# how much PSI air in your tires??



## Deadwrong666 (Sep 8, 2010)

I am using Ultremo Schwalbes r.1 700 x 23 tires.
(clincher).

How much air should i have in these tires? I regularly put in 110-118 PSI....am i low?
 
What are u guys doing?


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Unless you're very heavy and ride on very bad roads, you're way higher than necessary. You'll get a much better ride with lower pressure. 

Go to the "wheels" forum, and do a search for "pressure." You should find vast amounts of (sometimes helpful) discussion of this issue.

Edit. Did the search
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/search.php?searchid=3468728
enjoy


----------



## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

Deadwrong666 said:


> I am using Ultremo Schwalbes r.1 700 x 23 tires.
> (clincher).
> 
> How much air should i have in these tires? I regularly put in 110-118 PSI....am i low?


Your pressures are too high unless you're really big in which case you'd do better on a larger tire at lower pressure.



> What are u guys doing?


95-100 psi rear, 90-95 psi front. Rode those pressures at 145-160 pounds on 23mm tires and at 180-205 on 25mm tires.

It's enough to avoid pinch flats, doesn't feel slow, and makes for a more comfortable ride.

Here's one reference on optimal inflation pressure http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf


----------



## Jerry-rigged (Jul 24, 2009)

If you are really new, I vote keep more PSI in the tires. As you learn to dodge rocks and krud in the road, and "float" the bike over stuff you can't avoid, you can lower your PSI... Currently I am running 90/95 Front/rear in 23mm tires... But I would not recommend a new rider go under 100psi...


----------



## tober1 (Feb 6, 2009)

Jerry-rigged said:


> If you are really new, I vote keep more PSI in the tires. As you learn to dodge rocks and krud in the road, and "float" the bike over stuff you can't avoid, you can lower your PSI... Currently I am running 90/95 Front/rear in 23mm tires... But I would not recommend a new rider go under 100psi...


What difference does it make if the rider is new? 
You need to learn those skills regardless of your tire pressure no?


----------



## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

Jerry-rigged said:


> If you are really new, I vote keep more PSI in the tires. As you learn to dodge rocks and krud in the road, and "float" the bike over stuff you can't avoid, you can lower your PSI... Currently I am running 90/95 Front/rear in 23mm tires... But I would not recommend a new rider go under 100psi...


I ride into a lot of recessed man-hole/utility cover holes, over the occasional rock/stick, and hit one pot hole while thinking about work at 90-95 and 95-100 psi in 25mm tires at 180-200 punds and did the same with 23mm tires when I weighed less.

I've bent a rim (Mavic Reflex clincher, lighter and softer than the Open Pro which replaced it) but haven't pinch-flatted.


----------



## Jerry-rigged (Jul 24, 2009)

tober1 said:


> What difference does it make if the rider is new?
> You need to learn those skills regardless of your tire pressure no?


True, they need to learn those skills... They also need to learn how to change a flat too...


----------



## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

I'm currently somewhere under 170lbs.. Riding on 25mm tires I usually pump to 100psi front and back..

Just switched to Ultremo ZX in 23mm and 110 feels alright. Going to try 100 on my next ride. 115 felt way to hard.


----------



## Johanlol (Jul 15, 2012)

My weight is 61,5 kg , how many PSI do you guys think I should run?


----------



## JoePAz (Jul 20, 2012)

Deadwrong666 said:


> I am using Ultremo Schwalbes r.1 700 x 23 tires.
> (clincher).
> 
> How much air should i have in these tires? I regularly put in 110-118 PSI....am i low?
> ...


I am 155lbs and run 80front and 100 rear on my 700x23 tires. Nice ride and good responsiveness. I had been running 100 up front, but the 80 makes the front end much more controlled since it is not bouncing around. I don't loose feel until I get to about 60psi so I don't run that low.


----------



## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

Johanlol said:


> My weight is 61,5 kg , how many PSI do you guys think I should run?


I'd start at about 80 psi for 23s, and maybe 70 for 25s, and see how it rides. You're a lightweight. :wink:


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Johanlol said:


> My weight is 61,5 kg , how many PSI do you guys think I should run?


We weigh about the same and I run 25c's ~65 rear/ 50 front. BUT... road conditions and style of riding should also be considered when determining a starting point. I'd aim on the high side, to start.

The attached should help:
Michelin Bicycle USA - A better way forward®


----------



## Wetworks (Aug 10, 2012)

I'm on 25c Ultremo DDs, having switched from 28c Ultremo ZXs. I'm riding at about 115 PSI on so-so roads here on Staten Island. I'm about 220 pounds, so I don't think I'd be comfortable with less than 110 PSI.


----------



## LBCGoat (May 30, 2013)

Since I'm carrying a heavier load when I'm commuting (I weigh 180, +/-20 for gear), I usually run max psi front and back on my 28c Conti GP 4 Season Tires. 

I like to max out pressure as it decreases rolling resistance allowing me to ride faster and with less effort. Ride quality suffers in terms of harshness (you can literally feel every vibration) and can also really start flicking small stones out from the sides of the tire, so if you're riding in a pack it might be good to reduce your psi. 

Another downside of high pressure is cornering takes a hit. While I don't advise riding hands-free often, I _never_ do it when I'm running high psi. You can feel even the slightest shift in weight or wind will cause your bike to list frighteningly fast. That said it's not a concern for the most part since most of my rides are flat and relatively straight.

Lower pressure on the other hand increases resistance and in narrow circumstances (usually harsher terrain/heavier riders/speed and much bigger tires) can lead to pinch flats. It also makes your rubber more susceptible to puncture at lower speeds as a higher psi will kick out a lot of debris rather than rolling straight over it.

I have a few friends who race professionally and they rarely if ever max out pressure.


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

> I have a few friends who race professionally and they rarely if ever max out pressure.


And you should follow their lead, because all the arguments you make in favor of high pressure are wrong.


----------



## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

LBCGoat said:


> Since I'm carrying a heavier load when I'm commuting (I weigh 180, +/-20 for gear), I usually run max psi front and back on my 28c Conti GP 4 Season Tires.
> 
> *I like to max out pressure as it decreases rolling resistance allowing me to ride faster and with less effort.* Ride quality suffers in terms of harshness (you can literally feel every vibration) and can also really start flicking small stones out from the sides of the tire, so if you're riding in a pack it might be good to reduce your psi.
> 
> ...


you're just trolling, right?


----------



## LBCGoat (May 30, 2013)

cxwrench said:


> you're just trolling, right?


Err. Not so much. I was trying to be helpful by sharing advice I'd received and my own experience in taking said advice. I never thought to fact check my friend's guidance since he's an avid cyclist with many more accumulated miles and years than me so I took his word as gospel. By all means if what I posted is wrong, do set the record straight. I'm not here to spread misinformation.


----------



## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

Just take it as banter. 

Sometimes words/sentences that takes a form in the head takes awhile to get to the hands and onto the keyboard and sounds different to the original intention. Esp when proofing has not been carried out subsequently.

Sometimes it is meant to offend. It is easy to offend someone in the forums as it is not a physical face to face conversation. Possibly put there by someone with insecurity issues. Possibly an elitest. Possibly a mistake. I have unfortunately on some occasions made that mistake too when I forget to proof read what I have put down. Sometimes users will put down something totally unrelated to the topic at hand. Even when it is meant to offend ... 

Just take it as banter. Don't respond. It is what that gives them the kick. Better for the heart. Keep the high heart rates for the intervals. :thumbsup:

I am about 170lbs. Using 25mms and run 80psi front and 100 rear.


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

LBCGoat said:


> Err. Not so much. I was trying to be helpful by sharing advice I'd received and my own experience in taking said advice. I never thought to fact check my friend's guidance since he's an avid cyclist with many more accumulated miles and years than me so I took his word as gospel. By all means if what I posted is wrong, do set the record straight. I'm not here to spread misinformation.


You could start by reading the earlier posts in this thread, and do some searches for the many threads on the topic, but just briefly:

- on a very smooth surface, very high pressures will have less rolling resistance (track riders use high pressures), but in the real world, the drawbacks of high pressure more than cancel that out, and too-high pressures (e.g., the max printed on the tire, in most cases) will be slower.

- you have already noticed some of those disadvantages (tough, uncomfortable ride; sketchy cornering) but perhaps not realized that those things actually slow you down, substantially

-the perception that you are faster with the maxed-out tires is likely because you have learned to associate the uncomfortable ride with speed; i.e., you think hard tires are fast, so you think you're going fast when you feel the hard ride. This is very common; not any special misconception on your part, but a misconception nonetheless.

-With road tires, the best pressure (for comfort, secure cornering and speed, which all go together) is almost always the lowest pressure that will reliably avoid pinch flats. That obviously varies with weight, tire size, road conditions and riding style.

- a lot of avid end experienced cyclists believe a lot of things, just based on some conventional wisdom they received long ago, but sometimes it ain't so. No knock on your friend who advises you to max out the pressure, but your other friends, the pro racers who don't do that, are the ones who have it right.

- You are carrying a fairly high weight load, but on the other hand you have pretty big tires (28mm). Assuming the max pressure you've been following is 115 psi (is that right?), I suspect you could really improve handling,comfort and speed by dropping it substantially. I'd try something like 90 front and 100 rear. If that seems to invite pinch flats, go a bit higher.

We're not here to spread misinformation, either ;-) And welcome to the board.


----------



## LBCGoat (May 30, 2013)

JCavilia said:


> And welcome to the board.


Thanks for all the tips. Looks like I have some experimenting to do.


----------



## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

LBCGoat said:


> Thanks for all the tips. Looks like I have some experimenting to do.


definitely mess arond w/ pressure, w/ 28mm i'd think you could go as low as 90rr/80frt unless your normal roads are really bad. best thing is it's free...if you don't like it, you can keep trying. you had it all right except for the speed thing, and it is actually the smallest difference when everything is considered. as you know you'll have a nicer, smoother ride at lower pressure and your cornering traction will improve. the rolling resistance is lower, but it's a very, very small difference.


----------



## GRAVELBIKE (Sep 16, 2011)

I weigh 195, and run 28mm tires (Schwalbe, Panaracer). Most of the time I run 75f/85r, but occasionally I'll drop down to 60f/70r for dirt roads/trails.


----------

