lung

I've now heard in conversation from many veteran riders, racers, and now a respected shop owner... that manipulating tire pressure will make far more of an impact in ride comfort than switching to a carbon bike or loading up on carbon components. If this is true.. (and it makes sense) is there a formula for determining tire pressure? Thoughts?

curiouskid55

If you are already running low pressure (90) you don't have any room to go lower. Lower pressure can give a more comfortable ride and better grip in bad weather.

Iamkar33m

I dont believe there is a formula for it... usually people speak from experience when suggesting tire pressures. Also there are MANY Variables that play into ride comfort other than tire pressure, such as tire width/rim width, wheel quality/material, fork quality/material, handlebar material, seat post material, etc...

umd

It depends on the frame. A carbon frame CAN be harsh and an aluminum one can be smooth, so going from aluminum to carbon will not always give a smoother ride. That said, there is one mountain road that I ride on with some regularity that is like the surface of the moon, and going from my low-end aluminum Allez to my carbon TCR made a world of difference. On the flip side a teammate had a high end Allez with I believe carbon stays and after he crashed it in a race, he borrowed my TCR and said it was actually a harsher ride!

MKahrl

It's certainly a lot cheaper idea to explore. And you might find something you like.

Unless you go with a larger tire. Depending on how your bike was built there are limits to this but most bikes can take a 28mm tire and therefore go with even lower pressure if you're light enough. If you're heavy the larger tire will also allow you to experiment with tire pressures lower than you have now. Big men warrant big tires.

The trick is to buy a larger tire that is the same quality of construction as your narrow racing tire. If you go from a 23mm Michelin Pro2Race to a 28mm six dollar discount store tire with knobby tread it will feel a lot slower but it's not because of the width, it's because of the tire.

urbanknight

I've seen a general recommendation chart for pressure/weight, but it really depends on many variables. How rough the road is, your preference of comfort vs. speed, and tire width. I believe the wider the tire, the lower you can safely go in pressure without the risk of pinch flats.

johnny99

This tire pressure chart is included with 23mm Michelin bicycle tires: https://two-wheels.michelin.com/2w/fr...154733&lang=EN



Subtract 10psi if you are using 25mm tires.