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tire pressure for a light guy?
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so i've always pumped my tires to about 105 during training and 110-115 for races (max pressure is 135).

the thought process is that the higher the pressure the faster the tire would be as there would be less contact with the ground.

BUTTT, i'm only 124-129lbs on race day. this year i've been slacking so i'm on the higher range. my upcoming race has a patch about 5 miles long that is kind of crappy in terms of the pavement.

would someone like me benefit from lowering my pressure to 90-95 since i'm light? i tend to feel as if the tires are slower, but i'm wondering if it's psychological or not.

thanks for the help,

john
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Re: tire pressure for a light guy? [ahhchon] [ In reply to ]
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You should be around 100psi if you're racing with a 23C tire

res, non verba
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Re: tire pressure for a light guy? [ahhchon] [ In reply to ]
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I'm 160 and pump my tired to 95 psi.
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Re: tire pressure for a light guy? [ahhchon] [ In reply to ]
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Hey what's your race schedule for this year? IMWI again?
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Re: tire pressure for a light guy? [ahhchon] [ In reply to ]
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Re: tire pressure for a light guy? [ahhchon] [ In reply to ]
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The problem with small/light riders going much under 100 psig is the risk of pinch flats.

If you will be riding on broken concrete or over pot holes then I would go slightly higher like 105/110

If you are riding on chip and seal that has a rough surface then going down to 95 is reasonable.

As for the tires being slower, I'm just a little heavier than you and I've found that 95 to 105 is optimum for just about everything except broken pavement. I could never get a long string of training rides in with tire pressure under 95 without flatting in one of them.

I haven't gone over 110 in years.

jaretj
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Re: tire pressure for a light guy? [ahhchon] [ In reply to ]
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I'm 145-150lbs and run 90/80 on 22/25 tubulars - very little risk of pinch flats. on 22/22 i'd run 90/95. For a race I might run as high as 100 depending on the course, but 90-95 feels optimal based on riding and testing.

Best way for you to tell what's best is to do a basic field test. Roll down a hill with a known distance and keep track of your times as you adjust tire pressure.

My wife is 115lbs and I have her 23mm clinchers at 80/85psi - never any issues.
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Re: tire pressure for a light guy? [slowshortround] [ In reply to ]
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cool,

thanks for the input guys. i've always run 110psi for races so i'll stay with that for one final race before i do any testing.

as for schedule. i'm having a slow year after last year. 13 races in 6 months (2 ironmans, 3 halfs, 2 olympics and a couple 24 hour relay races) really wiped me out.

so far this year i DNF's challenge AC and skipped 2 other races. :-/. burnt out lol
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