stdlrf11

I just switched from Forte Pro+ 700x25 @90psi to Conti Gatorskin 700x28.
The commute week starts Monday morning.
Recommended PSI is 95, which is 5psi more than I was running in the 25s.
I went to 28s for a more supple ride.
I figure I'd start at 90psi and play around from there.

That got me wondering, what size tire are you running and what psi do you like?

CliftonGK1

For the record, I'm around 210 pounds and I don't practice a lot of "ride light" techniques. I'm more of a "plow straight through stuff like a boss" kind of rider.


Max inflation on those 28mm Contis is 116psi, and I typically ran mine between 112 and 115. They were a little bit on the harsh side when doing distance rides involving chip-sealed roads, but never once in 3 years of riding on that model did I suffer a pinch flat.

I switched from 28 to 32mm for most of my rides, and now I use a 32mm Panaracer Pasela TG or Urban Max, either one at 90 - 92psi. Those are my go-to tires for general purpose: Pasela TG for long-distance and just riding around, Urban Max for commuting. Even at the higher pressure I run, the 32mm volume is (IMO) the perfect balance between comfort and performance. It's still fast enough to ride long distance without feeling like I'm on my balloon tire grocery bike, but the ride is plush enough that I don't feel like someone's kicking me in the taint every time I hit a seam in the pavement.

Since it's the commuting forum, I won't get into all the tire pressure selection differences involved with my CX bike.

boffenbec

i ride with the max recommended pressure in all my tires. 100 psi for my commuter.

MNBikeCommuter

I've been riding the Gatorskin 28's for a few years now on my commuter and road tandem. With the commuter, I start at 100 lbs and don't seem to get around to topping them off until they hit 80 or so. At 145 lbs myself, pinch flats haven't been a concern, so laziness rules. I can tell a bit of a difference between 80 and 100 lbs, but as with many things in life, I'm too laid back to care.

With double the weight on the tandem, I do top it off to 100 lbs more religiously. :-)

mikeybikes

26x1.5 Schwalbe Marathons at 65PSI for that cushy feeling.

I have some 700x32 Michelin City tires that I run at 80PSI on my Miyata.

alexaschwanden

I have using my Gatorskins 25c at 100 psi and they work great, over 4500+ miles and still holding on.

fietsbob

I use my Bike Friday 406-20" wheel 47mm wide Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire .

Don't commute on the bike with the skinny High pressure tires, at all.. myself..
Opting for the Disc brake's benefits.

Follow the imprint guidelines, on the side of the tires you use..

lhbernhardt

I'm running 120 lbs front & rear on 23mm clinchers, and I weigh 175 lbs. I had been in disagreement with those espousing a lower pressure in the front on the basis that weight loads on a bicycle are dynamic - under hard braking, or while climbing out of the saddle, most of the weight is on the front tire, so why should it have less pressure than the rear, just because static weight distribution is 40/60 front/rear?

But I am slowly coming to a new conclusion that the front should have less pressure in order to save your hands. I find that on super long rides (1000 km brevet, PBP), I am getting prolonged hand numbness, and I am ascribing this to too much front tire pressure. But then, this could likely be solved by an extra layer of gel tape, or those old Spenco gloves (I won a pair years ago, but I've never used them; looks like I'll be dragging them out!).

Guess I could also switch to wider tires and less pressure, but I like the handling of 23's. Yeah, I know...

Luis

ItsJustMe

I run 32s at 80 PSI. Even that is really tough on the roads I ride. It's murder on the gravel roads, and it's no fun even on the paved roads, where it seems I can feel every crack. I definitely don't want to go any higher.

ddez

I usually run 15 lbs less than tire side wall recommendation on the front and 10 lbs less on back. If you ride light in the saddle it works very well and rides like a dream. Ive done that with many different brands of tires and works well for me.
I should say that i usually ride with larger tires. The ones im using now are 42-622's.

SuperDave

60 front, 65 rear on Kenda 700x28's. I weigh 140lbs dressed, and can get away with it. My bike has a nice ride.

mconlonx

26 x 1.5 Panaracer RiBMo tires, sidewall recommends 60-85psi; I run a cushy 70 psi after starting at higher pressures and working my way down.

...athough there are times when the bike has felt a bit sluggish and I remember I haven't checked the tires in a while and find them in the 50s. 65-70psi works best for 175 lb me, which means me, bike, and usual light commuting cargo usually top out around 210lbs.

XR2

84F/95R in 700X32 Marathons. I'm a fat bastid.

SouthFLpix

95psi on 700x28 for touring bike and 75psi on 700x32 for hybrid.

canyoneagle

90-95 psi in my 25's, but I much prefer the 45-50 psi in my 50mm Marathon Supremes. I give up perhaps 1 MPH but am far more comfortable and don't have to worry nearly as much about cracks, seams, edges, potholes, rocks, glass, staples, goatheads, etc etc etc etc etc

ehsiung

This is pretty close to what I do. Gatorskins (or Pasela, or Seca) 28s, 90 psi up front, 100 psi in back. I'm 150 lbs, plus maybe 20 lbs of gear in the rear panniers. I've never had a pinch flat with this setup.

JanMM

After riding max pressure for decades, I've become a semi-disciple of the gospel of 15% tire drop. On my long wheelbase 'bent, with 559-32 tires, running 50/85 psi front/rear. (30/70 front/rear weight distribution).

Digital_Cowboy

I'm currently running 28 Gatorskins at 120PSI. In talking with the staff at the LBS I have choosen to replace the LBS that I used to go to. We all feel that in converting bar to PSI it came out to 116PSI, and that I would be safe rounding it off and inflating them to 120PSI. Especially considering that engineers tend to be conservative (at least on paper) in their figures.

Now granted, when I've had a few blowouts of the rear wheel it makes one hell of a noise, and has done considerable damage to the tire. Blowing a whole in the sidewall, as well as blowing rubber off of the sidewall.

It goes without saying that I am not looking forward to having the front wheel blow out. And not if I am traveling at a good clip.

mtalinm

me too. I've solved my rear-comfort problems with a Thudbuster, but the bumps still hurt in front if the tires are hard. so I drop them a bit and put double gel on the bars.

Had been running a pair of Schwalbe Marathons at max but switched to Big Apples with the front at 50 and the back at 60 (out of 70). I'm too Clydey to run them half-inflated as some folks do :-(

I do wonder sometimes whether I wasted $$ on the Big apples and could've gotten the same effect by running the Marathons underinflated. (They are after all 1.5" wide vs. 2" for the BA, not all that shabby)

alan s 

I run tires at 40 psi (26 x 2.35) to 120 psi (700 x 23).

whitecat

Front 700x32 at 5 bar, rear 700x32 at 5.5 bar, I have currently 125 kg. Pretty rough ride, but that is due to my weight mostly. When I was around 105 or 110 kg, it was much more comfortable.

AlmostGreenGuy

I run my 35mm Armadillo Infinity tires at 92PSI. The steel frame on the Salsa Vaya seems to absorb enough shock to make the higher PSI livable for me.

Hoss Cartright

105 psi on 700x23 Bontrager race-lite on my vintage Paramounts. - On the 1972 Schwinn Super LeTour with modern clincher rim upgrade, I run 90 psi on the Panasonic Pasela Panaracer 27x1 1/8. I weigh 200~210

Rick@OCRR

I have 16" Schwalbe tires on my DaHon folder, and I run recommended pressure, i.e. 85 lb. front and rear. Sometimes run the front a bit softer (75 lb.). I'm 160 lb. so those pressures seem to work well for me.

Rick / OCRR

idc

roughly 90 front/100 rear on 700x23c, i'm 140lbs. i do practice "ride light" techniques and i'm used to the skinny tires. doesn't feel that bad.
next time i need new tires i'm going to try 25mm tires, which i used to ride with on my hybrid

in wet weather i have the options of a hybrid with 700x32c or MTB with 26x1.25 (or up to 26x2.1 if i really really want - hate changing those tires).