Tire Pressure

[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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2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle

2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle

[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... )