Tire Pressure?

sk8erpunk

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Aug 16, 2008
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San Francisco, CA (Ocean Beach)
well, I had my first flat tire today. On the rear, of course. It took me a lot longer to find thorn resistant tubes in SF than I thought it would. Had to drive all over town. anyway, it wasn't "fun" but getting off the back tire wasn't as bad as I had feared. we'll see how I do getting it back on.

anyway, I forgot what psi to use for the rear tire. the sidewall says 40-65 max. I remember when I first got the bike and mike and I put some air in it and we put a little more in the back than the front, but I can't remember what psi we did em at. sorry for such a noob question. I did a search and couldn't find an answer to this, so I am doing so here.

btw: has anyone used the thorn resistant tubes with slime in them? they didn't have any in stock here, but I've seen em on Amazon.
 
That is an interesting question actually.
Because the roads are so rough around here I keep mine set to the low side of the psi range. It helps to dampen the rough road surface. The thing is we all know that the more air pressure a tire has in it the easier it will roll. I guess what I am saying you will have to experiment with a few different tire pressures to find the best for your situation.

Jim
 
The tubes with the slime aren't as good as the thicker ones. I have a lot of problems with actual "thorns", and the thicker tubes are best. I usually stay close to the pressure listed on the tire, maybe a little less to soften the ride, but not much. It is a good idea to put a little more in the rear than the front, but not much difference [2-3 pounds].

Have fun,
Quenton
 
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For whatever it's worth, I'm not a Slime fan. I dont' recommend it.

The stuff has a habit of plugging up the valve so that it's hard to air your tires. And you can forget about patching the tube.

I just carry a brand new tube or two as spares. Often I carry a spare tire. When I have a flat I find the foreign object, pull it out and put in the new tube. Quick and easy.

but I think I might be in a minority on this one. There's many folks here who seem to get along fine with the stuff.
 
tire pressure -- well - your tires are rated 40 - 65 lbs

with mine I prefer to keep them to the high side -- in your case this would be 65 lbs

but - as mentioned above - ROAD CONDITIONS come into effect
on rough roads 65 lbs can jar the heck out of one
so with rough roads maybe somewhere in the middle 50 lbs ?

most important thing would be -- not to go over or under recommended tire pressure

might -- try both 40 and 65 lbs --- you will feel A LARGE DIFFERENCE
won't take long to realize what you perfer (probably something in the middle)

not to forget -- with wet conditions coming soon -- slight change may be needed

as we ride that thing Mountainman
 
yeah, I've heard some neg. comments about the slimed tubes.

bluegoatwoods, you must not be talking about a Whizzer, as it doesn't seem very easy to change out a tube (for the rear wheel) while you are on the road.that's why I got the thorn resistant tube. I don't want to be changing em all the time.
 
I use "Stop Flats" tire liners and put slime in a thick "Avenir" thorn resistant tube. I also put the proper size "Velox" thick cloth rim tape. With this setup you will likely need to destroy the tire to be able to get a flat. Get a flat with this setup and you will be walking for sure.

As for pressure you MUST take into account your weight and the weight of any gear you carry on you or on the bike. Where you carry the weight on the bike will determine the pressures front to rear.

Above all stay between the minimum and maximum tire rating molded on the side of the tire. Set it high enough to feel stable and stiff but not so high that it jars the bike on small sharp bumps like solid tire would. Higher pressure will allow for better fuel economy and higher speeds and can cause the bike to feel uncontrollable on rough roads. Lower pressure will reduce economy and top speed and may reduce steering and braking response.

Kep1a
 
I have a 99 and my owners manual says 32 lbs. That can't be wrong. Ha,ha, just kidding. I must admit I have been keeping my pressure at 32. The info I read here is very interesting. I'll be checking my tire sidewalls for max pressure & experimenting. That is one of the things that makes this forum great!!
 
Whizzers over the last few years have used many different tires. I even have a bunch of complete Whizzer front wheels and the tires say "For electric bicycles use only". After checking a few of my bikes I discoverd the air pressure ranges from 20 lbs [1950 Pacemaker] to 50 lbs [wife's 2001 Pacemaker II]. Best bet is to consult the sidewall for the correct pressure.

Have Fun,
Quenton
 
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You're right. I was thinking about bicycles in general.

I've never tried to change a Whizzer tire. It's a drag, huh?

If that's the case, then you'll clearly need some kind of armor.
 
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