juntjoo

If find this too much. Am I misanthropomorphizing my bikes?

I think we like a more comfy ride plus I have this fear it'll explode in my face cuz I put it on wrong or like when one of my coconuts fell on my head it just wasn't my day.

LarrySellerz

Elephant in the room is that ai has succeeded in killing google’s search function, and you’re getting ai bs as the “suggested answer” or whatever it’s called to your search query.

Tire pressure is dependent on tire width and rider weight, just use your thumb to get a feel. it’s been discussed to death on the interwebs, if you want a number.

wearing eye protection or even ear protection is not a bad idea. Also, let’s say you want to go to 100, if you want to be careful go 20 at a time and then inspect the bead on the tire to make sure all looks good. If it looks perfect at 60, it’s probably going to be fine.

darn ai ruining the internet. Kids bikes lol.

juntjoo

Thanks. I think more is better in most cases aside from off road is my impression. Didn't I read it's safer for your tires too as far as ease of puncture?
​​​​​​
Side question: you use the green stuff? I get the cheapest tubes cuz they all die soon enough anyway and fill em all with the slime and it adds a lot of life to them.

LarrySellerz

I don’t use the slime, never tried it, seems messy but it’s sold for a reason so it must work…

Higher pressures are safer for punctures, because too low of a pressure can lead to “pinch flats.” Say you hit a pothole, the tire gets pushed in at that point and if it’s not inflated enough the inner tube can actually get pinched on the rim. It looks like a snakebite, 2 holes the width of the rim apart from each other. As long as you’re inflated beyond the point where you won’t pinch flat, higher pressures don’t help with puncture resistance, but that point can rise if you suddenly have to hit a pothole or something or hit it at a faster than expected speed.

my rule of thumb is road bikes 80-110, normal mountain bikes 60, hybrids somewhere in between. Mountain bikes with really wide wheels go lower, I don’t ride off-road much though. It says the recommended tire pressure range on the tire. I normally go with the top end suggested and multiplying it by 1.25 as the pressure I run, but I’m fat and fast, lots of forces to aid in pinch flats.

Iride01 

What are you asking? If you expect there to be one perfect answer, then just make one up and that can be it.

Many times the only pressure they show on the side of the tire is the maximum tire pressure you should ever inflate it to when riding.

The pressure you should put in your tires is less than the max and more than any minimum they list. Regardless of the minimum, it should at least be enough that you don't get any pinch flats. Then from there until you hit the max recommended, it's what ever you find you prefer, whether that number comes from a calculator for tire pressure, or your own personal feeling of what is right for you.

juntjoo

Thanks! That's good new info for me. I know I prefer my punctures on the outer side of the tube so the slime will hit it but sometimes they're inside the tube too which I guess is due to either general wear at the weakest point or some gravel or something in there so now I try to remember to clean it up in there before installing. So I'll now look out for that snake bite. I do tend to hit holes and curbs I miss with my near sight

CAT7RDR

Check the tire manufacturer website.
Schwalbe, for example, gives a range that I found helpful.
I adjust according to the type of road surface, firmness of my ride sought and weight f/r?

squirtdad

I like this pressure calculator, silca has one also https://www.renehersecycles.com/tire...re-calculator/

IME getting quality tubes reduces the flats i have. I tried slime years ago and it never worked

I have used Caffelatex with some success.

IME sealant works best at lower tire pressures.... high pressure just blows it out too fast for it to work

slow rollin

If the tire feels like it's rolling slow and flops/feels squishy in corners add more air. If it feels like it's pinging you around like a ping pong ball you can try lowering it.
The heavier you are the closer to max or higher on the pressure range you should run. Or if you ride hard. It's best to own a hand pump for when you get a flat, but also so you can test air pressure mid trail/ride.

CrimsonEclipse

When you see a tire pressure recommendation on the side of a tire, it's to keep the manufacturer from bring sued
When you see a tire pressure recommendation on a cycling website, it's very general to cover every situation and possibility

So what to do?
Fill your tire mid range on the side of the tire. Does it say 30-50? Then go 40
Is the total weight of rider and cargo higher, might consider going 5-10psi higher.

Bottoming out? add 5 psi
Harsh ride? remove 5 psi
Repeat until you're happy.

Getting the EXACT psi from google or even here is a fool's errand.

Ball park it, adjust as necessary.

Wileyrat

https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure

this is the website I use, and I may adjust a couple of pounds either way, but it typically gets me pretty close.

WaveyGravey

My weight is about 155/160 LBs. Long ago my bike shop recommended 100 PSI per tire on my road bike. Tire size 700x25. Seems to have worked well.

79pmooney

My two pieces of advice: 1) Squeeze the tire with your fingers regularly so you come to know what the right pressure for you feels like. The time will come when the only inflation device around has no gauge. With educated fingers, no big deal.

2) Run front tires around 5 psi less than the rear. Various "exact" sources will tell you to go a lot lower for optimum comfort and rolling resistance for the weight you place on the front tire; usually considerably less than you have in back. But - should you ever find yourself behind a rapidly slowing car, truck or even another rider, braking hard 'cause you have no choice and a p0othole or rock appears from under that vehicle or rider. Suddenly, that almost rear tire pressure will look like a G**send!

This 5 psi less in front was routine advice from veteran bike racers to newbies when I started racing 50 years ago. Been doing that (with a gauge or by feel) the whole time and have never regretted it.

rm -rf

The Silca calculator has worked great for me.
At 165-170 lbs, I run 70-72 psi on my 28mm Continental tires. That's great on rough roads, and enough pressure for quick steering.

Silca recommends 80 front, 82 rear for poor pavement and moderate speeds. That sounds right. Try dropping 5 or 10 psi and try the ride, so you get used to the better tire pressure feel. Repeat to the target range and see how that works. Cracks, tar strips, patched and worn pavement will be considerably improved.

ScottCommutes

I think there is an optimal range of tire pressure for each of these:

1. Rolling resistance
2. Comfort on different surfaces
3. Flat resistance
4. Cornering and braking traction

Personally, I only worry about #1 and let the rest take care of themselves.

PeteHski

Modern pressure calculators like SRAM and Silca also advise running approx 5 psi less front pressure.

soyabean

Gotta love Schwalbe balloon tyres.

30 psi for low rolling resistance

KerryIrons

The fundamental error in what you posted is that the recommended pressure is on the tire sidewall. That number is the MAXIMUM pressure and almost always higher (or much higher) than what you should use.

Iride01 

Not sure that's a real word when you put the mis on it, but if you are thinking of your bike as a trusty steed then you might be. <grin>

Sierra_rider

Just check out the Silca tire pressure calculator and be done with it. I generally run 65-70 psi in my road bike tires, depending on size. That's a perfect compromise pressure for me, feels is fast on good pavement, yet doesn't feel like a pinball bumper on rough roads.

On my MTB, it's a wide range...depends on which tires, which bike, and what I'm doing with it that particular day. If I'm racing my XC bike, I'm definitely over-inflated from what would be considered most efficient. That being said, I've "burped" tires before, so the higher pressure gives up some efficiency for better reliability. In non-racing, recreational scenarios, I'll generally run lower pressures, because it's not a big deal to stop and pump a tire back up(and it rarely happens.) I should just put cush-core inserts in my race wheel set, but I guess it's just a reflection of my own bias against something different.

PeteHski

More is not really better for either speed or grip. For example if you go 10 psi above the optimum pressure for rolling resistance, you lose a lot more speed than if you go 10 psi below the optimum. It’s counter-intuitive in regard to speed and going much above the optimum point is costly in rolling resistance. Being a little under-inflated on the other hand has little loss of speed, but gains in both comfort and grip.

So what is the optimum pressure? That depends on several variables (weight, tyre width, rim width, road surface etc) which are best dealt with using one of the reputable online pressure calculators (Silca or SRAM)

juntjoo

Thanks! I would have assumed otherwise

mpetry912 

now I use 80 PSI on most road bike tires (28s) maybe a little less on hot days.

there's no single right answer, and more info is often confusing to people who are relatively new to the sport

/markp

denis_987

I always inflate my tires between the minimum and maximum (middle) recommended on the tire rating and I'm happy with that. I ride on all kinds of surfaces and I and I'm definitely not going to adjust the pressure every time I ride with or without panniers. I don't compete, I ride my bike for leisure and travel. On the other hand, I check the pressure every two weeks or so.

DaveSSS 

Try the tire pressure calculator at Zipp.com. I run tubeless tires on hookless rims. Using 28/30mm tires I no more than 55psi. I check the pressure before every ride.

https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure