Following discussions with Glueman on the Touring & Expedition section(see 29er's)has prompted me to open up a disscussion 'in the right bit'on the same topic.I wonder what pressures other members put in their tyres and what brought them to that conclusion.Also what section(width) tyres do you use.
Discuss.
(edited to widen the topic a little)
Tyre pressures
Hi R2,
I have 20mm Vittoria Rubino Pro's, and inflate to 110psi rear, and 100psi front. I do that, coz that's what they say!
I quote: "inflate to 100psi (min) - 125psi (max)"
They work superbly, I've only had one puncture in many 1000s of miles. That was only because I'm too mean to replace the tyres until they're quite worn out! Even then it was only a very slow puncture.
I'm on my second set, and will be buying another pair later this summer, from Ribble.
By the way, I have Mavic MA3's, and WAS thinking of upgrading to Open Pro's in the fullness of time!
Regards to Up North!
I have 20mm Vittoria Rubino Pro's, and inflate to 110psi rear, and 100psi front. I do that, coz that's what they say!
I quote: "inflate to 100psi (min) - 125psi (max)"
They work superbly, I've only had one puncture in many 1000s of miles. That was only because I'm too mean to replace the tyres until they're quite worn out! Even then it was only a very slow puncture.
I'm on my second set, and will be buying another pair later this summer, from Ribble.
By the way, I have Mavic MA3's, and WAS thinking of upgrading to Open Pro's in the fullness of time!
Regards to Up North!
Mick F. Cornwall
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reohn2
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hubgearfreak
- Posts: 8212
- Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 4:14pm
i'm confused where to put my twopenneth now...so here it is 
hubgearfreak wrote:reohn2 wrote:I used to ride 25mm tyres (which I don't anymore as I can't see the point)
I wonder what others think. .
i agree, but would go further
old racing bikes had 27x1 1/4 at 70 psi. this is the same width as 32.
old commuting bikes had 26x1 3/8 at 50psi. this is the same as 35
i really do think that these were the perfect widths for their applications
28x622. 32x622 & 37x622 are what are on my three bikes and my perception of the difference in speed or acceleration is that there really is not a great deal.
for comfort and ability to take potholes the 37's @4bar win by a mile, but are a bit slower, but the bike with those has, rack, mudguards, saddlebag, pump, babyseat (often with 12kg son) all permanently attached. the difference in speed between 32 & 28 is next to nothing, but the 32s@5bar are much better for comfort, and safety on anything less than perfect tarmac.
having said all that i am 82kg, 1.9m.
it puzzles me to see non-athletic types riding around leisurely on 19/21mm
if you were in a ten mile TT, and only had to endure the discomfort for half an hour, then i suppose 25s might have their place
I've riden 20,21,23,25,28 slick tyres on a "racing" bike
And 28,32,35 and 37 on several hybrid and touring bikes.
I always follow the pressure guidelines on each tyre (I might want to be on the upper limit if I'm loaded).
My personal conclusion so far is that although I can feel a difference in rolling resistance (i.e.) speed (at least acceleration) using narrow tyres heavily inflated (110 to 125 psi), for me the comfort/speed equation is not worth it.
I'm 1,78 (5 foot 10) and 85 kg (some 13 stones) and have found that for my commute/touring stuff a 700x28/32 inflated to the specifications is just perfect. I would never go back to narrow tyres. I don't think the seconds I might "scrap" in every kilometre are worth the hard ride.
Currently I'm using Continental Sport Contact (slick) 700x32 @ 85psi
And 28,32,35 and 37 on several hybrid and touring bikes.
I always follow the pressure guidelines on each tyre (I might want to be on the upper limit if I'm loaded).
My personal conclusion so far is that although I can feel a difference in rolling resistance (i.e.) speed (at least acceleration) using narrow tyres heavily inflated (110 to 125 psi), for me the comfort/speed equation is not worth it.
I'm 1,78 (5 foot 10) and 85 kg (some 13 stones) and have found that for my commute/touring stuff a 700x28/32 inflated to the specifications is just perfect. I would never go back to narrow tyres. I don't think the seconds I might "scrap" in every kilometre are worth the hard ride.
Currently I'm using Continental Sport Contact (slick) 700x32 @ 85psi
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stof
Different bikes, different purposes, different tyres, different pressures.
Loaded touring: 26x1.75 (Conti City Contact) 65psi. Comfortable, surprisingly puncture resitant and roll pretty well
Fast and light riding or commuting - 700cx25mm (Conti gatorskins) - I've only just started using these and always used to use Schwalbe marathon 28mms. So far they feel much faster, but they're also on a new wheelset, which is on a new frame, so its hard to separate the source of my feelgood. Its a 20 mile ride to the train station for what is now becoming my regular (bi-weekly) commute, so the IDEA that I'm riding fairly fast seems to help.
Loaded touring: 26x1.75 (Conti City Contact) 65psi. Comfortable, surprisingly puncture resitant and roll pretty well
Fast and light riding or commuting - 700cx25mm (Conti gatorskins) - I've only just started using these and always used to use Schwalbe marathon 28mms. So far they feel much faster, but they're also on a new wheelset, which is on a new frame, so its hard to separate the source of my feelgood. Its a 20 mile ride to the train station for what is now becoming my regular (bi-weekly) commute, so the IDEA that I'm riding fairly fast seems to help.
Offroad I normally have them up around 35-40psi.
On road I tend to just go to the max rating on the tyre if that max is less than 100psi. If the max is over 100psi then I run them about 105psi as I prefer to keep a tad of feeling in my rear end.
On the tandem, when loaded, we tend to run them at the max plus 1/3. This is based on advise from Mr Bird from Swallows/Tandemania, the thinking being that you have twice the weight that the tyre makers were expecting so you have to up the pressure a bit to compensate and any good tyre ought to be able to run a fair bit over its max rating for safety reasons.
On road I tend to just go to the max rating on the tyre if that max is less than 100psi. If the max is over 100psi then I run them about 105psi as I prefer to keep a tad of feeling in my rear end.
On the tandem, when loaded, we tend to run them at the max plus 1/3. This is based on advise from Mr Bird from Swallows/Tandemania, the thinking being that you have twice the weight that the tyre makers were expecting so you have to up the pressure a bit to compensate and any good tyre ought to be able to run a fair bit over its max rating for safety reasons.
In case I gave the impression on the other thread that I habitually put way over 100psi into tyres, I don't. On an overloaded tandem it was a toss up between advised inflation and knackered sidewalls or loadsa pressure and minimal deflection and squirm. I opted for a sweated brow and heavy pumping.
In less trying circumstances I do what it says on the sidewall, typically around 80psi. As a mea culpa I did blow tubs off the rim on more than one occassion over doing the air, but that was long ago. My ears were ringing with the explosion two days later.
In less trying circumstances I do what it says on the sidewall, typically around 80psi. As a mea culpa I did blow tubs off the rim on more than one occassion over doing the air, but that was long ago. My ears were ringing with the explosion two days later.
On the other thread on this topic I noted that large section tyres, 35mm and upwards, are rarely made to the same light specifications as narrow covers. Cyclists might have a different take on fat tyres if they were featherlight too. Having seen some old French bikes I have the impression their demi-ballon (650B?) tyres came in ultralight versions.
I do have one bike with 20mm tyres fitted and handling is much impaired relative to 28s and 32s, as well as comfort.
I do have one bike with 20mm tyres fitted and handling is much impaired relative to 28s and 32s, as well as comfort.
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reohn2
Mick F wrote:R2 has got a thread going here!
In my defence, my 20mm tyres are narrow and hard - BUT my frame is a Mercian 531c. Springy and responsive. The tyres are hard, fast and light. And puncture resistant.
Comfortable, light, fast, and sporty - that's the key!
Mick
But Have you tried, say Rubino 25's or 28's.The air chamber is bigger so they absorb the bumps better and don't take it out of your wheels or frame for that matter.
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thirdcrank
- Posts: 36740
- Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm
I can't work out who is quoting who but somebody said above:
old racing bikes had 27x1 1/4 at 70 psi. this is the same width as 32.
I would add that until relatively recently many people did all their inflating with an ordinary pump. It was only when I bought a proper track pump when I really realised how hard a tyre should be pumped up to achieve the manufacturer's limits. (Of course, pressure markings on the tyre are also fairly recent.) As a user of 27 x 1 1/4 until about ten years ago, I went for 32C and then settled on Panaracer Pasella 28C for most use. I Marathon Plus on my winter bike and Vredestein 35C (picked up cheap at a one day sale ) on my shopper.
Incidentally, three or four years ago I treated myself to a Topeak Twister and always inflate to the manufacturer's limit. Of course, that depends on the accuracy of the digital gauge - the only thing I have to check it against is another (hand held) Topeak gauge......
old racing bikes had 27x1 1/4 at 70 psi. this is the same width as 32.
I would add that until relatively recently many people did all their inflating with an ordinary pump. It was only when I bought a proper track pump when I really realised how hard a tyre should be pumped up to achieve the manufacturer's limits. (Of course, pressure markings on the tyre are also fairly recent.) As a user of 27 x 1 1/4 until about ten years ago, I went for 32C and then settled on Panaracer Pasella 28C for most use. I Marathon Plus on my winter bike and Vredestein 35C (picked up cheap at a one day sale ) on my shopper.
Incidentally, three or four years ago I treated myself to a Topeak Twister and always inflate to the manufacturer's limit. Of course, that depends on the accuracy of the digital gauge - the only thing I have to check it against is another (hand held) Topeak gauge......
Can you remember how easy tyres were to remove before hooked rims? I don't recall blow-off's with 70psi tyres either (though I once showered West London with rubber particles after inflating a 28" roadster tyre at a garage airline). My wife still has some Sun Mistral's on her Cannondale with V-shaped side walls. Punctures are a doddle.
Compare the blood, sweat and tears of a narrow Armadillo.
Compare the blood, sweat and tears of a narrow Armadillo.
