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Tire Pressure (PSI)

Tire Pressure (PSI)

One sure way to ruin your wheel set is to ignore the tires below you will find some helpful PSI advice. Bicycle tubes, which are made of butyl rubber, are porous enough to allow air to seep out. The result is tires softening over a period of about a week for road bikes and about a month for mountain bikes, though it depends some on tire size.

When the tires get soft, bad things happen. One of the most common mistakes is people don't realize that the tires have lost air pressure (PSI) and have softened and ride the bike anyway. Unfortunately, if you ride with soft tires, there's a risk of rim and tube or tire damage should you hit a pothole or rock. The impact compresses the tire, allowing the object to smack into the rim, possibly bending the rim and puncturing the tube. Besides this, it's much harder to pedal a bike with soft tires, and the tires wear quicker when used underinflated.

Hopefully you are convinced enough you to regularly inflate your tires. Road bikes should be checked before every ride and mountain bikes at least weekly. Use a good pump that has a built-in gauge and follow the manufacturer's recommended pressure, which is written on the tire sidewalls

Air Pressure (PSI) recomendations

Remember, a good rule of thumb is never exceed the mfg's recommended psi. For riders above 180 lbs. inflate to maximum psi indicated on the sidewall. For riders below 110 lbs inflate to minimum psi indicated on the sidewall. The list below is approximant.

700 x 28 to 700 x 32

  • Less than 110 lbs inflate to minimum psi listed on tire
  • 110 lbs inflate to 58 psi
  • 120 lbs inflate to 62 psi
  • 130 lbs inflate to 66 psi
  • 140 lbs inflate to 73 psi
  • 150 lbs inflate to 77 psi
  • 160 lbs inflate to 80 psi
  • 170 lbs inflate to 85 psi
  • 180 lbs inflate to 88 psi
  • Greater than 180 lbs inflate to maximum psi listed on tire

700 x 25

  • Less than 110 lbs inflate to minimum psi listed on tire
  • 110 lbs inflate to 73 psi
  • 120 lbs inflate to 77 psi
  • 130 lbs inflate to 82 psi
  • 140 lbs inflate to 86 psi
  • 150 lbs inflate to 90 psi
  • 160 lbs inflate to 95 psi
  • 170 lbs inflate to 100 psi
  • 180 lbs inflate to 103 psi
  • Greater than 180 lbs inflate to maximum psi listed on tire

650 x 23, 700 x 20 and 700 x 23

  • Less than 110 lbs inflate to minimum psi listed on tire
  • 110 lbs inflate to 87 psi
  • 120 lbs inflate to 91 psi
  • 130 lbs inflate to 95 psi
  • 140 lbs inflate to 100 psi
  • 150 lbs inflate to 105 psi
  • 160 lbs inflate to 110 psi
  • 170 lbs inflate to 112 psi
  • 180 lbs inflate to 116 psi
  • Greater than 180 lbs inflate to maximum psi listed on tire

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