Caelum wrote:Yes, this
should be a FAQ, amongst many other FAQs really.. But there isn't one(that i know of)... and do you KNOW how many results you get for searching tyre pressure on a bike forum?
So what's the general rule of thumb?
I'm currently running 100psi in my Maxxis Detonator 28c's. They sing along quite nicely on the road now, and surprisingly it isn't that much more of a harder ride than how they were pumped up a few days ago(before i got a floor pump) at about 30psi...
But when it comes down to it? What's the max pressure i should look at using in them? How about other tyres that i'll end up using? gp4000's, gatorskins etc etc etc... How do various sized tyres change what pressure you should use? do they change?
What are generally the max/min and suggested pressures?
Cheers
Caelem, Sheldon Brown has some suggested tyre pressures, but they are only suggestions.
Basically, what's written on the side of your tyre can be treated as a useful maximum - you know it's safe because at that pressure, the company lawyers start having kittens. The trick then is to work out what suits you.
Typically, with these upright horrors that most of you ride, your bum is right over the rear wheel banging most of your body weight onto the rear tyre. This is why Sheldon suggests something like 10% less pressure in the front tyre than the rear. On a sensible bike like a bent, where the weight distribution is more even, you may choose to run equal pressures.
However, the pressures you choose to use depend on your bike, how much you weigh, how you use it and the tyres in question.
It's not so hard to work out. Simply start up near the max and work your way down. Most tyres lose pressure over time so by being sensitive to the way your bike works and feels, you can gain a feel for what sort of pressures you need to be running. You are sensitive to what your bike is telling you aren't you? Listen to her, she's the expert, not some loud mouth on a forum.
I too ride on 28mm Detonators and find that 100 front and 110 rear works very well for me on the goat tracks I ride. They are compliant at that pressure and grip the road well. I'm a tad over 100kg so if you're lighter, you may wish to run them lower. The max pressure of 120 makes for a very solid ride which my aging body does not relish.
That said, on the bent which runs 1" Detonators (on 26" rims), I've found that 100 front and rear works well, because the weight distribution is even.
Forget what 'Expensive Bits Magazine' tells you and ignore what the fairy on the hyper bike likes to claim on a forum somewhere in cyberspace. This is about YOU and YOUR bike.
Start with the max pressure shown on the tyre and work down. The tyre will probably be overly hard and lacking in grip at the max pressure (but not always - read toolong's reports). As the pressure lessens, at some point, the tyre will start to perform really well under the provocation you provide - a more sporting rider will demand higher pressures than a plodder, and it's here that a comparison between toolong's tyre pressures and my own starts to bear fruit
After that, you'll discover that the grip gives way to softness. Pump the tyres up a bit and you'll discover the pressure that works for YOU - everyone else's numbers are meaningless in your world, even if those numbers work in theirs.
Experiment and be sensitive to what that lovely cycle is telling you, that's all you need.
Richard
