Tyre pressure

[robwales]

I've always inflated my tyres using a hand pump, checking the pressure simply with my thumb. Recently my pump broke and I inflated them with a 12v compressor, checking the pressure with my thumb as usual. It got me thinking though how much psi do bike tyres need?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Halfords say 45psi rear, 35psi front for mountain bike tyres (I have 26x2 ones).
Does that seem a bit excessive?
I tried 40-35 in mine today and the ride was rock hard on tarmac.

[WildCards]

robwales said:

I've always inflated my tyres using a hand pump, checking the pressure simply with my thumb. Recently my pump broke and I inflated them with a 12v compressor, checking the pressure with my thumb as usual. It got me thinking though how much psi do bike tyres need?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
Halfords say 45psi rear, 35psi front for mountain bike tyres (I have 26x2 ones).
Does that seem a bit excessive?
I tried 40-35 in mine today and the ride was rock hard on tarmac.

35ish in mine, gives a happy medium between fast rolling and decent grip. it also seems to be what most people I speak to inflate to.

[GHW]

35psi here too, although I've had a couple of snakebite punctures on the rear recently, so I might start bumping the rear pressure up a wee bit.

[atom111]

38 - 40psi for me

[_daveR]

Totally depends what Im riding. If its fire roads/paths and general distance type stuff, I go for around 40psi just to help the rolling resistance.
If its more DH type stuff then its anywhere from 25-30 just to get the grip. (I'll also switch to a 2.35" or even 2.5" tyre if its real rocky.)

[BOR]

After 10 years of pumping my tyres to "thumbnail" pressure, I bought a track pump and put in about 35psi. This was probably the biggest upgrade I've made to that bike. Previously there would sometimes be a "springyness" which made the bike feel worn out.

Higher pressure did have the dis-advantage of a slightly less comfortable ride, but overall better precision, quieter, no snakebites etc.

[Pablo16v]

_daveR said:

Totally depends what Im riding. If its fire roads/paths and general distance type stuff, I go for around 40psi just to help the rolling resistance.
If its more DH type stuff then its anywhere from 25-30 just to get the grip. (I'll also switch to a 2.35" or even 2.5" tyre if its real rocky.)

Pretty much the same as me. 25-30 using 2.5 tubeless tyres on my full suss. 30 - 35 on the hardtail with 2.25 tyres and tubes.

[gbbird]

From my early BMX days to now, i have always preferred higher psi - you just get more feel from teh terrain. I think i go for around 45 to 50 on my MTBs - it suits my kind of riding.

[R1 GTR]

I normally pump them up till i can hardly press down with my thumb for on-road but let about 5-10 psi out for off-road.

[v8 jago]

If im doing mostly xc with single walled tyres then i go fot 35psi if its up to yer eyes in mud maybe 2 or 3 psi less but if tubless you can afford to run less pressure still. If they are dh tyres with thick side walls and doing a lot of decents then i go as low as 20psi-25psi depends on the tyre.

[mat205125]

I've never put more than 25-30 in mine for off road. If you are using it for commuting and road rides, however, go as high as you dare for max speed and efficiency.

[Miffy964RS]

The answer is as little as you can get away with without pinch flatting.

For my bikes I run (psi) in dry rocky terrain:

Hardtail 35F/45R
6" trail bike 28F/32R
4" full sus (tubeless) 25F/30R
DH bike 24F/28R
Road bike 110F/120R