Tire Pressure

[Jordyne]

I'm 5'6'' and weigh about 115. My tires say to inflate to 120 but my LBS said 110 is better. They are 700x23. I'm doing some reading now and it seems like 110 is even too much?

What do you think?

[goldfinch]

I weigh 105 and I inflate at the minimum pressure. It really helps with comfort.

[Owlie]

I weigh 130-135 and I only inflate mine to 105-110 or so, slightly lower on the front tire.

[Hi Ho Silver]

I'm 5'6'' and weigh about 115. My tires say to inflate to 120 but my LBS said 110 is better. They are 700x23. I'm doing some reading now and it seems like 110 is even too much?

What do you think?

I weigh about 125 lbs and I inflate my 700x23 tires to 90 psi (front) and 110 psi (rear). Given that you weigh less than me, you could go even lower, like 85 (front) and 105 (rear).

My process for determining the best pressure for me is to start with lower pressures and to gradually increase the pressures every week until I notice a decrease in comfort. Then I experiment a little up or down from the last pressures I used that were comfy.

Although it might seem that really high pressures are best for performance, they often lead to discomfort, which ultimately decreases performance.

[OakLeaf]

I'm around 120# and I really notice the increased rolling resistance if I go below 110 PSI. I might go a little bit lower (like maybe 105#) if I plan to be riding on super rough roads, but those are also the roads where pinch flats are more likely. It's plenty comfortable on all but the worst of them.

[Kathi]

I use Michelin Pro Race 650c tires. On the package there is advice for tire pressure based on riders weight. For riders under 111 lbs (50 kg) the recommendation is 6 bar, about 88 psi. Under 133 lbs (60 kg) around 100 psi or not quite 7 bar. I'm 105 lbs and have been using 88 psi for 6 years without an issue. If the LBS adds any more air I'm miserable.

I don't know if there is difference for 700c tires or other brands. It would be nice if every tire company had guidelines like this.

[spokewench]

If you pump your tires to low pressures, your opportunity for flats increases that is why you should pump your road tires to somewhere near minimum for the tire every time. If you want a little more cush and little less rolling resistance then take out 5-8 pounds of pressure. You will get a little more comfort, but it will be harder to pedal with less pressure. It is a trade off.

[Crankin]

I use 110-120, even though I only weigh 104. I really don't feel any difference when there's say, only 90 in there and i always hope that having a high psi will keep me from flats, which it mostly has. The tires are rated up to 120 and I prefer to keep it that way.

[Jiffer]

Interesting. My husband used to always have me pump to 120. Lately he just got me switched to 105 in the back and 90 in the front, saying that the lower pressure helps reduce flats, which sounds opposite of what others were saying. He just knows he was the only one not getting flats on a long two day ride when he actually forgot to pump his tires BOTH days. He says it's been a really long time since he's gotten a flat. Far longer than he's ever gone without one. He used to keep the tire pressure up for speed and was anal about it, but while speed is always of mass importance to him, I'm guessing he figured out the tire pressure of that difference doesn't affect speed so much. Stopping to change a flat definitely affects speed, though!

[TigerMom]

I'm 110pounds and my LBS recommended 110 PSI. I tried 90 PSI vs. 110 PSI but the ride felt the same to me on my road bike. So, I stuck to 110 PSI to decrease the chance of pinch flats.
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[tulip]

100 psi for me.

[tzvia]

It seems as much mumbo jumbo and tea leaf reading as it is the number on the casing of the tire. The number on the tire is typically a MAX inflation. But your weight, the type of riding, the brand and model of tire, how firm or soft you want the tire/ride to be, and the road conditions too all affect what you should run and there is no one 'right' answer.

With the same tire pressure, two different tires can give a very different ride. I used to run Vittoria Open Corsa CX 23c tires at 110, and the tires felt very hard and 'bouncy'. I had Vredstein Tricomps before and they felt a bit more plush at the same PSI. Now I have Continental GP4000 25c tires at the same 110 and they feel smooth and grippy, not bouncy, and just as 'fast'. If I ever get the Open Corsas again I will run them at 100 because they were so hard and unforgiving compared to the other two. But I am liking the gp4000s and will probably stick with them.

As far as flats go, it seems I get them more often as the tires get some miles under their belt.

[Catrin]

As others have mentioned, the numbers on the tire is the maximum pressure. The "best" tire pressure is going to differ between individuals based on our weight, riding style, and typical road conditions. Too much pressure, especially on skinnier tires, translates to a rougher ride, too little pressure makes us more liable to pinch flats.

You might want to conduct a few test rides over the same route with different pressures to see what pressure works best for you. Pick a 1-2 mile route that you know well, no surprises regarding pavement condition. Drop your pressure 5 pounds each time between each lap to see what that feels like. I wouldn't drop it below 90 myself, but I don't know much about skinny tires. I use 70 psi, but I don't ride high pressure skinny tires either.

Also check your tire pressure before every ride - not all seem to but I credit this practice to not having a flat in about 2 years and 3 months of riding - which is as long as I've been riding so I've never had one. Yet.

[MGM]

Also check your tire pressure before every ride - not all seem to but I credit this practice to not having a flat in about 2 years and 3 months of riding - which is as long as I've been riding so I've never had one. Yet.

This should be on your "must do before riding" checklist! Until I got a pump with a pressure gauge, I had no idea how low my tire pressure could get in a week or two. I've gone from 120psi on a ride to 60-70 a week later.
Knock on wood, I haven't had a flat in two years either (okay, big mouth, will get a flat now... )

[Jordyne]

Thank you all for the great advice! I'm going to try to play around with it and see what feels best.
You all are the best!