Tyre pressure please?
- Thread starter rhb123
- Start date
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Like rafiki, I tend to pump both up to about 85 psi, sometimes a tad more in the rear. I use Schwalbe AV 4 inner tubes. Have Schwalbe Marathon + on one bike, Continental Urbans on another. Conti’s are a nicer ride.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
90 psi
Just try out different pressures on your typical rides. As mentioned above your weight will be a factor, and for me our terrible, crazed tarmac and gravel around here demands lowish pressures otherwise it would be too uncomfortable. In short, suck it and see!
berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
Depends from the wheel, the tire, the use case and the time of the year.
Most Brompton tires are rated to around 100PSI, some higher, few lower.
With the Schwalbe Marathon Racer (Brompton Standard tire from factory) I typically do 100PSI on the rear wheel and 90 PSI on the front.
The higher you go the easier your Brompton will roll and the less energy you'll need for a certain speed. So high is good. Unfortunately the higher you go the more uncomfortable your ride will become as well - so it makes sense to have a little less pressure on the front as this influences comfort a lot and the Brompton is very backloaded, so less pressure in the front has less negative effect than less pressure in the rear wheel.
Checking and adjusting the pressure about weekly is a good idea as the tires will loose pressure relatively quickly.
Most Brompton tires are rated to around 100PSI, some higher, few lower.
With the Schwalbe Marathon Racer (Brompton Standard tire from factory) I typically do 100PSI on the rear wheel and 90 PSI on the front.
The higher you go the easier your Brompton will roll and the less energy you'll need for a certain speed. So high is good. Unfortunately the higher you go the more uncomfortable your ride will become as well - so it makes sense to have a little less pressure on the front as this influences comfort a lot and the Brompton is very backloaded, so less pressure in the front has less negative effect than less pressure in the rear wheel.
Checking and adjusting the pressure about weekly is a good idea as the tires will loose pressure relatively quickly.
Schwinnsta
Senior Member
- Location
- New Orleans, LA USA
80 rear 70 front here.
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
Max pressure front and rear for me, but I'm a little circumferentialy challenged! I'm currently using Marathon Race, which are rated for 110psi iirc.
Kell
Veteran
- Location
- High Wycombe/London
Can you not read it on your tyres?
My Marathon+ say max of 80PSI.
My contis are 120 0r 130 from memory.
There is a whole new way of thinking about what is faster though. Several road teams have switched from narrow tyres at super high pressures to wider tyres at lower pressures.
My Marathon+ say max of 80PSI.
My contis are 120 0r 130 from memory.
There is a whole new way of thinking about what is faster though. Several road teams have switched from narrow tyres at super high pressures to wider tyres at lower pressures.
berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
The issue is: On the Brompton you don't have much choice regarding with. Between 28mm (Strozzapreti) and 40mm (Scorcher) are available, the majority is at 35 or 37mm, with the Kojak at 32mm already being an exeption. And at the same width a tire is faster with higher pressure.
A wider tire on the other hand does offer lower rolling resistance at the same pressure and can thus easily be ridden with lower pressure w/o disadvantage (apart from aerodynamics) but with more comfort. Unfortunately a theoretical discussion on the Brompton, the more as classical "slim" road tires were rather between 23 and (already considered very wide) 28mm.
Kell
Veteran
- Location
- High Wycombe/London
As with everything - in an ideal world, all things being equal etc etc.
Many road bikes were simply not designed to take wider tyres anyway, so in many cases it's a moot point there too.
Many road bikes were simply not designed to take wider tyres anyway, so in many cases it's a moot point there too.
Justinitus
Warning: May Contain Pie
- Location
- Wiltshire
I’ve always gone for 90psi rear, 80-85psi front and I’m quite substantially formed 
Thats the sweet spot for me, anything more is uncomfortable.
Thats the sweet spot for me, anything more is uncomfortable.
Kell
Veteran
- Location
- High Wycombe/London
I swapped out My Marathon plus last year for 'normal' marathons and they rolled better than the plusses at the same pressure.
But gone back to my Continental Urbans this morning and they're sooo much nicer.
But gone back to my Continental Urbans this morning and they're sooo much nicer.
