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Discussion: About tire inflation pressures
Subject: About tire inflation pressures By: Ronald F. Written on: 2006-06-09 12:00:49 Message: About tire inflation pressure. I am glad this topic came up. Once again you newbies have helped me to learn something. This should clarify a few things and I suggest that everyone read the sidewall of your tires. My tubular racing tires are Vittoria corsa EVO CX, They are rated for 8-14 BAR aprox. 115- 205 PSI Cervelo techs. say that 140 PSI is too high. I disagree a little and run mine at 150 PSI 10.5 BAR if the road is pretty good and 120 PSI on rough roads. How much to inflate them depends on the road conditions if the road is rough then it is best to go to the low end, if the road is smooth then the high end. The reason for less pressure on rough roads is that the tire is designed to deform as it passes over the bumps absorbing the energy and making the ride smoother and faster If the tire is at too high of a pressure the the energy is projected up and slows down the bike and causes a rough ride. For my clincher tires that I train on and do club time trials on I have Vittoria Diamonte pro light. They are rated for 130- 160 psi or 9- 11 BAR This is pretty high for a clincher most are about 120 PSI Max. so I have been riding them at about 115 PSI. (I should have read the sidewall) Thanks to Jael I will make sure to inflate them to at least the minimum 130 PSI and that might make the difference between 2nd and 1st places at my club time trials. The pressures on my tires may be too high for your tires so be sure to read your sidewalls. It's a lot easier reading than War and Peace. Ron
Subject: RE: About tire inflation pressures By: Dan W. Written on: 2006-06-09 12:32:47 Message: I have to laugh...about 4 weeks ago I went for a ride with a training partner and she asked me if my tires needed air. I said no (bear in mind I had never checked them since buying the bike). She asked if I was sure. You'd think I'd learned by now, but instead I smiled and pointed out that although I don't know much about bikes, I can tell if the tires are flat - thank you very much. She checked pressure. They were 90 psi, but rated 130 psi. Whoops. With my foot in my mouth I took it as a lesson learned. That day's ride was more smoother, more comfortable, and faster than any before it. Now I check my tires before nearly every ride (though it looks like I need to learn what BAR is). Thanks to Ron and Jael for the info.
Subject: RE: About tire inflation pressures By: Ronald F. Written on: 2006-06-09 13:52:44 Message: Dan, BAR - barometric pressure - better known internationally. Just not in the USA. I had to look it up to. When will we catch up with the rest of the world and go metric? Ron
Subject: RE: About tire inflation pressures By: Marty D. Written on: 2006-06-09 14:21:00 Message: Thanks for the info, Ron. I know just the other day I was out on a ride and noticed that my tires were low on air. I have to remember to check them before every ride. Marty D
Subject: RE: About tire inflation pressures By: Jamojman . Written on: 2006-06-09 20:53:29 Message: Now I am riding again I check my tyres every time. Also, the tyres and tubes only have a certain life span so remember to have the tyre and tube changed on a regular basis. ( I think that is pretty important)
Subject: RE: About tire inflation pressures By: Keycho W. Written on: 2006-06-10 10:44:49 Message: Hello, I am new to this ontri so hello every one. I have yet to even post my workout schedule, but I due train, I swear! Any way, I just got a new road bike about a month ago, and I have no idea about them, so like Dan's story, every one that knows about bikes, even some who don't, were telling me that my seat looked way to low. I am very stubborn, and said no I feel comfy with it at this height. My knee started to hurt, and I thought it was from running, well finally someone dared to say to me, put the seat up and pump you'r tires up, by the way a mtn.bike pump doesn't work. Well my knee doesnt hurt as much and I was told the tire pressure needed to be 100 psi. So my ride is much better, after I took a hard swallow, I must say thankyou for this subject. Now I need to take some sort of lesson on what to do with a road bike besides ride fast! Keycho W.
Subject: RE: About tire inflation pressures By: Ty D. Written on: 2006-06-10 14:25:54 Message: I check my tires before every ride, and they are always low, around 80-90 psi, and they're rated at 120-140 psi. Is that normal? I seem to have no difficulty during the rides, but just wanted to make sure there wasn't something I should be doing. ty
Subject: RE: About tire inflation pressures By: Ronald F. Written on: 2006-06-10 17:33:15 Message: Ty, It is normal to loose air over night. Pump them up for every ride. Ron
Subject: RE: About tire inflation pressures By: Ronald F. Written on: 2006-06-10 17:39:47 Message: Welcome Keycho! There are already a lot of very good postings to help you ride better and faster. You can scan back trough the posts to find them or just ask any questions that you have. You will get useful answers from a great bunch of people here. Were all in this together. Ron
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