Tire Pressure

[ny biker]

I'd think you'd need a power meter and laboratory conditions to really know the difference. Most everyone I know says they can feel the difference in rolling resistance - myself included - but of course that's subjective, even for individuals using a power meter outside.

But it's well known that higher tire pressure always increases fuel efficiency in cars. There's just a tradeoff in traction on imperfect roads, that becomes more apparent the worse the road gets.

I would think that the theory is no different for general road riding than it is for racing or mountain bike riding - the smoother the road surface and the better the traction, the higher the pressure should be for best efficiency. There's never any "one size fits all" for tire pressure. It's just that paved roads are more uniform than unpaved trails.

Yes I thought the same thing but my friend is a persistent statistician. And really, I've actually tried it and am riding the same speed without working harder.