[PoorInRichfield]

https://info.silca.cc/silca-professional-pressure-calculator

Enter your name and email address on the right to be able to use the calculator as intended.

This should be an interesting Spring for me as my newest bike came with 32mm tires... way wider than anything I've ever ridden on a road bike. Using the calculator, it's suggesting a tire pressure that is almost half what I typically used on my other bikes with 25mm tires. It's going to feel like I'm riding on marshmallows!

 

[DennisM]

No, I don't think I need daily emails from Silca.

 

[bradkay]

Vittoria used to have a pressure calculator on their website. You would input your weight, which one of their tires you use and what the expected road surface is. You never needed to give them any other information. Now, however, it is an app that you need to install on your phone. Marketing greed wins out every time...

 

[tlg]

That calculator sucks. Not even close to perfect. It's not even good. Says I should be riding 20psi higher than I do. Uhhhh no thanks. I don't want to ride slower and chatter my teeth.

 

[duriel]

I've ridden my new 28's on wide rims, rear tire was a little soft on the ride, just a little. Thought I'd check the pressure when I got done with the ride. .... 42psi. I run 55/60r when I 'pump them up'!!!!

 

[ROAD&DIRT]

I don't need another email... however it's a little off, suggesting I ride the following

Rear Tire Pressure (PSI): 90

Front Tire Pressure (PSI): 88

I'm about 132lbs
plus bike/gear 17lbs

I typically ride at...

Rear Tire Pressure (PSI): 80

Front Tire Pressure (PSI): 75

 

[nealric]

You also may want to change pressures depending on use case. I tend to run relatively high pressure on my commuter for flat prevention. The bike would ride nicer at lower pressure, but I really hate dealing with a flat in the morning when I'm trying to get to a meeting.

 

[siclmn]

The truth is that the bigger the tire the lower the pressure you need. I run 50 lbs with 38c tires. Any more and they would be bone jarring.

 

[OldChipper]

You'll be happy to know that, without a calculator, I have been riding my perfect tire pressure for a number of years now.

 

[Notvintage]

That’s why this thread is useless. Without rim ID dimensions, tire width and weight rider /bike, tire width it’s crap.

 

[Kerry Irons]

You'll be happy to know that, without a calculator, I have been riding my perfect tire pressure for a number of years now.

Oh come on! You have to have these calculations (and an expensive digital pressure gauge) in order to be a real cyclist. And even though your tires might lose 1 psi per day, you have to check the pressure every day to keep the number EXACTLY where the calculator says. Otherwise, chaos awaits. You've been warned.

 

[nayr497]

Is the calculator really meant for commuting and riding around town? Or, just sport/fitness/training riding? I know Silca and their owner did LOTS of serious research on PSIs for cobbled classic road races, which is great...but I'm just commuting

I have always gone with a thumb-squeeze test on my commuter and tend to run lower pressures for comfort and since I've ridden lots of cross, so am used to lower pressures.

Ran the Pro version of the calculator, suggested 48 rear/45.5 front. I used a pressure gauge on my commuter wheels (38 mm Panaracer GravelKings w/tubes on older Mavic Open Pro rims probably 19 mm width) and the pressure I had them at, which felt great, was right around 30! Upper 40s feels way to hard/harsh for me.

This is a commuter bike with a rack, pannier, etc and I ride almost all on a rails-to-trails, so not a lot of bad pavement or (too much) glass. I'm 150 pounds, on most commutes carry a notebook, some light food, a spare wind jacket, so not much added weight.

 

[Lombard]

No, I don't think I need daily emails from Silca.

^^^This!!!!!.^^^

Dorkypants used to have a fairly decent tire pressure calculator and you didn't have to sign up for SPAM to see it. Apparently the site has been taken down.

 

[tlg]

^^^This!!!!!.^^^

Dorkypants used to have a fairly decent tire pressure calculator and you didn't have to sign up for SPAM to see it. Apparently the site has been taken down.

What! 😲 That sucks.

The site still exists. But the URL takes you to a googledocs spreadsheet. Looks like a work in progress and not functional.

http://www.dorkypantsr.us/bike-tire-pressure-calculator.html

Have no fear..... web.archive.org to the rescue!
The most recent snapshot was Nov 11. Can't tell when the site went down but the archive is functional.

Bicycle tire pressure calculator

road bicycle tire pressure calculators using Jan Heine 15% drop and Michelin chart methods

web.archive.org

 

[Lombard]

Oh come on! You have to have these calculations (and an expensive digital pressure gauge) in order to be a real cyclist. And even though your tires might lose 1 psi per day, you have to check the pressure every day to keep the number EXACTLY where the calculator says. Otherwise, chaos awaits. You've been warned.

Not to mention that this is all a waste unless you use an ultrasonic cleaner for your chain after every ride.

 

[Lombard]

Have no fear..... web.archive.org to the rescue!
The most recent snapshot was Nov 11. Can't tell when the site went down but the archive is functional.

Bicycle tire pressure calculator

road bicycle tire pressure calculators using Jan Heine 15% drop and Michelin chart methods

web.archive.org

Cool. Thanks!

 

[Finx]

Tire pressure calculators are rarely (probably never) right.

Use them to get a starting point and work from there. Experiment with different tires and different pressures. Casings make big difference how a tire feels, especially when cornering. Lower is generally better, until you get to the point where you can feel the sidewall collapsing.

Jan Heine wrote a pretty good article in Bicycle Quartely that discusses this.

Minimum Tire Pressure – Rene Herse Cycles

www.renehersecycles.com

You tire pressure will vary depending on your system weight, the tire you are using, and the terrain you are riding on.

 

[hummina shadeeba]

what if ur out of the saddle a lot redistributing ur weight onto an angled front wheel sprinting or climbing? Could be a lot of time and could greatly change the rolling resistance of the tire

Are tires with more pressure less likely to puncture?

 

[velodog]

Are tires with more pressure less likely to puncture?

More pressure = more likely to puncture.

Less pressure allows the tire to roll over the debris where the higher pressure drives the debris into the tire tread.

 

[hummina shadeeba]

Makes sense. Someone above said otherwise.

I tend to run relatively high pressure on my commuter for flat prevention. The bike would ride nicer at lower pressure, but I really hate dealing with a flat in the morning when I'm trying to get to a meeting.

I feel like I get a lot more flats when it’s wet. Lubing up the glass or drips of rain bumping glass shards into a nice upward point maybe. Maybe just my mind