

But this guide will give you the starting points, insights, and expert advice to nail your tire pressure for every ride. You have to experiment to find the pressure that feels just right for you. There’s no one magic number for everyone on every ride. This complex matrix of factors is why the internet is filled with tire pressure charts, guides, and calculators, and why you’ll see riders obsessively squeezing their tires, their friends’ tires, and their competitors’ tires if they can get away with it before a big event.

While it’s true that running the right tire pressure may just be the single best performance improvement you can make on your bike, the proper psi depends on a host of factors, including tire and rim widths, terrain, ambient temperature, weather, and rider weight. So, should we all unscrew our collective Presta valves, tap our air pressure down to 60, and ride happily ever after? Nope.
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“More tire patch on the road is also faster on bumpy roads.” I don’t pump up my tires until they get below 50,” says Tetrick, who used to consider 90 psi low. “Lower tire pressure is more comfortable and it’s more confidence-inducing for me, especially on rough descents,” Tetrick says, noting that she now also runs wider tires and lower pressure on the road bike. I’d be like, ‘How about 40?’”Īlison Tetrick rides a Specialized Diverge in Steamboat Springs, CO. So, my mechanic would want to put 35 psi in my tires for gravel, and I couldn’t fathom it. “In my mind, higher tire pressure meant fast.

But she also found that lower tire pressure literally lowered her stress levels on the bike…once she got used to it. In 2017, Tetrick switched to gravel racing, later saying, “I needed to lower the pressure in my life, and the tire pressure in my wheels.” She was talking about switching to a racing discipline that was a bit more fun-forward than the pure road scene at the time. Rock-hard tires may sail over glass-smooth fresh asphalt, but put them on most well-worn roads and they bounce like Super Balls over every imperfection and chatter through corners rather than conform to the road, ramping up your mental and physical fatigue. When she was racing the World Tour in the late aughts, 23mm tires pumped to a wagon-wheel rigid 120 psi were standard fare. The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only.Pro cyclist Alison Tetrick has a mantra: Lower tire pressure, lower life pressure. The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use: The term ‘you’ refers to the user or viewer of our website. The term ‘LUXBMX Store’ or ‘us’ or ‘we’ refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use our website. If you continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern LUXBMX Store’s relationship with you in relation to this website.
