# Best tire pressure for 700C tire



## MNdag

What is the ideal tire pressure for 700X25C tires. I am 160lbs and the bike is about 22lbs. All riding is on paved trails and roads.


----------



## bikerjulio

75 x 90


----------



## Mike T.

MNdag said:


> What is the ideal tire pressure for 700X25C tires. I am 160lbs and the bike is about 22lbs. All riding is on paved trails and roads.


Experiment. There is no "one size fits all" best pressure. But it is around what Julio says - 75 to 90-ish. I'm 175 and I like about 80f/90r the best. But then between (approx) weekly re-inflation they creep slowly lower. My front tire today was about 60 before I topped it off to about 80. I don't wear my readers when pumping tires so all my pressures are "about". I kinda know where the needle is pointing.


----------



## LVbob

I'm 175 pounds and have been riding 25s inflated to 90f/95r. I'm thinking that front pressure needs to come down to at least 80.


----------



## tednugent

LVbob said:


> I'm 175 pounds and have been riding 25s inflated to 90f/95r. I'm thinking that front pressure needs to come down to at least 80.


I'm 185 and ride the same pressure as you


----------



## willieboy

150 pounds and run 85 front and 90 rear. Comfy


----------



## black20

145#s. 80psi front 90psi rear on 23mm tire


----------



## Peter P.

Mike T. has it right. You have to experiment.

Optimal tire pressure will vary based on your weight, the roads you ride on, and the width of the tire you use.

Here's what I did: I pumped my tires up to say, 100psi. and went for a ride.

Next ride I reduced the tire pressure 5psi.

I repeated the process every ride until the tires began to feel soft and I may have bottomed out once or twice. I noted that tire pressure.

Next ride I increased the tire pressure 5psi. and judged the ride. If the tires didn't feel soft or bottom out, I'd found my ideal pressure.

For what it's worth, I weigh 130lbs., ride 23mm tires, and run 80psi. front and rear. That's good for about a week after which the tires begin to feel soft and I have pump them up to 80psi. again.

For me clearly higher pressures lead to a harsh ride and even 100psi. is too much.


----------



## Manning

Also depends how aggressively you corner and sprint. Might have to add a bit if so. But yeah, somewhere between a low of 80 front and high of 100 rear.


----------



## Kerry Irons

Manning said:


> Also depends how aggressively you corner and sprint. Might have to add a bit if so.


Interesting, because unless you run such low pressures that the tires start seriously squirming, lower pressure gives you a bigger contact patch and therefore better traction in the turns. High pressures cause the tires to bounce, or at least not to conform to the road properly. That's bad for both cornering and sprinting.


----------



## Manning

Yes, lower psi gets you a bigger contact patch, right up to the point your rim is on the ground. you don't want the tires squirming around. If you don't corner hard, or sprint, then you can get away with lower pressures before the squirm gets uncomfortable. I can definitely feel the tires moving around during sprinting and cornering, and I don't have any HP, but do corner harder than most all I ride with.


----------



## frdfandc

203 lbs here on 25's running 100R/90 F. Once I loose this extra 15 lbs I put on, I'll be 90r/80f.


----------



## mattotoole

160-something and I run 6 bar front, 7 bar rear. Any lower and I get the occasional pinch flat.

Jan Heine has some good info.


----------



## Oxtox

160 lbs...I pump tires to 90f x 100r.

after 3 days or so...I air up again, they're usually down to 80 x 90.

don't seem to notice a huge amount of difference in the ride quality over this pressure range.


----------



## Camilo

I'd like to say I'm 160, but really 165. I ride 23's at 90F and 95R and haven't pinch flatted since I let the pressure slide for about 3 days without topping them off. I always air up my tires every day. One problem with running nice low-ish pressures is that you don't have as much leeway and need to keep the pressure topped off. No big deal for me, it's just a habit.

I'm fairly confident you'll be just fine at 90-95 w/ your 25's and can probably go 5psi lower each.


----------



## Duncan.E

I am not putting out massive sprint wattage, but I don't understand low pressures causing big issues there. Are people really putting out enough power to cause all that much deformation to a bicycle tire? If anything I guess I could imagine a lower pressure's extra grip cause the tire to grip and slip intermittently, the inconsistency of which might be uncomfortable for somebody who is actually used to a tire that's actually sliding more. Anyway, I would think that a pressure low enough to really cause problems sprinting would have caused rather bigger issues over bumps and in hard cornering already.

Not trying to start a debate here, just looking to understand what's going on back there.


----------



## tednugent

It should go without saying.... If you go too low, you risk pinch flats


----------



## Blue CheeseHead

tednugent said:


> It should go without saying.... If you go too low, you risk pinch flats


Not with tubeless.


----------



## cxwrench

Blue CheeseHead said:


> Not with tubeless.


You can pinch flat anything if you try hard enough.


----------



## paule11

249 pounds and 120psi had a goal of 131 pounds but I went up in weight instead of down


----------

