Bicycle Mechanics - Tire presure?

I have a set of Continental sport 1000 wheels and I was wondering what is the best psi with those wheels for someone who is 165lbs?

thanks a lot!!

Check the sidewall of the tire. There should be a maximum pressure molded in. Run them at that pressure to avoid pinch flats.

I am 142lbs right now and I started at 80psi and going higher till I found I prefer it at 100-110psi.
I don't have the bike in front of me but I am sure they recomend 70psi and it can take 120max.
I found 70psi to be soft for my liking and it just felt wierd to me while riding and braking. Anything above 110 was simply to harsh a ride for me.
I settled on 100-110psi (my gauge on my pump is not exact so it usually falls inbetween 100 and 110 when I check it with a good gauge at the shop. It rolls really smoothly and best part is that I have had no flats so far. Sometimes I run into some bad ruts/grates and so on riding in the city. I am using conti sport 1000 tires on a 27x1.25 wheel.

if I'm not mistaken Continental sport 1000 are rated for 120psi
I will doouble check mine tomarrow but I'm pretty sure

The rated pressure on the side of the tire is the MAX rated pressure...that DOES NOT mean you should run it that high. This tire pressure mumbo jumbo has more of a bearing on how much you weigh because the PSI corresponds to load. Most 700x23 clincher tires are designed to carry 220 pounds at the rated max pressure. Also all tires are rated at 50% lower PSI then they can actually handle, BUT that does not mean to increase your pressure that high or you could blow the tire or rim; but it does allow for Clydesdale type of guys to put as much as 10% more air then the max rated to avoid pinch flats with a 300 pound guy. The tire manufactures won't recommend you increase your pressure more then the rated PSI due to potential legal problems. I run tires that have a 125 max rating but only use 95 in the rear and 85 in the front, but I only weigh 162.

Sheldon has some good recommendations on this topic. My Specialized Armadillos have both minimum and maximum recommended pressure printed on the sidewalls. I kept them near the minimum for years, only to find that the rear tyre's sidewall began to deteriorate long before the tread wore out. I now carry another 15 psi in back.

I have Continental Ultra 2000 700Cx23s on the Bianchi and keep about 105 psi in front and 115 in back, but I weigh less than 150 lb.

I had the same tires, and I always pumped them up to 120 psi with no problems.

Koffee

Years ago the Bicycling Magazine contacted tire manufacturers asking how they determined the pressure they specified on the sidewalls of their tires. Only one manufacturer replied and his answer was so unreasonable that I decided to ignor the sidewall recommendations. I like the high pressure low rolling friction of high pressure on my road bike so from then on and to this day I pump front and back tires to 130 psi. In my old age I am getting too lazy to pump them up every day and I often leave them till they are down to 90 psi. The pavement on part of my normal morning ride is getting so rough that I appriciate the smoother ride of low pressure. High pressure gives you lower rolling friction but probably less traction on sharp turns and wet pavement. However there is no perfect or even ideal pressure for tires, just what ever pleases you.

I'ld side with Robert side wall PSI is suggested.
Look to your rims for max psi then find the psi that is comfortable for you without getting pinch flats on your rides.

it all depends on what kind of riding your doing. I dont know how many times i've seen a 'tire pressure' thread. Get on the bike, sit on it, and feel the tires. If your off-roading they should be flatter, if on road riding, hard. Just ride around, if you havn't suceeded the maximum PSI rate then there shouldn't be a problem (they are made to take a lot more then the given pressure).

Hope this helps

Continental has a couple of different web sites for Europe and North America. One of them has a chart for various Continental tires giving both the maximum PSI and the "best" PSI for each size and model of tire. The "best" is based on some imaginary "average" bike and rider. I was surprised when reading an article about custom frames that some builders think the "average" rider weighs between 140 lb. and 160 lb. The much lower than the average weight of the guy riding my bikes.

As a rough rule of thumb, riders weigher over 200 pounds should ride near the maximum stamped on the tires, which is often around 120 PSI on many 25mm size tires. Riders weighing 120 pounds might be happier on that same tire riding with 85 PSI front, and 95 PSI back. Usually, a light rider can go as much as 30% below the marked maximum without getting pinchflats. For example, a light rider could ride at 30 lb. PSI on a Beach Cruiser where the marked maximum is 45 PSI.

It is easy to just try a few different PSI levels to find what works the best. Stand over your bike and look at the shape of the rear tire. Then sit on the bike with your full weight on the saddle. If there is a significant change in the shape of the rear tire, the PSI is too low for your weight.

I have a set of Continental sport 1000 wheels and I was wondering what is the best psi with those wheels for someone who is 165lbs?

thanks a lot!!

I inflate 700x23 tires to 120 psi

I watch where I ride and don't run over things.

Using this method I have had only two flats this year and no crash.

I ride my GP3000s at 120psi, I weigh 160 now, but started riding these at 175 in June. I live in NYC, where the roads can be really bad. I don't get flats. In fact, this is probably the longest I've gone without a flat since I started riding 35 years ago on skinny tires, and I'm riding a lot. I never used to pump tires up this high, usually staying at 95-110, and less on older tires that didn't take the higher pressure, and getting flats was just a fact of riding.

where can I buy and how much should I expect to pay for tire gage. My tires read 130 psi and I have had two fast flats. I am guessing at the pressure because I don't have a gage. Bike shop told me the tries should be rock hard.

thanks

The bike shop should sell gauges, but my experience is they don't last long. I rely on the gauge on my Zefal Doubleshot pump.

In both 700x23c and 700x25c Vredesteins on my road bikes, they are filled to 120psi. This is well under max rating. My weight is 160lbs. After 10,689 miles I can report 3 flats. Total!

Robert Gardner, what was the reason that the one manufacturer gave for determining the maximum pressure?
Cheers

why is it some people run lower pressure in the front then they do in the back? I have always run near the max pressure the tire is rated for and I weigh 195 or so