Ideal commuting tyre pressure

[jonny jeez]

Hi All.

I wanted to know what types of pressure you all ride to

I'm just a tad over 6.2 and a tad over 17 stone (and a kinda a typical rugby player build), I am currently running my tyres at around 40 psi and wondered if this is considered a bit low or perhaps too high for a chap of my build

I've been used to mountain biking pressures that suit me but have no clue for road use when the Gnarly-est expectation is a good deep pothole or drain!!.

40 psi seems to run at around 15mph average, could I expect an quicker pace with higher or lower pressure.

it all helps!!

Thanks

Jonny

 

[Ben M]

What size are your tyres?

My tyres are at 110 psi, but they are 25mm road tyres.

40 psi sounds quite low even for wide tyres though, you want your tyres as hard as possible, as it lowers rolling resistance on the road. Are your tyres slicks?

 

[jonny jeez]

Aw blimey, I knew this might get technical...hang on I'll check............


....er.....

.....okay.....looking at the tyre it says 26 X 1.50 with tubes to match
they are Specialized Armadillo Nimbus, so not slicks but with a little tread.

and they're black...if that helps...with like a red edgy bit...I am confident that makes all the difference


Dont know very much about bikes...which is a worry as I know ride one every day....wahooo!!!

better start learning

 

[upsidedown]

If i have to ride the mountain bike in i pump them up to 65, road bike tyres are 110.

 

[Ben M]

I take it that they feel quite soft then? You want them to have only a small amount of give in them, think a little bit more than the give in a car's tyres.

The harder your tyres are, the lower the rolling resistance. So, if I were you, I would check your wheels and your tyres for the maximum psi that they can take, and then inflate your tyres to a little bit below that pressure. That'll probably be around 65psi as said by upsidedown.

 

[ianrauk]

Johnny, it should say somewhere on the tyre "inflate to min **psi to **psi max.

It's best to pump your tyres up to the max, they will be able to handle it no probelm.

 

[purplepolly]

I would check your wheels and your tyres for the maximum psi that they can take, and then inflate your tyres to a little bit below that pressure. .

But if it gets really hot again and you inflate them in the evening, leave a little more room for expanding air, especially if the bike gets left out in the midday sun. They have been known to burst.

 

[HLaB]

With the commuter I'll pump them up to near 80 or 85psi but leave them for a while and by the time they are pumped up again the psi has usually fallen to 50-60ish. Its probably not ideal but it works for me, they've done nearly 6300 mls/ 1 p'ture (that was about 6000 mls ago) and the rear is only just beginning to show wear.

I used to commute on another bike with nimbus Armadillo's and used to do similar but pumped them to 90-100psi.

 

[HJ]

Aw blimey, I knew this might get technical...hang on I'll check............


....er.....

.....okay.....looking at the tyre it says 26 X 1.50 with tubes to match
they are Specialized Armadillo Nimbus, so not slicks but with a little tread.

and they're black...if that helps...with like a red edgy bit...I am confident that makes all the difference


Dont know very much about bikes...which is a worry as I know ride one every day....wahooo!!!

better start learning

According to Spesh they should be 35 - 80 psi, so given you weight, I would say pump them to 80 psi...

 

[Tynan]

general opinion is that the max pressure is set by the lawyers, it's a guide, go as high as you like within reason, relative like

 

[hackbike 666]

Amazing fact is the only pressure on my rear tyre is when i stick my fat ar53 on it.

 

[jonny jeez]

Thanks All, I'll take them up to 65/70 and see how I get on, I dont leave the bike out innthe sun or in heat, gets slotted in the garage at work and home so there shouldnt be any issues of heat etc.

I kept them low originally for three reasons,

1, I didnt know any better
2, when I first inflated them the tubes popped out of the side of the rim on each tyre...probably my fault, I let them down, shuffled them about and re-inflated.
3, The more I inflate them, the more the valve starts to take on a "rackish" angle in the rim, I was worried that , if i took it too far, the hole in the rim would cut the valve at the base, in time....is there some hint to stop this happening, or am i just being a spaz when I fit them?

thanks

 

[HJ]

Sounds like you need to seat the tube and tyre properly before you inflate from flat, the end of this video shows you how it is done...

 

[cyberknight]

i am running city jets 26x1.5s i run at 60 psi as i live in a fairly bad area for road surface using back country lanes any more and i get a lot of road buzz

 

[HJ]

But if you run them at lower pressures on a rough surface there is a greater risk of pinch p*nctures, same goes for being heavier...