Tire Pressure

Whatever pressure your tires are rated to handle, it's marked on the sidewalls.

Using too low of a pressure will require a harder pedaling effort, so that would be more likely to make your legs tire out faster.

By "100 kpi", do you mean 100 psi (pounds/sq inch)? In SI units, kpa (kilopascal) is used, but 100 kpa would only be 1 bar, or 14.5 psi. So, I'm guessing you had 100 psi in your tires.

The sidewall rating is generally the maximum allowable inflation pressure, not necessarily what you should be running in the tire. Depending on your weight and the size of the tire on your bike, 85-110 psi may be a better range. 100 psi is a good starting point for riders of average weight with 23 mm tires.

I wouldn't advise reducing pressure to slow the bike down, since low pressures affect the handling and leave you vunerable to "pinch flats" (impact damage) from potholes. Instead, just learn to enjoy the speed.

dhk2 said:

By "100 kpi", do you mean 100 psi (pounds/sq inch)? In SI units, kpa (kilopascal) is used, but 100 kpa would only be 1 bar, or 14.5 psi. So, I'm guessing you had 100 psi in your tires.

Good point. 1 PSI = approximately 6.89 kPa, so 100 PSI would equal about 689 kPa.

105k said:

Im finding with a higher tire pressure closer to 100kpi is a bit too fast for my fitness level.

I find at times im rolling too fast for me to sustain a decent cadence without raising my HR too much.

Don't adjust your pressure. Just drop down a gear or two and your cadence will increase without raising your HR.

Thanks for the advise. Im going to just have to keep trying to keep my cadence up and HR down. If anything i'll try 95 psi and see if that slightly slows me down without a lose in handling.

I find practicing proper pedaling feels better to learn at a higher cadence but one that lets you feel some light resistance rather than spinning. Do you guys agree ?

105k said:

Thanks for the advise. Im going to just have to keep trying to keep my cadence up and HR down. If anything i'll try 95 psi and see if that slightly slows me down without a lose in handling.

I find practicing proper pedaling feels better to learn at a higher cadence but one that lets you feel some light resistance rather than spinning. Do you guys agree ?

Changing tire pressure is the wrong thing to do. As stated by someone else, pressure isn't used to slow or speed up a bike. Proper tire pressure gives good handling, good traction, is comfortable (more so than a higher pressure), and keeps the tire from pinch flatting. Air pressure is the biggest factor in ride comfort, after fit.

To find the right cadence, you change gears. That's why the majority of road bikes have multiple gears.

How much do you weigh? What sort of bike are you using? What size tires are on the bike?

alienator said:

Changing tire pressure is the wrong thing to do. As stated by someone else, pressure isn't used to slow or speed up a bike. Proper tire pressure gives good handling, good traction, is comfortable (more so than a higher pressure), and keeps the tire from pinch flatting. Air pressure is the biggest factor in ride comfort, after fit.

To find the right cadence, you change gears. That's why the majority of road bikes have multiple gears.

How much do you weigh? What sort of bike are you using? What size tires are on the bike?

I wont be changing the tire pressure. I just took the bike out today without a bother and took it as easy as possible. All went well and had a great time getting my fitness up. Cheers 😄