Originally Posted by
loimpact
I recall one shop I test rode a few bikes at this summer always had mushy tires. I *think* they wanted the test rides to be "cushy" so if I had to guess, I'd say they were at around 80psi. But this was all the typical race bikes from C'dale, Spesh, Fuji, Giant, etc.
No way those tires were rated at that so wonder if they'd expect folks to ride like that regularly.
Anywho....I know we've talked a lot about going over but wondered how far "under" folks might go.
TIA
Chances are they simply neglected to air them up. Most riders respond to the placebo effect where more vibration feels faster, and that sells skinny tires. Also, the rating is the max, not the correct pressure for a given rider.
How low I go depends on the tire. I am 6-6" 230lb, so I have to use larger tires to avoid excessive sag. Most tires, especially stiff puncture resistant ones, seem to degrade significantly in performance as pressure goes down, so I will top them off weekly. But my 32mm Compass tires are fast at a very wide range. I inflate them to 90 and don't add air again until they ride sloppy at around 60psi. I do not see a change in speeds when I do. I have tried many other tires people swear by in the last 40 years, but so far they have always been much slower at any pressure.