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I'm racing my club TT tonight, and I'm looking for any ways to peel a few seconds off last month's time.
I currently have michelin pro races (clincher), and I run them the suggested 115-120 psi. I know if you pump them up too much, they can actually increase the rolling resistance. On the other hand, comfort is of no issue for a short distance like this, and I'm wondering if I can push the envelope a bit.
Anybody try this and have any luck?
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Aerosexual.
Don't pump them up much more than that. You hit a rock andf they'll go boom. Focus your mind on going faster and you will.
I wouldn't go much over 120. Especially if it's hot outside. Blowouts due to overinflation in hot weather are a silly way to DNF.
1) I would hesitate to exceed the manufacturers recommendations for several reasons, they burst test those tires and put the pressure in the safe range allowing for heat expansion, depending on your rim, you may exceed rim rated psi. Have you seen a tire explode, or blown a bead, is it really worth the risk?
2) Tufo tires have been tested well above 250psi without increasing rolling resistance (sorry I can not find the article right now, help me out if you have read the article)
3) If you want higher pressures get a set of conti's or tufo tubular clinchers. The elite jets are TEW <160 and rated at 220psi.
At the end of the day it is your body and bike, and if you have new tires and want to push it, things will probably work out fine for you.
The manufacturers ratings are generally conservative. You should be able to exceed them by a modest amount without any trouble, I've done it myself plenty of times with no problems.
If the pavement is smooth, I wouldn't hesitate to go another 10-15 psi higher than what you've been doing, for TTs w/ good pavement I usually run about 130 rear, 125 front. It's not likely to make a very big real world difference, so if you are nervous about it just use your regular pressure as it's more important to be confident in your equipment.
If the pavement is not good, you should not go any higher than your normal pressure. And of course, it's also a bad idea to run high pressures for training.
Yes, I agree that it is a good idea to "overpressurize" the tires a little bit (but at your own risk). I'd pump them to about 135 or 140psi, I do this all the time with quality tubes. 700x20 tires can take the higher pressure better. I'm not sure what safety factor they use but 1.5 is pretty standard for many pressurized systems.
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