Tandem tire pressure?
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Tandem tire pressure?
My wife and I have a Santana Sovereign we enjoy a great deal, we did some upgrades with Spinergy wheels and carbon handlebars and have a ball on it. We are currently running 32c Grand Prix 4 Seasons and wondering what might be an appropriate pressure? I’m a touch over 180 and she’s about 115. I’m asking as I’m guessing the extra weight of a tandem calls for different pressure?
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My wife and I have a Santana Sovereign we enjoy a great deal, we did some upgrades with Spinergy wheels and carbon handlebars and have a ball on it. We are currently running 32c Grand Prix 4 Seasons and wondering what might be an appropriate pressure? I’m a touch over 180 and she’s about 115. I’m asking as I’m guessing the extra weight of a tandem calls for different pressure?
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In our experience @Artmo has it right. With 32mm tires and a combined rider and bike weight of 310# we find 85 psi to be the sweet spot. With 47mm tires we drop that to 45 or 50 psi depending on terrain.
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Under 300 pounds team weight, and 32mm tires, I think you can go pretty low, I’d try 80psi to start.
We’re around 350 pounds, and used to run 110 on 25mm tires. Having switched to tubeless we’re running 85 psi on 28mm tires with no issues and could probably go lower.
We’re around 350 pounds, and used to run 110 on 25mm tires. Having switched to tubeless we’re running 85 psi on 28mm tires with no issues and could probably go lower.
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With very similar equipment and team weight, mid-80s is working very well for us.
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We run 650B 38 m tires at 60-65. I think your 700c x 32 mm tires have almost the same volume of air so you could easily run lower than 80.
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We run 700x28 Continental 4 season tires and until recently have been running about 100psi. With the bike, we're about 315 pounds.
Silca has a tire pressure calculator that I've been messing with and based on that, I lowered the pressure to 90. It's wants you to go even lower, but I'll try it in steps. 90 has been working out great so far. Bike handles great, it's a bit more comfortable over rough road sections, no pinch flats yet, and maybe we faster? Or maybe we've just had a few good days...
Silca has a tire pressure calculator that I've been messing with and based on that, I lowered the pressure to 90. It's wants you to go even lower, but I'll try it in steps. 90 has been working out great so far. Bike handles great, it's a bit more comfortable over rough road sections, no pinch flats yet, and maybe we faster? Or maybe we've just had a few good days...
#8
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Here’s another online calculator: https://www.renehersecycles.com/tire...re-calculator/
It seems to align pretty well with what I’ve found empirically. It’s pretty sensitive to tire width, so best to use measured width vs the width printed on the sidewall. For instance, our Continental 4 seasons 700Cx32 tires measure at 34 mm.
It seems to align pretty well with what I’ve found empirically. It’s pretty sensitive to tire width, so best to use measured width vs the width printed on the sidewall. For instance, our Continental 4 seasons 700Cx32 tires measure at 34 mm.
#9
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Chinook's tire pressure calculator has tandem, triplet, and quad options that account for the weight distribution of captain and stokers.
https://cycleschinook.com/tire-pressure-calculator/
Its pressure recommendations are pretty close to the new Rene Herse tool since they're based on similar assumptions about tire loading. I've found Silca's and Sram's pressure calculators to make some dangerously low pressure suggestions at tandem weights.
https://cycleschinook.com/tire-pressure-calculator/
Its pressure recommendations are pretty close to the new Rene Herse tool since they're based on similar assumptions about tire loading. I've found Silca's and Sram's pressure calculators to make some dangerously low pressure suggestions at tandem weights.
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I have 32mm wide tires with a combined weight of about 275lbs and run about 90 - 100 psi. I felt it has the best balance between comfort, performance and road risk.
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287 lb. team, bike weight all up ~45 lbs, 32mm Conti 5K, we run 90 lbs. My biggest concern is not to pinch flat if I hit a pothole or whatever. Comfort concerns me much less. I'd run tubeless at 80.
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Thought I'd throw this into the tandem forum - I originally posted about this when I found something about Rene Here tires blowing off hookless rims.
Light Bicycle WR45 rim, 25 mm ID, with Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 38. This was the rear tire on a tandem. Tires have been mounted for a while but have just 2 rides on them. I pumped them to 65 psi today, put the tandem in the truck, and while sitting about 100 feet away thought I heard a gun shot! Tire blew off the rim, but was perfectly intact. Pretty frickin scary in my mind.
Per Light Bicycle the max pressure is 55 psi, so I exceeded that. Still surprising that 55 psi is OK and 65 is not.
If I knew this was an issue I probably would have bought hooked rims.
Light Bicycle WR45 rim, 25 mm ID, with Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 38. This was the rear tire on a tandem. Tires have been mounted for a while but have just 2 rides on them. I pumped them to 65 psi today, put the tandem in the truck, and while sitting about 100 feet away thought I heard a gun shot! Tire blew off the rim, but was perfectly intact. Pretty frickin scary in my mind.
Per Light Bicycle the max pressure is 55 psi, so I exceeded that. Still surprising that 55 psi is OK and 65 is not.
If I knew this was an issue I probably would have bought hooked rims.
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Thought I'd throw this into the tandem forum - I originally posted about this when I found something about Rene Here tires blowing off hookless rims.
Light Bicycle WR45 rim, 25 mm ID, with Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 38. This was the rear tire on a tandem. Tires have been mounted for a while but have just 2 rides on them. I pumped them to 65 psi today, put the tandem in the truck, and while sitting about 100 feet away thought I heard a gun shot! Tire blew off the rim, but was perfectly intact. Pretty frickin scary in my mind.
Per Light Bicycle the max pressure is 55 psi, so I exceeded that. Still surprising that 55 psi is OK and 65 is not.
If I knew this was an issue I probably would have bought hooked rims.
Light Bicycle WR45 rim, 25 mm ID, with Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 38. This was the rear tire on a tandem. Tires have been mounted for a while but have just 2 rides on them. I pumped them to 65 psi today, put the tandem in the truck, and while sitting about 100 feet away thought I heard a gun shot! Tire blew off the rim, but was perfectly intact. Pretty frickin scary in my mind.
Per Light Bicycle the max pressure is 55 psi, so I exceeded that. Still surprising that 55 psi is OK and 65 is not.
If I knew this was an issue I probably would have bought hooked rims.
Apparently the former standard (non-hookless) was something like 150% of rated max pressure. 110% is crazy.
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FWIW the max pressure on the Sawtooth tire is 80 psi.
The Velonews article linked to above also refers to a single psi standard "In the norms (ISO and ETRTO), the only max pressure that is stated is the one for hookless rim: 5 bar (72.5psi), regardless of rim and tire width."
The Chinook calculator tells me to go to 76 and 83 psi (but I think they are assuming hooked rims).
The Rene Herse calculator gives 73 psi for a soft ride.
I was at 65 psi when the tire blew off. I then put it back on and rode at 55 for 30 miles and so far so good!
The Velonews article linked to above also refers to a single psi standard "In the norms (ISO and ETRTO), the only max pressure that is stated is the one for hookless rim: 5 bar (72.5psi), regardless of rim and tire width."
The Chinook calculator tells me to go to 76 and 83 psi (but I think they are assuming hooked rims).
The Rene Herse calculator gives 73 psi for a soft ride.
I was at 65 psi when the tire blew off. I then put it back on and rode at 55 for 30 miles and so far so good!
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Thought I'd throw this into the tandem forum - I originally posted about this when I found something about Rene Here tires blowing off hookless rims.
Light Bicycle WR45 rim, 25 mm ID, with Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 38. This was the rear tire on a tandem. Tires have been mounted for a while but have just 2 rides on them. I pumped them to 65 psi today, put the tandem in the truck, and while sitting about 100 feet away thought I heard a gun shot! Tire blew off the rim, but was perfectly intact. Pretty frickin scary in my mind.
Per Light Bicycle the max pressure is 55 psi, so I exceeded that. Still surprising that 55 psi is OK and 65 is not.
If I knew this was an issue I probably would have bought hooked rims.
Light Bicycle WR45 rim, 25 mm ID, with Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 38. This was the rear tire on a tandem. Tires have been mounted for a while but have just 2 rides on them. I pumped them to 65 psi today, put the tandem in the truck, and while sitting about 100 feet away thought I heard a gun shot! Tire blew off the rim, but was perfectly intact. Pretty frickin scary in my mind.
Per Light Bicycle the max pressure is 55 psi, so I exceeded that. Still surprising that 55 psi is OK and 65 is not.
If I knew this was an issue I probably would have bought hooked rims.
It is also entirely possible that the tire was not seated properly. I've had tires blow off of rims due to installer (me) failure to ensure proper and even bead seating -- if your tire had deflated a fair amount while sitting the bead may have shifted before you inflated it.
#16
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Thought I'd throw this into the tandem forum - I originally posted about this when I found something about Rene Here tires blowing off hookless rims.
Light Bicycle WR45 rim, 25 mm ID, with Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 38. This was the rear tire on a tandem. Tires have been mounted for a while but have just 2 rides on them. I pumped them to 65 psi today, put the tandem in the truck, and while sitting about 100 feet away thought I heard a gun shot! Tire blew off the rim, but was perfectly intact. Pretty frickin scary in my mind.
Per Light Bicycle the max pressure is 55 psi, so I exceeded that. Still surprising that 55 psi is OK and 65 is not.
If I knew this was an issue I probably would have bought hooked rims.
Light Bicycle WR45 rim, 25 mm ID, with Specialized Sawtooth 700 x 38. This was the rear tire on a tandem. Tires have been mounted for a while but have just 2 rides on them. I pumped them to 65 psi today, put the tandem in the truck, and while sitting about 100 feet away thought I heard a gun shot! Tire blew off the rim, but was perfectly intact. Pretty frickin scary in my mind.
Per Light Bicycle the max pressure is 55 psi, so I exceeded that. Still surprising that 55 psi is OK and 65 is not.
If I knew this was an issue I probably would have bought hooked rims.
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Thanks for all the comments about this. Given what happened and what I've learned since I wouldn't recommend hookless for a tandem either. Having said that I'm not sure I'm going to get rid of them - yet. I ran tubeless on 650b hooked rims with 38 mm tires on our previous tandem at 60-65 psi - and there is more volume in the 700c x 38 tires so running 55 psi seems fine.
BTW to JulesCW the tires were definitely seated when I pumped them up - they were just a touch soft and I usually check pressure and top them off before every ride.
FWIW the Paris Roubaix race last weekend was won on tubeless tires which almost every team ran this year. Dylan van Baarle was on hooked rims, but nearly half of the teams were on hookless. Not to say that hookless on a tandem is the right setup, but to point out that there is certainly no consensus at the very highest end of the sport about hooked vs hookless.
BTW to JulesCW the tires were definitely seated when I pumped them up - they were just a touch soft and I usually check pressure and top them off before every ride.
FWIW the Paris Roubaix race last weekend was won on tubeless tires which almost every team ran this year. Dylan van Baarle was on hooked rims, but nearly half of the teams were on hookless. Not to say that hookless on a tandem is the right setup, but to point out that there is certainly no consensus at the very highest end of the sport about hooked vs hookless.
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On a 700C x 28mm tire I can tell the difference between 100psi and 90psi. I can't say comfort is increased enough at 90psi to be worth the hit to 'glide' and overall performance. So 100psi at fillup, and I usually get annoyed enough with the compromised 'glide' to re-fill @ around 90psi without even having to measure. With 26 x 1.5" I usually run 90psi refilling when it drops to 80psi. Load calculators are gateways to a Dark Dimension of precision and ... OCD. When you operate a tandem the way I do, riding it Stokerless as much hours (or more) as when loaded, you quickly learn that there is no linear equation connecting GVWR and tire pressures front, rear or a ratio of f/r. I hope never to see another hookless rim for the rest of my days. The summer I scored the immaculate vintage World Tourist for $30 and proceeded to blow tube after tube to smithereens sealed that. BOOM! WTF?? Why did it do that? OMG. No consensus? IDK, if not at the highest levels of the sport then definitely at the altitude of this long hauler with maybe 10 or 15 years of (two wheel) riding left in the vestibular canals.
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Tandem tire pressure
Hello, I'm new to a tandem only three weekend rides in. Why is everyone not running max pressure to avoid flats with all the weight? I am riding a CoMotion Java with 700x42 road tires at the max 85psi thinking I would avoid flats but I maybe compromising our ride. I'm thinking about going down to a 700x32 for less rolling resistance. Any advice for me?
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Hello, I'm new to a tandem only three weekend rides in. Why is everyone not running max pressure to avoid flats with all the weight? I am riding a CoMotion Java with 700x42 road tires at the max 85psi thinking I would avoid flats but I maybe compromising our ride. I'm thinking about going down to a 700x32 for less rolling resistance. Any advice for me?
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#22
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And less pressure will help with flats caused by small debris. Tire will roll over a small pointy rock with less pressure. Thirty two's a great size.
#23
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We run Conti 5000s in size 32 on our Co-Motion Carrera. Our pump gauge says 90#. We like that a lot. Occasionally we'll have a pinch flat on a bad road, but very rare.
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With 32mm tires, I've been running 80-90 psi depending on the road condition. I have run much higher pressures but my stoker found the ride a little to rough. I have also tried less pressure but found the handling a bit mushy and vague on the turns. Our weight totals to less than 290 lbs.
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Fully Loaded Touring Tandem Tire Pressures
BIG CAVEAT ON THOSE TANDEM TIRES PRESSURES! Weight a critical factor and with it tire pressures can very dramatically with potentially catastrophic consequences. We ride a custom full carbon Calfee Pro tandem. Fully load with 4 panniers, rear top bag, handle bar bag and frame bag we are close to 400 lbs. We had been running Continental 28 mm Gatorskins for flat protection but flats weren’t the problem. With a measured 30 mm width the Cycle Schinook and other calculators recommend 126 psi front and 137 lbs rear but with concerns of running them that high we reduced pressures to 120 psi front and 130 psi rear. Flats were never a problem but bead sidewall separations were catastrophic and went through half dozen Gatorskins. The solution was going with Continental 5000s with their higher thread count and stronger sidewall. We added Mr Tuffy tire liners for extra flat protection. We haven’t had any bead/sidewall separations with the 5000s running those pressures. Because they have a stronger sidewall may try to drop pressures down to 110 front and 120 rear for better ride and will update the forum at a latter date.