Originally Posted by
Metallifan33
Hello All,
I have a quick question about tire pressure for my road bike (Trek Domane SL 5). The tire is the Bontrager R1 700 x 32 Hard-Case Lite.
If I remember correctly, the LBS inflated it to 90 and 95 psi (front and back). I weigh 190 lbs and live at 1200 ft MSL and the temperature is currently 60 deg F.
I went to air it up today and noticed that the tire is labeled with a "Max Air Pressure of 70 psi."
What should I air it up to?
Thanks!
As you already know, nothing terrible will happen if you air up to 95 psi. However, the primary reason to run a 32 mm tire on a road bike is to run at lower pressures for a better ride and reduced rolling resistance. There is a substantial consensus among manufacturers, consultants, racers, coaches, riders, and commentators that you'll get the best results running MUCH lower pressures than we all used to run 10-20 years ago.
Zipp and Silca both have up to date apps that let you plug in your weight, tire specs, and type of riding for recommendations. Those are great places to start. Zipp's app is Tyre Wiz, and Silca's app is off their main page.
Is that was my wheelset, I'd run them at 70, then drop the pressure in 2-4 lb increments til I started bottoming out then move up one notch. You can probably run your tires at 60 or so with no problems.