Tyre Pressure?

Balin, Son of Fundi must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

Hi, What should the ideal pressure be for 18mm road race tires? I have heard a figure in excess of
100lb - that sounds a lot!! What should the tires feel like when you pinch them? So hard you can
hardly press your fingers in at all? Ot hard but you can just about press the tire a fraction?
When I sit on my bike I would say the back tire crushes perhaps a quater of its diameter on the
bottom. This sound right?

I have those tires that have the little screw thingy on the the top of the valve. I am finding it
very difficult to get any more pressure into the tires with my portable Blackburn £20 pump. Is
there an adapter for use with a car pump so that I can use the Blackburn only in the event of a
puncture when out on the road?

Thanks guys,

BSOF

Hmmmmm, this looks like one of those little fellows that lives under a bridge, but just in case.

Your tyre should have a pressure rating on the side, you can buy a proper track pump to get the
right pressure into it.

--
Ian

catrike.co.ukcatrike.co.ukOpen ↗

"Balin, Son of Fundi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, What should the ideal pressure be for 18mm road race tires? I have heard

a

Quoted message said:

figure in excess of 100lb - that sounds a lot!! What should the tires feel like when you pinch
them? So hard you can

hardly

Quoted message said:

press your fingers in at all? Ot hard but you can just about press the

tire

Quoted message said:

a fraction? When I sit on my bike I would say the back tire crushes

perhaps

Quoted message said:

a quater of its diameter on the bottom. This sound right?

I have those tires that have the little screw thingy on the the top of the valve. I am finding it
very difficult to get any more pressure into the tires with my portable Blackburn £20 pump. Is
there an adapter for use

with

Quoted message said:

a car pump so that I can use the Blackburn only in the event of a puncture when out on the road?

Thanks guys,

BSOF

Buy a track pump with a pressure gauge for use at home. 100psi is not unusual for road tyres but
very difficult to achieve with small pumps.
___
Michael MacClancy

Balin said:

What should the ideal pressure be for 18mm road race tires?

What does it say on the sidewall? Mine says 85-120psi, so 120psi it is.

--
Guy
===
WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
chapmancentral.demon.co.ukchapmancentral.demon.co.ukOpen ↗

"Balin, Son of Fundi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, What should the ideal pressure be for 18mm road race tires? I have heard

a

Quoted message said:

figure in excess of 100lb - that sounds a lot!! What should the tires feel like when you pinch
them? So hard you can

hardly

Quoted message said:

press your fingers in at all? Ot hard but you can just about press the

tire

Quoted message said:

a fraction? When I sit on my bike I would say the back tire crushes

perhaps

Quoted message said:

a quater of its diameter on the bottom. This sound right?

I have those tires that have the little screw thingy on the the top of the valve. I am finding it
very difficult to get any more pressure into the tires with my portable Blackburn £20 pump. Is
there an adapter for use

with

Quoted message said:

a car pump so that I can use the Blackburn only in the event of a puncture when out on the road?

Thanks guys,

BSOF

My 18c road tyres are rated at 120 psi and although it sounds a lot riding with then at any lower
pressure makes high speed really difficult. The downside is that you'll feel every little bumb in
the road. But if i wanted comfort i wouldnt have sold my mountain bike rated to 35psi 🙂

Cheers

Michael

Balin said:

Hi, What should the ideal pressure be for 18mm road race tires? I have heard a figure in excess of
100lb - that sounds a lot!! What should the tires feel like when you pinch them? So hard you can
hardly press your fingers in at all? Ot hard but you can just about press the tire a fraction?
When I sit on my bike I would say the back tire crushes perhaps a quater of its diameter on the
bottom. This sound right?

I have those tires that have the little screw thingy on the the top of the valve. I am finding it
very difficult to get any more pressure into the tires with my portable Blackburn £20 pump. Is
there an adapter for use with a car pump so that I can use the Blackburn only in the event of a
puncture when out on the road?

150lb for 18mm Conti GP - or roughly the limit of a Zefal HPX (the One True Pump). Oddly, they don't
really give a hard ride.

Balin said:

Hi,

Hi, What's it like up there?

Quoted message said:

What should the ideal pressure be for 18mm road race tires?

Depends on model - read the sidewall. The recommended max will usually be about right for the rear,
use somewhat lower pressure for the front.

Quoted message said:

I have heard a figure in excess of 100lb

Well in excess for some.

Quoted message said:

- that sounds a lot!!

It is, but 18mm is very narrow.

Quoted message said:

What should the tires feel like when you pinch them? So hard you can hardly press your fingers in
at all? Ot hard but you can just about press the tire a fraction?

Depends how strong your thumbs are. It should feel bloody hard anyway. You won't even be able to
reach optimum pressure with a [censored] pump.

Quoted message said:

When I sit on my bike I would say the back tire crushes perhaps a quater of its diameter on the
bottom. This sound right?

Not really.

Quoted message said:

I have those tires that have the little screw thingy on the the top of the valve.

Valve extenders? Long valve tubes work better. ...Or maybe you just mean presta valves - which are
the norm on road bikes.

Quoted message said:

I am finding it very difficult to get any more pressure into the tires with my portable Blackburn
£20 pump. Is there an adapter for use with a car pump so that I can use the Blackburn only in the
event of a puncture when out on the road?

There are adaptors for foot pumps (ones with o-rings are the best type) but foot pumps are rubbish
for high pressure.

Get a track pump (with gauge).

By the way, consider switching to 23mm tyres - for a more comfy ride and better traction on average
roads. Even some of the pros use them now.

~PB

Just zis Guy, you know? must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

Balin said:

What should the ideal pressure be for 18mm road race tires?

What does it say on the sidewall? Mine says 85-120psi, so 120psi it is.

I am sticking to 100 psi on the Catrike at the moment and it feels about right.

--
Ian

catrike.co.ukcatrike.co.ukOpen ↗

Ian said:

Hmmmmm, this looks like one of those little fellows that lives under a bridge, but just in case.

It's always hard to be sure isn't it :-)

~PB

Balin said:

Hi, What should the ideal pressure be for 18mm road race tires? I have heard a figure in excess of
100lb - that sounds a lot!!

If you're running 18mm tyres, 100-120psi is probably about right, but check the max pressure rating
marked on your sidewalls. Some go up to 145psi.

Quoted message said:

What should the tires feel like when you pinch them? So hard you can hardly press your fingers
in at all?

On 18mm, so hard you _cannot_ press your finger in at all. There's not much of an 18mm tyre between
the road and the rim, and it has to be hard enough to protect the rim if you hit a pothole at 40mph.

If that's too hard for you to ride on comfortably, go for a 23mm or 28mm tyre.

Quoted message said:

Ot hard but you can just about press the tire a fraction? When I sit on my bike I would say the
back tire crushes perhaps a quater of its diameter on the bottom. This sound right?

No, way too much. On an 18mm tyre the amount of squash should be barely perceptible.

Quoted message said:

I have those tires that have the little screw thingy on the the top of the valve. I am finding it
very difficult to get any more pressure into the tires with my portable Blackburn £20 pump. Is
there an adapter for use with a car pump so that I can use the Blackburn only in the event of a
puncture when out on the road?

Car pumps aren't designed for these pressures, and garage airlines can't safely deliver air in small
enough amounts; you need a track pump (although you ought to be able to achieve sufficient pressure
reasonably easily with a full size frame pump).

18mm tyres are extremely narrow specialist racing jobs, and need to be treated as such. If you're
not racing and you find running at that pressure to sore on the bum, get a wider tyre.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

do not sail on uphill water
- Bill Lee

Thanks for the answers guys. BSOF

"Balin, Son of Fundi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, What should the ideal pressure be for 18mm road race tires? I have heard

a

Quoted message said:

figure in excess of 100lb - that sounds a lot!! What should the tires feel like when you pinch
them? So hard you can

hardly

Quoted message said:

press your fingers in at all? Ot hard but you can just about press the

tire

Quoted message said:

a fraction? When I sit on my bike I would say the back tire crushes

perhaps

Quoted message said:

a quater of its diameter on the bottom. This sound right?

I have those tires that have the little screw thingy on the the top of the valve. I am finding it
very difficult to get any more pressure into the tires with my portable Blackburn £20 pump. Is
there an adapter for use

with

Quoted message said:

a car pump so that I can use the Blackburn only in the event of a puncture when out on the road?

Thanks guys,

BSOF