Touring - Tire presure

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA

View Full Version : Tire presure

Turbonium
08-07-03, 05:54 AM
hello

it says that my tires on my trek 520 can be pumped up to 100psi. is it ok to pump it up that much when you are moderatly loaded (50 pounds)?
thanks

packfodder
08-07-03, 11:38 AM
Sure. Even if you want to back it off a bit for a smoother ride, you'll probably want to stay near the top range to avoid pinch flats. I carry about 35-40 pounds loaded and run my contis to 120.
Rich Clark
08-07-03, 12:45 PM
The bigger the load, the higher the pressure, within the limits of the tire. I've never had a pinch flat on a touring tire following this rule.

Sometimes the hard part is determining the true "limits of the tire," which can vary with the rim you mount it on.

RichC

late
08-07-03, 12:46 PM
depends on the size of the tire.It should say on the side of the tire the reccomended tire pressure.
Use that, and you'll be fine. The advantage of that pressure under load is that the ride will be smoother. I like to run my tires just a hair soft to get a smoother ride.
OregonBound
08-08-03, 08:22 AM
Unless I'm anticipating very poor road conditions, I generally run my tires (700x28) at or slightly above the max rated pressure. Typically, this means about 120PSI for commuting and ordinary touring.

For whatever reason, if I go much below 100, I seem to have far more flats (not pinch--just regular punctures). Not sure if it is related, but it seems to be.

Paul