Tyre pressure

[Stonechat]

In the old days I would pump up a tyre until it was 'hard'

Now cycling again and would like to be more exact
There is no recommended pressure on the tyres - what should pressure be?
I have Claud Butler hybrid with 700C x 38 wheels

 

[HLaB]

It should be on the sidewall of the tyre but at a guess I'd say 60psi-85psi. My old 700x37c tyres were 85psi max and I ran them in that range.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

If you're sure there's no pressure markings at all (would be quite unusual) I'd suggest pumping them up to around 60 to 65psi. That should give a good balance between comfort and speed in that size without risking over-inflating them.

 

[Steve Saunders]

My mate completely ignores the MAX pressure on the sidewall of his tyres. They are 700x23c and max pressure is 116psi ... he currently has 152psi in them - I've tried to tell him, but he insists that the MAX is just a guide. I'm waiting for his tyre to explode or rim to implode.

 

[fossyant]

My mate completely ignores the MAX pressure on the sidewall of his tyres. They are 700x23c and max pressure is 116psi ... he currently has 152psi in them - I've tried to tell him, but he insists that the MAX is just a guide. I'm waiting for his tyre to explode or rim to implode.

It won't be comfy nor particularly the quickest.

 

[Steve Saunders]

It won't be comfy nor particularly the quickest.

Funny that, he does keep on complaining about the poor road surfaces around here - yet my bike, inflated to the correct pressure just glides happily over them. He's of the opinion that the higher the pressure then smoother rolling and faster he'll go. On a track maybe. I've tried to tell him a few times but it's like ...

 

[HLaB]

You could try telling him that is true for a perfectly smooth road but for others there needs to be some amout of deflection to get the proper grip to transfer his power properly instead of bouncing on the surface but you probably have already

 

[Steve Saunders]

I've tried that argument ... got nowhere. I'm going to ignore all his "these roads are so bumpy", "this bike is so slow" type comments from now on, lol.

 

[Matthew_T]

I dont trust the gauge on my pump. Its from Aldi and the MTB valve has broken twice on it (had a replacement).
The gauge does say that I normally pump my tires up to about 6.5/7 bar.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I pump my 700c x 23cs up to about 105psi. A little bit of air escapes when i take the valve off so they end up around about 95-100psi. The roads are that poor around here,it's a balance between having low pressure which to me makes it easier to puncture,and higher pressure which makes the ride more uncomfortable!

 

[snailracer]

http://www.dorkypantsr.us/bike-tire-pressure-calculator.html