Tyre Pressure?

[dave_79]

Hi,

Sorry for the noob question but tyre pressure is something i have never thought about. Now i will be riding more I thought i should consider it. I have an oldish Raleigh MTB which i put road tyres on a couple of years ago as i was hardly ever using it offroad at the time. What pressure should i be looking at? Will be doing mainly road stuff and light trails/towpaths etc.

Thanks
Dave

 

[sabian92]

Usually something like 80PSI or so. You shouldn't be able to push it in with your thumb - it should feel solid as a rock. The lower the pressure, the more work it is to keep up the speed.

 

[Hacienda71]

The road\slick tyres should have a pressure rating written on them. I had some which went upto 100 psi but most will be lower than this.

 

[blubb]

100 or 80PSI are a bit much, but as hacienda71 said there should be a pressure rating somewhere.

Imo i wouldn't go over 70PSI, because they are simply not made for such a high pressure and could actually pop.

 

[pshore]

Hi,

Sorry for the noob question but tyre pressure is something i have never thought about. Now i will be riding more I thought i should consider it. I have an oldish Raleigh MTB which i put road tyres on a couple of years ago as i was hardly ever using it offroad at the time. What pressure should i be looking at? Will be doing mainly road stuff and light trails/towpaths etc.

Thanks
Dave

I gree with others. Look at the tyre wall to see what the max pressure is. That will be most effiecient for the road.

If you are doing a ride with more offroad/mud/gravel you might find it beneficial to lower the pressure. This will give you more comfort, more grip and potentially faster rolling off road (at the expense of on road efficiency)

I guess you have something like a 1.5 wide tyre. There might be a minimum pressure marked on the tyre, if not 40-60psi might be quite good. You need enough to avoid pinch flats and this depends somewhat on your weight. Have a play.

 

[dave_79]

I guess you have something like a 1.5 wide tyre. There might be a minimum pressure marked on the tyre, if not 40-60psi might be quite good. You need enough to avoid pinch flats and this depends somewhat on your weight. Have a play.

I'm about 14 stone. Will check what the tyre says. Thinking about it, i have no way of knowing what i'm pumping them up to anyway as only have a basic pump, so would have to look at a pump that shows pressure anyways!

 

[Chris S]

... only have a basic pump, so would have to look at a pump that shows pressure anyways!

If it's a cheap Chinese pump the guage will probably be inaccurate. Mine showed about half the actual pressure. (I used the pencil gauge for my car tyres to get the real pressure)

 

[dave_79]

well i checked the tyres and they are Nokian City Runners and say max 51 psi. Was thinking it might be higher than that. I just need a track pump now!

 

[tyred]

Most of these tyres are quite a bit wider than road bike tyres and 80 - 100psi is far too much for such a wide tyre. 50psi would be plenty, unless you regularly cycle on a billiard table.

 

[pshore]

I'm about 14 stone. Will check what the tyre says. Thinking about it, i have no way of knowing what i'm pumping them up to anyway as only have a basic pump, so would have to look at a pump that shows pressure anyways!

Even if you have a track pump, you'll eventually get a puncture whilst out and won't know anyway. When you get a track pump, get into the habit of giving them a squeeze at different pressures then you'll learn how much give equals what pressure.

Generally, no give is too hard.
A little give is max pressure.
A squeeze is fine and good for bumpier surfaces.
A squash is too low and risks pinch flats.

Also have a look at the tyre when you sit on it to see how flat they go. A small bulge is good. (don't take that out of context :-)