Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
I always run my front tires about 75 to 80 percent of the pressure that I have in the rear tire. A couple years ago I did a week long trip in West Texas that was on some really rough chip seal. I ran my front tires at about half the pressure that I had in the rear, it did not slow me down noticeably.
Given how much rolling resistance one experiences on (G.D.) chipseal, it doesn't surprise me that you didn't notice the much smaller increase in rolling resistance from lower tire pressure. On the roads I ride on, my tires are usually inflated to around 72 lbs. If I forget to check, and they've gotten down to around 60lbs, I notice right away, and usually do a U-Turn and go straight home to top them off (with the compressor).
Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
Not sure what the importance of the horizontal top tube is,
It's just my personal preference. I've read many studies comparing the two and they're usually along the lines of "on one hand blah blah blah, but on the other hand blah blah blah", are generally inconclusive, and end up leaving it to personal preference. For example, one such study concluded that the compact frames were more aerodynamic, but when you put a rider on it, its "advantage" disappears.