Tire Pressure

[Catrin]

On the often rough roads we have in Indiana, I'm willing to have some extra rolling resistance if it makes for a more comfortable ride.

Hmmm, I am 138 pounds and have kept my Trek's psi at 110. I am wondering if I should drop that to 100 and see if the ride is a little more comfy on my country roads? With my weight would 90 pounds be too low?

[Chicken Little]

I keep them maxed for wear and flat protection.

[artifactos]

My tires have an optimum range of 100-120 psi and I keep mine right in the middle of that.

[OakLeaf]

I'm 122# and I keep my Conti GP4000s at 110 front and rear. I definitely notice the increased rolling resistance if I go lower. There is a tradeoff in efficiency when the roads are so rough that your drive wheel is losing contact with the road surface - but those are also the times that a pinch flat is most likely. So just experiment.

Also, I air my road bike tires every ride. High-pressure road tires and tubes lose almost as much pressure just sitting around as they do being ridden. On the fat-tire commuter, once a week is plenty.

Out of curiosity, does anyone run their tires at different pressures front to rear? If so, how do you like it?

[indysteel]

I run the same pressure front and rear. I'd note that I've never (knock on wood) had a flat.

[OakLeaf]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, do you mean you've never had a pinch flat (neither have I, that I can recall - I think they're pretty rare when you're under 150 lbs)? Or you've never had a puncture, a leaky valve, any kind of flat????

[Dogmama]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, do you mean you've never had a pinch flat (neither have I, that I can recall - I think they're pretty rare when you're under 150 lbs)? Or you've never had a puncture, a leaky valve, any kind of flat????

Oh man. Never say never. The Flat Gods will visit you frequently. I've had one pinch flat & honestly - it had been two weeks since I'd aired up my tires & I was probably running about 80 pounds (I'm 118 pounds.)

[indysteel]

I have never had a flat of any kind. I guess I've been lucky thus far.

To the OP, there was a thread last year that gave a formula for determining psi, along with a link to a Sheldon Brown article. I'd provide a link to the thread, but I'm on my Blackberry and can't. It's from May of 2009, and was titled "tire inflation and rider weight" if you want to do a search.

The bottom line I took from it is that you should just experiment with psi to see what you prefer.

Sheldon Brown's article indicates that you should run the rear tire at a higher psi (by about 10 percent).