Originally Posted by Retro Grouch
That's funny. I used to run out tandem tires at 120psi. I lowered them after reading what a lot of other riders had to say. We found the ride to be more comfortable and didn't feel any reduction of performance but those are both just subjective feelings. I honestly don't know how to accurately measure either.
There is always a trade off in everything we do, most always there is a little more comfort with lower pressures in a tire and most don't or can not tell the diffrence in performance for general all around riding. I ran my 28mm Contis at 120 psi for a long time with no problems to speak of . We did notice a small diffrence in our averages on flat ground long distance riding with the higher pressure, also the tandem performed better in general and had a faster feel to the steering and better cornering performance with the higher pressure as suggested by the chart I recommended above.
I think it boils down to what works for each teams personal riding style and how they like there tandem to feel. Again to low of pressure is bad for a tandem and I would guess the same for to high of pressure to the extreme side. I personally like the feel and performance of the higher pressure myself and dont care for the mushy or cushy feel of low pressure in tires on my tandem or my road bike for that fact.
Take Care,
Bill G