tyre pressures

[2seas]

could someone please recommend typical pressures for a road bike - front and rear wheel? i'm not racing so i'm looking for a balance between speed and comfort..

[DBSV8]

2seas said:

could someone please recommend typical pressures for a road bike - front and rear wheel? i'm not racing so i'm looking for a balance between speed and comfort..

anything around the 100 psi would be ok and fairly comfortable , would not reccommend going below 90 psi otherwise your entering puncture territory / pinch flats

105 psi on mine , or if racing 105 front 110 rear

Edited by DBSV8 on Friday 2nd September 16:21

[MrTom]

Depending on your weight, more pressure for heavier rider. Start with 100psi front and 110psi rear. Test and adjust for comfort.

[Jimbo.]

Depends upon the tyres (width), the weight of the rider and the road conditions. ASSUMING normal weight, 23mm stock tyres and reasonable roads, 100psi would be a good starting point as already said.

FWIW I'm 10.5st and run 24mm Open Pave tyres at 85-95psi. Magic. Carpet. Ride.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

As above. I run 100psi on the road and 110-115psi for racing.

[mcelliott]

Provided you're not too much of a blobski armadillo 23 mm are a very good tyre, max 120 psi. I use these on my winter hack bike - excellent all rounder. For my race bike I have conti supersonics 160 psi. Very fast!

[Matt London]

Jimbo. said:

FWIW I'm 10.5st and run 24mm Open Pave tyres at 85-95psi. Magic. Carpet. Ride.

Ooh! I have a pair of these ready to swap over with my Gp4000s once the winter arrives. Looking forward to giving them a spin.

[2seas]

mcelliott said:

Provided you're not too much of a blobski armadillo 23 mm are a very good tyre, max 120 psi. I use these on my winter hack bike - excellent all rounder. For my race bike I have conti supersonics 160 psi. Very fast!

160 psi!! holy mother of fksticks!

i'm about 11 stone and 5'8 so not really a porker. i'll give 100psi a shot and see how i get on. i have no idea what tyres i have - black thin looking ones...

i'm supposed to be going on a 30-70 mile bike ride tmw. feel the burn!

[Pupp]

If you're pushing pressures much above the 110psi range, spend some time making sure your rim tapes are nice and solid, and that the nipple holes have been deburred etc. You will puncture otherwise

[yellowjack]

Schwalbe Ultremo R1s running at 140psi front and 145psi rear. Sooooooo much smoother/quicker than the cheap rubber supplied with the bike, as those were only rated up to 110psi.

[boolay]

yellowjack said:

Schwalbe Ultremo R1s running at 140psi front and 145psi rear. Sooooooo much smoother/quicker than the cheap rubber supplied with the bike, as those were only rated up to 110psi.

Any experience with the Schwalbe Lugano's? thinking about treating the girl to a new set of boots. Are they too cheap?

[yellowjack]

boolay said:

Any experience with the Schwalbe Lugano's? thinking about treating the girl to a new set of boots. Are they too cheap?

No experience with the Luganos. Original rubber fitted to my Merida was Vittoria Rubinos, but I found them to be very prone to punctures and lacking in grip. The Ultremos were recommended on this forum so I gave up my life-long habit of buying as cheap as possible, and spent >£50 on a pair. On my old bike I ran Continental Gatorskins, and they are pretty tough too, but a tad heavy. I'm on the lookout for an alternative set of 'winter' road tyres now. Regarding the original question of pressures, I always pump my tyres up to the top end of their rated pressure to start with, and play around adjusting them downward if I get any trouble with them at the top end. The Rubinos had to go because they were rotten in the grip department at high pressure, but pigs to get any speed out of at lower pressures. The Schwalbe Duranos have been recommended to me too, as a harder wearing alternative to the Ultremos.

Regarding price comparison:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-rubino-clincher-t... were £14.75 list price
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-ultremo-r1-evolut... were £35.99 list price
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-gatorskin-road... were £24.95 list price