What Pressures Do You Use?

The Average Joe

Everyone seems to have their own ideas on what pressures run best on their road bikes. I know that there are a bunch of different charts and theories, and the tons of different factors that can alter the optimum. I'm not interested in those because they all differ. I'm more curious to know what sort of pressures other riders are actually running, based on their weight and such. Knowing different surfaces make big differences, so base it off if you were to go out on an average day on an average ride on an average road.

Where do you find to be you optimum pressure for your weight and bike weight, as well as the size tire that you use on your tubed or tubeless setup?


Thanks

drlodge

Running 23c IRC roadlites (tubeless) at 90 rear and 80 front. I'm around 12 stone. Used to run 115/105 ish when using tubed tyres which gives a harsher ride but any lower and I'd risk pinch flats.

simon_masterson

About 11-11.5 stone, I run 19-20mm clinchers at 120-125psi on my TT bike. When I've had tubs on, I've run them a little bit higher, but not much. My road bike has a 27x1 1/4 (32mm) rear which I run at 60-85psi depending on my mood; the front is a 25mm and I run it at 85-90psi.

keef66

10 stone / 63.5kg. 25mm tyres (GP 4 Seasons and Pro 4 SC) about 60psi front / 80psi rear. Now stuck a 23mm Pro 4 Endurance on the rear of the CR1 because I wanted more clearance, and I go up to 95psi for that.

singleton

I'm about 72Kg, running tubed GP4000s clinchers at the moment.
Normal pressures are 6 bar (87psi) front and 6.5 bar (94psi) rear.

Switching to tubeless soon and I plan to lower each of these by maybe 0.5 bar after making the change.

fenix

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2010/10/ ... -pressure/

This chart is good.

I run 25mm tyres now - the roads are too crappy for less - and I'm about 75Kg and run about 70 PSI front and 75 rear.

Seems to work for me.

deejaysee

Never measured the pressure in my tyres.
Just give them a feel - if they're hard, good to go

fenix

deejaysee wrote:

Never measured the pressure in my tyres.
Just give them a feel - if they're hard, good to go

Lol !

viewtopic.php?f=40013&t=13067375&p=19918643#p19918643

lostboysaint

Fenix wrote:

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/science-and-bicycles-1-tires-and-pressure/

This chart is good.

I run 25mm tyres now - the roads are too crappy for less - and I'm about 75Kg and run about 70 PSI front and 75 rear.

Seems to work for me.

Might be at your end of the scale but it's a bit wayward for the larger lad. I'm circa 98kg and run 85psi in the front and 95psi in the rear on my 25mm Michelin Pro4 Endurance. No pinch flats, really comfortable and roll very well.

imposter2.0

The Average Joe wrote:

I know that there are a bunch of different charts and theories, and the tons of different factors that can alter the optimum. I'm not interested in those because they all differ.

Theres a reason for that. And the answers you get here will all be different as well - for the exact same reason.

deejaysee

Fenix wrote:

deejaysee wrote:

Never measured the pressure in my tyres.
Just give them a feel - if they're hard, good to go

Lol !

viewtopic.php?f=40013&t=13067375&p=19918643#p19918643

fenix

A track pump with a pressure gauge is well worth having. So much easier than small pumps and you have much better control of pressure. It'll pay for itself in inner tubes.

singleton

Fenix wrote:

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/science-and-bicycles-1-tires-and-pressure/

This chart is good.

I run 25mm tyres now - the roads are too crappy for less - and I'm about 75Kg and run about 70 PSI front and 75 rear.

Those seem low... but if I did want to try them out - how do I know what my weight distribution is across my front and rear tyre??

fenix

I'd just estimate the distribution. Clearly the rear is >50% so go with 55% or so ? If you ever find that you are getting pinch flats on the rear then its not enough - but the formula works for me.

Did a great ride at the weekend on new roads that were bloody awful. My wheels took a right hammering but no dramas at all. Great route - but the winters haven't been kind to those roads.

arthur_scrimshaw

13 stone here, on my Six with 23c Schwalbe ultremo I run 105psi rear, 95psi front, no pinch punctures. I do prefer to run my pressures a bit lower than recommended.

philbar72

77kg - 25mm 82psi front and 90 psi rear

lincolndave

I weigh 80 kilos, 95 front/ 100 psi rear, continental gp ,s 25 mm

proto

I weigh 75kg.
Mostly using 25mm GP4000s tyres these days, inflated to 95/100psi front and rear.
For 23mm version of same tyre I increase the pressure to 120psi front and rear.

nunowoolmez

I fluctuate between 65 - 72 kg depending on training, season, & how good I am at avoiding bad food! Anyway, I run 23mm GP 4000s on my mega light Canyon build at 110 front & rear. On my steel Condor I run 25mm GP 4000s at same levels. Don't know why, but seems to work & have had a very minor amount of P word over last 4 years.

fenix

But surely you should run lower pressures in a wider tyre ? What logic are you using there ?

Try a lower PSI and you'll still not puncture and have a nicer ride ?

bikegangster

I use 80 psi for my rear wheel (700 x 35) and 70 psi for the front (700 x 32). My 32c tyre is actually 29 mm wide rather than 32mm. Rear wheel is actually between 31 and 33 mm, can't remember where. Wish I put in a 32c, I don't need the 35c.

Fenix wrote:

A track pump with a pressure gauge is well worth having. So much easier than small pumps and you have much better control of pressure. It'll pay for itself in inner tubes.

Seriously thats true. I bought a track pump from Halfords two months ago and it pumps your tyres a hundred times faster than small pumps!

I hate using small pumps. Took me forever to inflate a tyre. Track pump does it in one or two minutes. Small pumps takes me about 10 to 20 minutes per tyre! And it hurts my bloody arm!

londoncommuter

Anyone clever (or young) enough to set some cool Google* table up somewhere and people could input their weight, pressure and tyre size directly on it? Might be more useful than dumping it on here like this.

Might be interesting if we got enough people doing it.


*other brands may apply

Anonymous

13-14 stone, 23mm tyres, latex tubes, 120psi at the start but nice and comfy 100psi at the finish.

imposter2.0

Carbonator wrote:

13-14 stone, 23mm tyres, latex tubes, 120psi at the start but nice and comfy 100psi at the finish.

How long are your rides - three days?

SCR Pedro

73.5kg, and running 700x23 at 100psi, back and front.
It works for me, so I see no reason to change it.

itboffin

Wow those are generally some very low pressures out of interest are most of you only concerned with ride comfort or does rolling resistance matter as well?

I run all my tyres at the best reported rolling resistance psi or near enough, all the roads around my area are shocking so nothing short of a full sus MTB is going to make much difference.

imposter2.0

itboffin wrote:

Wow those are generally some very low pressures out of interest are most of you only concerned with ride comfort or does rolling resistance matter as well?

I run all my tyres at the best reported rolling resistance psi or near enough, all the roads around my area are shocking so nothing short of a full sus MTB is going to make much difference.

Lower pressures generally roll better on 'real' Road surfaces, than banging them up to the max.