Road bike tyre pressure question

[Dave7]

My road bike tyres recommend 90-130 psi.
For comfort I tend to ride at 90.
I understand that lower pressure "encourages" punctures but if possible would like to go lower for additional comfort.
Does anyone know.......or have a good idea how low I could go psi-wise before it gets "too low" e.g. is 90 the minimum ?

 

[User6179]

My road bike tyres recommend 90-130 psi.
For comfort I tend to ride at 90.
I understand that lower pressure "encourages" punctures but if possible would like to go lower for additional comfort.
Does anyone know.......or have a good idea how low I could go psi-wise before it gets "too low" e.g. is 90 the minimum ?

Will depend on your weight and width of tyre.

 

[benborp]

Your weight has a large bearing on recommended pressures. I'll see if I can find a table of weights/tyre size/pressures.

 

[benborp]

Here's Michelin's take on it:
http://bike.michelin.com/advice/how-to-fit-video/tyre-pressures

Edit to add: If you want to go softer for more comfort the solution in future is to go for wider tyres.

 

[Dave7]

Here's Michelin's take on it:
http://bike.michelin.com/advice/how-to-fit-video/tyre-pressures

Edit to add: If you want to go softer for more comfort the solution in future is to go for wider tyres.

Thanks
So..........am I reading that correctely i.e. I am approx 70 Kg so should have tyres at 109 psi ???

 

[benborp]

Thanks
So..........am I reading that correctely i.e. I am approx 70 Kg so should have tyres at 109 psi ???

According to Michelin while using a road tyre, yup. Some people recommend ultra light inner tubes for low pressure use. I'm not so sure the comfort benefits are worth the cost and other drawbacks of latex (they loose air quicker for one thing).

 

[moo]

At 70kg you can get away with 90psi if comfort is your goal. If you're riding on smooth roads and trying to go fast, 110psi would be better. Somewhere in between if the roads are really bad. I doubt Michelin are basing those recommendations on our roads

There is no point going higher than 110psi at your weight unless you ride indoors.

 

[swee'pea99]

Slightly OT, I remember reading somewhere that you should have back tyres harder than front. Since when, I've always ridden 90/110, give or take. Probably nonsense...

 

[benborp]

Slightly OT, I remember reading somewhere that you should have back tyres harder than front. Since when, I've always ridden 90/110, give or take. Probably nonsense...

No, I believe it makes sense on two counts, weight distribution and handling. I only run with a rough 5 psi difference though.

 

[Dave7]

At 70kg you can get away with 90psi if comfort is your goal. If you're riding on smooth roads and trying to go fast, 110psi would be better. Somewhere in between if the roads are really bad. I doubt Michelin are basing those recommendations on our roads

There is no point going higher than 110psi at your weight unless you ride indoors.

Higher
I want lower lower lower.
As soon as I read the word "higher" my bum went into spasm

 

[Globalti]

109 psi on British roads?

*shudder*

I'm 74 kilos and I find 100 is fine for most riding but will drop to 95 for a ride that includes gravelly stuff. And I use Veloflex Corsas with latex inners, a particularly supple and smooth-riding combination.

 

[GravityFighter]

If it's any help OP, I'm 75kg and use Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700 x 25c tyres on the road. Recommended pressure range is 85 - 115psi (I think) and I usually inflate to 95psi. Anything higher is a bit bone-jarring over a less than perfect surface and I figure the tyres are designed with puncture protection in mind anyway.

 

[Drago]

I'm 113kg and tend to like mine around the 110 mark.

 

[jefmcg]

I figure the tyres are designed with puncture protection in mind anyway.

they are designed not to be pierced. They offer no protection against snake bite punctures, which is what you get with too low pressure

(not that 95psi is too low)

 

[Racing roadkill]

I was chatting to a technical guy from Continental, at the Excel bike show thing, the other weekend. He said to bang the pressures up to maximum, only to make sure the tyre is seated properly, and the tube isn't trapping (on clinchers obviously), then reduce the pressures to between 80 and 90 psi, depending on the riding you'll be doing / conditions. I tend to do pretty much that anyway, but it was nice to have it confirmed, one of the Mavic Techs agreed with it as well. This was for 700c 23-28 road bike type tyres.