Wogster

I don't think it's as simple as that. For one thing, it depends on the quality of that pavement, if your talking brand new and perfect pavement then generally yes, if your talking average pavement or poor pavement then a higher pressure can actually result in lower speed. For example take a street that has a lot of cracks in it, higher tire pressure can result in making the bicycle harder to control over the bumps, meaning you need to slow down, where a softer tire can absorb a lot of that making for a smoother ride, without loss of control. The other issue is that on a less then perfect road surface, a harder tire transmits more of the road vibration to the rider, which can make the rider tired quicker.

stevel610 

Weigh 215, 27 x 1 1/8 at 95 lbs front and back. Nice and cushy, easy rolling, no flats.

socalrider

I think the 173lbs has to be a miscalculation.. Most tires are rated at 120-130 psi while a handful of clinchers are rated up to a max of 145max.. I only had one set of Tubulars that was rated at 170psi max but that was rare..

I normally use 120-130psi in my tires, I use 700x23 tires..

Wogster

Actually that number may be computationally correct, even if no tire made can achieve it. Most of these kinds of calculators are designed for 140lb riders, not 240lb riders, and the person who developed the calculator may not even realise that i you combine a narrow tire and a larger rider, it gives that kind of value.

hairnet

same, and I've had no pinch flats. Me+bike=220lbs excluding extra stuff I carry

jasonball

I ride about 115 in the rear 110 in the front. tire wall says 100. but at 100psi. they were just so squishy.

garethzbarker

I used to use the calculation presented earlier. I think it's a good place to start but I feel like there are too many variables and you have to find what's best yourself. For instance I prefer equal pressure on my MTB tires. And my brakes tend to work better with just a little more pressure than the calculation suggests on my road bike. I also had to put more pressure on my road bike when I flipped the stem, the low pressure front tire skidded out from more weight. Tire, weight, weight distribution, road quality, humidity, what kind of riding you are doing all affect proper PSI in my opinion.

I'm like 230, on my 25mm road tires the max is like 115 and I tend to like 100-105 on both wheels lately. Any high and they tend to be really uncomfortable. much lower and I can catch air bouncing around curves.