Thread: extra 40psi?
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Old 12-12-09, 11:21 AM
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CliftonGK1
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Unless this is on a track bike you're taking to the local velodrome, I'd suggest staying away from ultra high pressures like 130 and up. Every little speck of fly poop you run over will feel like hitting a speed bump.

As others have suggested, check out a wider tire like a 28mm, if it can fit your frame. Even a 32mm if you can clear it. The ride quality will be so much more comfortable, without a tremendous impact to your speed (unless you're a mid-Cat classified racer.) The rest of us average riders won't see significant differences. There was a big write up a while back in Bicycle Quarterly which discussed tire width vs. rolling resistance etc.

At 225 pounds, I ride Conti Gatorskin 28mm tires on my rando bike, at 115psi. That's hard enough that smooth roads are fast (even with what many randos complain is a harsh and non-compliant tire), but soft enough that 20 miles of chip-seal doesn't feel like my brain is in a paint shaker.
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