride much lower pressures, in order to get better grip on the soft and moving surfaces.

I am not super lightweight, my bikes aren't either, so I use the maximum pressure allowed on the tires. I am still experimenting with offroad pressure, having to find out, how low I can go.

Neil_aky

Depends on your weight, see this from Michelin:

http://www.michelinbicycletire.com/michelinbicycle/index.cfm?event=airpressure.view

I have mine at max pressure until I lose some weight!

Barteos

Mindermast wrote:

Science seems to keep silent about this subject, scientists disappear in a cloud of "knowledge" that everybody seems to have.

Science is not silent about it at all.
You need to subscribe to Bicycle Quarterly and do a bit of deep digging on the web.
Avoiding mainstream forums is also very recommended as they typically just spread myths and misinformation

In the latest issue of the above magazine they've tested three popular tyres (high end clincher and tubular and low end clincher) at various pressures on completely smooth tarmac (racing track).
The (surprising) results clearly demonstrate that for typical narrow road tyres pressure from 60 to 120PSI makes almost no difference (max. 10W) in power required to maintain the same speed and it's not even a constant, predictable linear relationship. That's on a smooth tarmac!

What it means is that to go fast on real roads you can safely lower the pressure (in order to minimise "suspension loses" - energy wasted on bouncing up and down and... vibrating your body.) without worrying about increasing the hysteresis of the tyres.
That's one of the reason why most of tyres that road bikes use nowadays are too narrow and don't allow running low enough pressures without risking pinch flats and rim damage. That's something that perhaps tubeless tyres will partially address.

I realize that it takes some time to get one's head around it but it really makes sense.

I recommend this magazine to anyone who prefers facts and numbers to fairy tales, especially the back issues with articles about rolling resistance of wider tyres... clinchers vs tubs etc... Very interesting reading.

P.S. Speaking of pressure... I run 2.1" wide tyres at 20PSI front and 30PSI rear (tubeless). My and av speeds hardly ever drop below 18.0mph 8)

mrbrightside

Neil_aky wrote:

Depends on your weight, see this from Michelin:

http://www.michelinbicycletire.com/michelinbicycle/index.cfm?event=airpressure.view

I have mine at max pressure until I lose some weight!

Always reassuring when your off the scale!

I ride 108F/120R, however will try less as my sit bones have taken a bit of a kicking as the mileage has ramped up.

Neil_aky

Actually I am now on the scale (just!) thanks to cycling - four stone lost in 8 months.

supermurph09

120 front 125 rear. Whilst its a bit harsher I do feel that my speed feels greater.

johnny25

About 110 on the front and 115 on the rear according to my temperamental track pump.

Mikey41

90 front and 105-110 rear. Standard Giant tyres.

gbredneck

Being heavy chap, i am riding 120 front and back on Schwalbe Durano's. Recently had a bike fit and they recommended the higher PSI.

Since upping the pressure the bike does seem faster.

lotus49

KevChallis wrote:

110psi front and back on standard giant tyres, rated at 120 max, but found it too hard so let a little out

I have the same bike (Giant Defy 3) and this is exactly what I do too.

letap73

Neil_aky wrote:

Depends on your weight, see this from Michelin:

http://www.michelinbicycletire.com/michelinbicycle/index.cfm?event=airpressure.view

I have mine at max pressure until I lose some weight!

I am not even on the scale and the pressure in my 23C tyres is less than that recommended for someone whose mass is almost half mine. :oops:

canny_lad

Conti 25mm tyres, 95psi F&R.

thejimmymethod

Running around 95 on Conti 25s. I could drop it down as I'm light but I'm happy enough with the ride quality, even on the shoot roads round my way

Hoopdriver

About 95psi on Conti 4 Seasons 25mm

ErikH

i'm a big enough lump so 120 psi, front and back, I am on Specialized Espoir 23c tyres.

MattC59

Although all of the above posts will give you some ideas, they are totally irellavent as no one has included their weight.

I'm 13.5st and have my 23mm Ultremo ZXs at about 95psi front and rear. The same tyre and pressure would feel very different to a 10st rider.