Road Bike Tire Pressures

How much pressure road bike tire should have.

Road bike tire pressures. Road tires typically require 80 to 130 psi pounds. Suggested tyre pressure for mountain bike tyres for a 70kg rider. The added volume in a mountain bike tyre means despite these lower pressures it is less likely to pinch flat. Mountain bike tyres are run at a lower pressure than road tyres so that the tyre can conform to the terrain and provide added grip.

Schwalbe has decided to make life easier for their mtb customers by creating the pressure prof an online calculator that helps trail or dh riders figure out what pressures they should be running. Here are air pressure requirements for different types of bikes. Mountain tires are flatter and they need an air pressure between 30 and 50 psi. Road bike tires are narrowest and require between 80 and 130 psi air pressure.

There was a time when most riders would opt for 23c tyres on the road pump the tyre pressure up to around 110psi for every ride letting out just a little air to provide extra grip in poor weather. This reduces vibration and provides better traction and control. There doesn t seem to be any performance loss and on rough roads speed is often faster because the wider tires absorb the bumps and roll over them with little loss of forward speed while in contrast narrow tires with high pressures bounce and retard speed. There are three charts one for road paved surfaces another for gravel dirt road surfaces and another for mountain bike applications.

Proper tire pressure lets your bike roll quickly ride smoothly and avoid flats narrow tires need more air pressure than wide ones. Dirt or gravel roads dictate lower pressures on wider tires. A lot of riders are taking advantage ofthe increased comfort of wider tires. The variations are much smaller and hard to predict they depend on the tire as much as on the road surface so the take home message is that tire pressure doesn t matter enough to worry about it.

Tire pressure doesn t matter for performance. What pressures are appropriate for 28mm road bike tires. Proper tire pressure allows your bike to move smoothly and quickly as well. With that in mind take a look at the tire pressure charts below to ensure that you re in the right ballpark when it comes to the tire pressures you re running.

But what s equally important to choosing the right tire for your needs is dialing in the right air pressure for them especially on off road terrain. A smooth surface such as new pavement will allow higher tire pressures and provide a fast and pleasant ride.