When you think about improving the performance of your road bike, you may consider getting some fancy electronic additions or a lighter set of wheels to upgrade your bike. However, a lot of the time, you don’t actually need an upgrade at all.
It is making sure that your bike has the correct tire pressure. Tire pressure plays a much more important part in maintaining the consistency and performance of your bike.
In fact, if you don’t pay attention to the inflation, not only will it affect the performance, but could also cause excess flats and a drop in comfort.
How Much Air Pressure in a Bike Tire?
For a long time, people have been pumping up their road bike tires to the maximum pressure it would allow, believing that would give them the best performance. If you believe that as well, it’s time to burst that bubble.
Excessively high bike tire pressures have been proven to slow you down. In addition to that, it can also be very uncomfortable to ride such a bike. This is almost as bad as riding a bike with low tire pressure.
However, most people still haven’t figured out how much air pressure is required in a bike tire – especially beginner cyclists. Most tires do come with a recommended pressure range printed on the sidewall, but that’s about the most guidance one gets. Yet, that is not usually enough to understand things properly.
The problem is that there are certain factors that dictate how much pressure your bike tires need to run, including the bike and road conditions, as well as the rider’s preferences. Therefore, it isn’t easy to give a definite number for how much air pressure is required in a bike tire.
The good news is that it is fairly easy to get the right ballpark. While it may be easier for experienced cyclists to figure out the magic number, beginner cyclists can also use a few tips to easily determine their preference.
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How Much Air Pressure is Suitable for Your Bike Tires?
As you can see, having too much or too little air pressure can be less than ideal for your bike. The trick is to find the balance between the two extremes.
On one hand, you need the air pressure in the tires to be high enough to minimize any energy losses from the deformation of the tire, while also offering predictable handling through the corners.
On the other hand, you need the air pressure to be low enough to absorb the imperfections in the road, instead of bouncing over them.
While the pressure recommendations provided by the manufacturers on the tires can be a bit vague, they can work as a good starting point to calculate the pressure you require.
For instance, you can use these as an indication of how much air pressure you need for dry days on smooth roads. These are generally a good bracket and staying within them can maintain the best performance for your bike.
However, this is a general rule of thumb and doesn’t necessarily need to be followed religiously. For instance, if the actual inflated tire width is larger than the labelled width, it will need slightly less pressure than recommended by the charts, and vice versa.
Similarly, the optimum tire pressure will be lower for lighter riders, and higher for heavier riders or those who are carrying extra loads on the road bikes.
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Recommended Pressure Sample
Air pressure in bike tires is measured by psi (pounds per square inch). Road tires typically require 80 to 130 psi. You may need to do some calculations to figure out exactly how much air pressure your bike needs.
This is because different tires require different air pressure readings. However, looking at the sample of one type of tire can give you an idea of how much air pressure you need, irrespective of the brand of tire you’re using.
The following are the recommendations from Pirelli for its TLR tubeless tires.
| Rider Weight | 700x23c Tire on a 17mm Rim | 700x25c Tire on a 19mm Rim |
| Recommended Pressure | Recommender Pressure | |
| ≤ 50kg / ≤ 110lb | 84psi / 5.8bar | 73psi / 5bar |
| 51-57kg / 112-126lb | 90psi / 6.2bar | 78psi / 5.4bar |
| 58-65kg / 128-143lb | 96psi / 6.6bar | 83psi / 5.7bar |
| 66-73kg / 145-161lb | 102psi / 7bar | 88psi / 6.1bar |
| 74-81kg / 163-179lb | 106psi / 7.3bar | 93psi / 6.4bar |
| 82-88kg / 181-194lb | 110psi / 7.6bar | 98psi / 6.8bar |
| ≥ 89kg / ≤ 196lb | 115psi / 7.9bar | 103psi / 7.1bar |
| ≥ 96kg / ≤ 212lb | Use 700x25c tire | 108psi / 7.4bar |
| On a 19mm rim: lower pressure by 0.4bar / 6psi | On a 21mm rim: lower pressure by 0.3bar / 5psi |
If you’re using a different brand of tires, you may need to do a little extra calculation, and take some other factors into account before figuring out the correct air pressure required by your bike.
However, these are some great numbers to keep in mind if you are completely clueless about the whole ordeal.
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Why is The Ideal Tire Pressure Important?
Tire pressure is a movable feast – which can change according to the current situation. Therefore, it is necessary to understand that there isn’t any such thing as the correct air pressure for tires. There is no magic number that will work for every single rider out there. Instead, think of it as the ideal tire pressure.
Contrary to what was popularly believed, the ideal tire pressure does not mean that it would bounce off the road as you ride the bike. Instead, the ideal pressure allows the tire to sag at a sufficient rate.
This optimizes the ground contact area, which in turn impacts the performance and maneuverability. Figuring out the ideal pressure also allows you to reduce rolling resistance and increasing comfort.
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Factors That Impact the Ideal Bike Tire Pressure
The main factor that has a major impact on the air pressure is the actual width of the tire. Think of is as an air chamber. Its size depends on the rim width and the tire itself. To put it even more simply, the wider the tire the lower the ideal air pressure.
Another incredibly important factor is the choice of tire – specifically, its construction. For instance, a nylon casing behaves and deforms differently as compared to a cotton casing. The TPI (Threads Per Inch) also makes a significant difference. A higher TPI results in a finer yarn, making the tire roll faster and feel smoother.
As stated earlier, the rider also plays a huge part in determining the ideal tire pressure. In addition to your weight, you also need to take your normal riding position, riding style, and the roads and atmosphere you’ll usually ride in to calculate your ideal tire pressure.
However, there is no set formula for calculating these factors. Instead, you will have to depend on a bit of trial and error to figure these out.
The ideal way to go, however, is to take the recommended range provided by the tire manufacturer and compare it with the weight range to find your sweet spot. Afterward, you can increase or reduce the number based on the type of activity you’d be participating in.
For instance, a 165-pound cyclist riding on rough trails and terrains will want a much higher tire pressure as compared to a 140-pound high school student using their bike to get to school every morning.
Therefore, it is important to take all of these factors into account while trying to calculate your ideal air pressure.
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How to Check Air Pressure in Tires?
While trying to figure out the ideal air pressure for your tires, it is also important to learn how to check the air pressure. This will give you better control and tell you when the tires need to be pumped.
Having a tire pressure gauge can be great if you want to check your tire pressure consistently. However, it is a pretty safe bet that you may not always have one on you.
The good news is that you don’t always need a tire pressure gauge. In fact, with a little ingenuity, you may be able to get an accurate estimate without the use of any tools.
Checking Tire Pressure Without a Gauge
If you’re in the middle of the road without a tire pressure gauge, you can just squeeze the tire on each side with the help of your fingers. If the tires seem rock hard and offer no give, you may need to relieve some of the air out for better performance.
Inflate them t until you can barely squeeze, but don’t inflate so much so that they become rock hard.
It is important to keep in mind that you will not be able to get a precise reading without a tire pressure gauge. However, this simple trick can be useful if you find yourself in desperate times.
Checking Tire Pressure with a Gauge
When checking tire pressure with a gauge, it is a good idea to check out the recommended range of the tires as printed on its sidewall. Afterward, place the tire pressure gauge on the valve and press it down. This will cause the needle on the gauge to move and display the pressure.
Continue alternating between the air pump and gauge until the desired pressure is achieved. It will be helpful to invest in a pump that has a built-in gauge.
You may like the following bike articles:
- How Do Tubeless Bike Tires Work
- How Long Do Bike Tires Last and When to Replace A Bike Tire
- How to Change the Tire on an Electric Bike
- All You Need to Know About Electric Bike Tires
- What Is A Hybrid Bike – Complete Guide
Conclusion
As you can see, bike tire pressure is crucial. In fact, it is the cheapest performance improvement you can make to your bike, which would be effective for a long time. In addition to that, this will also make your rides a lot more comfortable.
Therefore, it is important to take some time and put in the effort to get familiar. You may also want to experiment a bit within the recommended range to find what works best for you and your particular needs.
Once you learn how much it improves your performance while riding a bike, you’ll learn that all this effort put in to figure out the ideal tire pressure was 100% worth it.
I am Michael, an avid rider and bike expert. I am here to provide, biking tips and expert advice on in-depth bike reviews covering features, capabilities, price range, and much more. Specially on electric bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, etc. I will provide honest product reviews, along with expert advice on purchasing, training, and maintenance. Check out my complete profile.