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Reading an old bike repair book from the 80s and found a weird detail about tire pressure
I was going through some old stuff at the shop and found a bike maintenance guide from 1987. It said for a standard 700c road tire, you should run it at 95 to 105 psi. I checked that against a modern chart from a big tire maker's website, and now they recommend 70 to 90 for the same size. That's a drop of like 25 psi on the high end in less than 40 years. I guess the thinking on rolling resistance and comfort has really changed. Has anyone else noticed this shift in recommended pressures over their career?
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miamitchell6mo ago
Actually yeah, that shift is pretty huge. I mean hugoc97 has a point about lower pressure working for most riders now. But for me, running my tires that soft just feels slow and kind of squirmy on the road. Maybe it's just me but I still like a firmer setup, even if it's a bit less comfy. The old books might have been onto something with that higher pressure for speed.
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simon_coleman6mo ago
Lower pressure made my rides way more comfortable.
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hugoc976mo ago
Simon_coleman, that's actually the opposite of what works for most people (and tires).
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fisher.adam6mo ago
The old school 120 psi rule on 23c tires was there for a reason, it cuts rolling resistance. That comfort from lower pressure is just you feeling the road less, but you're actually working harder against the tire.
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