Bicycle Mechanics - Tire pressure problem

Hello everyone,

I have installed 26 x 1.4 cheap slick tires on my mountain bike. On the tire side its written 60 psi max. So far I put 80 psi and they still feel "soft"... they "squeeze" underneath (I'm french, sorry if it ain't clear)

my 2.10 knobby tires had a 80 psi max limit, and from what I've red here, the smaller the tire, the higher the pressure should be. So, finally, my questions are:

1. Is there a problem with my pump gage ?
2. Why are all the MTB slick tires I see rated with max 60-70 psi if people need around 90-100 ?
3. Would a high-quality tire "handle" pressure better than a 7$ cheap tire ?
4. What can happen if I go beyond the max indicated limit ?

Any inputs are welcome...

I have a Silca floor/track pump, and the gage is WAY off.

I get to 160psi on the gauge, but then I can put another 20 strokes into the tire with my Zefal HPX frame pump.

Hello everyone,

I have installed 26 x 1.4 cheap slick tires on my mountain bike. On the tire side its written 60 psi max. So far I put 80 psi and they still feel "soft"... they "squeeze" underneath (I'm french, sorry if it ain't clear)

my 2.10 knobby tires had a 80 psi max limit, and from what I've red here, the smaller the tire, the higher the pressure should be. So, finally, my questions are:

1. Is there a problem with my pump gage ?
2. Why are all the MTB slick tires I see rated with max 60-70 psi if people need around 90-100 ?
3. Would a high-quality tire "handle" pressure better than a 7$ cheap tire ?
4. What can happen if I go beyond the max indicated limit ?

Any inputs are welcome...

You mention that the tires are "cheap slick tires". Perhaps they are rated at 60psi because the thread count of the casing is low. Also a possibility is that for reasons of avoiding liability problems, some tire manufacturers intentionally put on the tire a pressure rating that is significantly lower than what it could actually safely be pumped up to. The reason for this practice is that the tire manufacturers don't know what quality of rim it will be mounted on. When they set the psi rating they look at the worst case scenario of their tire being mounted on a cheap rim, with the possibility the sidewall of the rim will distort if too much pressure is pumped into the tire, and the tire will blow off as a result.

If you want slick tires that can be pumped to 90-100 lbs, make sure you have decent rims and then invest in a set of Specialized Fatboys or the equivalent.

Hello everyone,

I have installed 26 x 1.4 cheap slick tires on my mountain bike. On the tire side its written 60 psi max. So far I put 80 psi and they still feel "soft"... they "squeeze" underneath (I'm french, sorry if it ain't clear)

my 2.10 knobby tires had a 80 psi max limit, and from what I've red here, the smaller the tire, the higher the pressure should be. So, finally, my questions are:

1. Is there a problem with my pump gage ?
2. Why are all the MTB slick tires I see rated with max 60-70 psi if people need around 90-100 ?
3. Would a high-quality tire "handle" pressure better than a 7$ cheap tire ?
4. What can happen if I go beyond the max indicated limit ?

Any inputs are welcome...

1. Probably not. It's hard to judge tire pressure by feel. Try a handheld tire gauge for comparison.
2. The pressure rating of a tire is based on the strength of the cords. 60-80 psi is plenty in a fat tire to prevent pinch flats.
3. In general, yes. Tires with higher threads per inch (tpi) should have higher pressure ratings. A higher tpi usually costs more.
4. Your tire could split and cause a blowout. The blowout could cause you to crash.