Need tire pressure suggestions
10-02-20, 06:06 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Need tire pressure suggestions
I'm running 25mm tires on my road bike, and have been consistently running 110-120psi for the past 20 years. The past couple years I've run 110 psi. Most of the roads I ride on are super smooth and nice, but occasionally they are a little bumpy. Would there be any benefit to running lower pressure? I weight 165 lbs. What would be a good starting point for lower psi?
Dave
Dave
10-02-20, 06:23 PM
#3
Member
You can put 110psi on your tires without any issues. Even more - 100-105psi on front and 110psi on rear wheel. Benefits are the ride is less bumpy and more comfortable. My weight is around 180 pounds. I keep on both wheels 115 psi but my front tire is 700x23 and rear tire is 700x25.
Last edited by vlad1xxi; 10-02-20 at 06:30 PM.
10-02-20, 06:24 PM
#4
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I run 25mm with 90/100 psi. Lower feels squishy and more you feel every grain of sand on the road.
10-02-20, 06:33 PM
#5
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With 25mm tires, I use 80 front and 85 rear. Much better ride than 100. I only weigh 135. I ride plenty of chip seal roads. That led me to try lower pressures.
10-02-20, 06:46 PM
#6
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I ride extremely smooth pavement usually. I'm 170 lbs lately. Tires are 25mm GP5000's. 100/125 front/back. I ran 90/90 a for a dozen rides on that same surface a couple months ago and was slower by not quite 1 mph on 22 to 40 mile rides. My perceived effort was higher and I was glad when the dozen rides at that lower pressure I committed to were over.
I do agree that if you are on rougher roads, that pressure should be lower. I'll lower mine to 90/90 on days I know I'll be on chip seal. Don't know that I'd go lower on the rear though. The wear pattern is awful wide then. With 125 psi in the back tire, my wear pattern is only about 13 mm wide. I also feel the road better for turns, though for wet roads, lower psi will also be better.
People need to learn how to figure out what works best for them. Simply using a formula or what some website calculator says without knowing what the road surface is that you actually ride is silly to me. In the end, even if you aren't faster, but it feels better to you and your legs, then that to me is more important.
I do agree that if you are on rougher roads, that pressure should be lower. I'll lower mine to 90/90 on days I know I'll be on chip seal. Don't know that I'd go lower on the rear though. The wear pattern is awful wide then. With 125 psi in the back tire, my wear pattern is only about 13 mm wide. I also feel the road better for turns, though for wet roads, lower psi will also be better.
People need to learn how to figure out what works best for them. Simply using a formula or what some website calculator says without knowing what the road surface is that you actually ride is silly to me. In the end, even if you aren't faster, but it feels better to you and your legs, then that to me is more important.
Last edited by Iride01; 10-02-20 at 06:53 PM.
10-02-20, 07:01 PM
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Iride01
I ride extremely smooth pavement usually. I'm 170 lbs lately. Tires are 25mm GP5000's. 100/125 front/back. I ran 90/90 a for a dozen rides on that same surface a couple months ago and was slower by not quite 1 mph on 22 to 40 mile rides. My perceived effort was higher and I was glad when the dozen rides at that lower pressure I committed to were over.
I do agree that if you are on rougher roads, that pressure should be lower. I'll lower mine to 90/90 on days I know I'll be on chip seal. Don't know that I'd go lower on the rear though. The wear pattern is awful wide then. With 125 psi in the back tire, my wear pattern is only about 13 mm wide. I also feel the road better for turns, though for wet roads, lower psi will also be better.
People need to learn how to figure out what works best for them. Simply using a formula or what some website calculator says without knowing what the road surface is that you actually ride is silly to me. In the end, even if you aren't faster, but it feels better to you and your legs, then that to me is more important.
I do agree that if you are on rougher roads, that pressure should be lower. I'll lower mine to 90/90 on days I know I'll be on chip seal. Don't know that I'd go lower on the rear though. The wear pattern is awful wide then. With 125 psi in the back tire, my wear pattern is only about 13 mm wide. I also feel the road better for turns, though for wet roads, lower psi will also be better.
People need to learn how to figure out what works best for them. Simply using a formula or what some website calculator says without knowing what the road surface is that you actually ride is silly to me. In the end, even if you aren't faster, but it feels better to you and your legs, then that to me is more important.
Dave
10-02-20, 07:12 PM
#8
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Originally Posted by bonsai171
Didn't mention this before, but I'm running tubes if that matters.
Dave
Dave
GP4000SII tires if that matters.
10-02-20, 09:12 PM
#9
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I weigh 150. With 700x25 Conti GP Classics and Silca latex tubes (made by Vittoria, I think) on my older steel bike I usually set the rear to around 75-85 psi, front around 60-70 psi. Depends on the road conditions. Lots of road construction lately, most of it at that awkward in-between stage where it's the coarsest, roughest chipseal I've ever experienced. So I've been leaning toward lower pressure for comfort. If I approach a segment with better pavement and feel like trying for a PR I might stop and pump 'em up a few PSI, since I always carry a mini pump.
I could go softer but with these older rims, around 13-14mm inner width, wider tires start to feel a bit bouncy and splashy on fast curves on rippled or rough pavement. When those rims were made 700x23 was considered wide and racing tires were usually around 700x18-20. I wouldn't mind running wider tires a bit softer, but I'd prefer wider rims for that. And my older steel and carbon fiber road bikes are from the skinny tire era, with limited clearance for wider tires. I plan to try 700x28 on my newer carbon bike but I'll need wider rims first. I'm still riding 1980s or '90s era Mavic rims, around 14 mm wide. The bike will clear up to 700x28 but I'd rather have wider rims too.
With 700x23 Soma Supple Vitesse SL on the newer carbon bike and older rims I've been riding 'em around 90 psi rear, 75 front, with butyl tubes. I'll probably switch to latex when I get some for the skinnier tires. The Silca latex tubes I have on the other bike are best around 700x25 to 28, maybe even 32, a bit too fat for the 700x23 tires. Might fit but I don't want to risk folding or pinching the tubes since latex is picky about installation -- but great once everything comes together.
Faster, slower, I dunno. At age 62 I ain't fast anymore over distance. I still have an okay kick for short segments, up to a mile or so. I still think it's the comfort from reduced road chatter that contributes to my slightly faster times this year. And working my tail off to retain some fitness, but it's all temporary at this point. A few more years I'll only be riding wider and softer tires for comfort.
Fortunately the road crews are starting to apply smooth blacktop over the chipseal they laid down over the summer. Pretty soon I'll be able to prove to myself that I'm just plain slow and the surface and tire pressure don't matter as much as I'd like to believe.
I could go softer but with these older rims, around 13-14mm inner width, wider tires start to feel a bit bouncy and splashy on fast curves on rippled or rough pavement. When those rims were made 700x23 was considered wide and racing tires were usually around 700x18-20. I wouldn't mind running wider tires a bit softer, but I'd prefer wider rims for that. And my older steel and carbon fiber road bikes are from the skinny tire era, with limited clearance for wider tires. I plan to try 700x28 on my newer carbon bike but I'll need wider rims first. I'm still riding 1980s or '90s era Mavic rims, around 14 mm wide. The bike will clear up to 700x28 but I'd rather have wider rims too.
With 700x23 Soma Supple Vitesse SL on the newer carbon bike and older rims I've been riding 'em around 90 psi rear, 75 front, with butyl tubes. I'll probably switch to latex when I get some for the skinnier tires. The Silca latex tubes I have on the other bike are best around 700x25 to 28, maybe even 32, a bit too fat for the 700x23 tires. Might fit but I don't want to risk folding or pinching the tubes since latex is picky about installation -- but great once everything comes together.
Faster, slower, I dunno. At age 62 I ain't fast anymore over distance. I still have an okay kick for short segments, up to a mile or so. I still think it's the comfort from reduced road chatter that contributes to my slightly faster times this year. And working my tail off to retain some fitness, but it's all temporary at this point. A few more years I'll only be riding wider and softer tires for comfort.
Fortunately the road crews are starting to apply smooth blacktop over the chipseal they laid down over the summer. Pretty soon I'll be able to prove to myself that I'm just plain slow and the surface and tire pressure don't matter as much as I'd like to believe.
10-02-20, 09:17 PM
#10
.
10-03-20, 05:06 AM
#11
Senior Member
180 lbs total (rider, bike, accessories), 25mm tires (measured 27 actual width), 75/85 psi. You're running way too high.
10-03-20, 09:00 AM
#12
Advocatus Diaboli
Originally Posted by bonsai171
I'm running 25mm tires on my road bike, and have been consistently running 110-120psi for the past 20 years. The past couple years I've run 110 psi. Most of the roads I ride on are super smooth and nice, but occasionally they are a little bumpy. Would there be any benefit to running lower pressure? I weight 165 lbs. What would be a good starting point for lower psi?
Dave
Dave
Originally Posted by shaun3000
10-03-20, 09:29 AM
#13
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It's amazing how many threads there are about tire pressure and how many new ones still get posted. Do a little research before posting the same question again and again. Just try different pressures, it's free. Try lower...try higher. Use what you're most comfortable with. Bear in mind that rolling resistance is the absolute least important or noticeable part of this equation. Comfort and traction differences are much more apparent.
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10-03-20, 07:23 PM
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I use a "seat of the pants" method. I start at 95/100, ride that for a while, adjust, and so on. FWIW, I ended up at 90/95 for my Michelin 700x28 Power Road tires, and 100/105 for my 700x25 Conti GP 4 Season tires. Calculators are a good starting point, but only you know what feels right.
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10-04-20, 02:18 AM
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I found this tip of the day and came up with around 90 front and near 100 rear for 25mm's. Works well.
