Originally Posted by
donheff
My wife and I ride cyclocross bikes with 32cc tires. We inflate them to about 80 lbs - midway in the recommended range on the tires. I thought that was a good compromise but I just listened to an interview with the editor of Bicycle Quarterly that says research shows we are way over inflated.
Here is a pdf with charts showing optimal inflation against tire size and weight (on the wheel, not total). The results are surprising - more so for wide tires like ours than for narrow which may need more inflation. If you want to hear the interview
it is here.
This is my chance to recommend, for the 100th time, getting a subscription to Bicycle Quarterly. Even if you don't agree with everything they write, Jan's approach to bicycle components is well thought through and interesting.
His views on wide tires vs. narrow tires are particularly controversial; data from his tests conclude that the width of a tire is not particularly important in determining rolling speed - it's construction, tirewall construction, weight, etc.
There's a *long* thread about his view on fat tires over on the Long Distance Cycling forum.