Tire pressure and bad bike shop advice.

[Michael Warner]

On Tue, 14 Mar 2006 05:55:15 GMT, mark wrote:

> I would expect the tire to bulge when absorbing surface irregularities, but
> when I'm sitting on the bike on a smooth surface I would not expect to see a
> noticeable bulge.

You expect wrongly. If there's no bulge, you're not getting any of the
major benefits of a pneumatic tyre - shock absorption and decent contact
area for grip.

A few months ago I dropped from 120 to 100psi in the back, based on some
online advice I saw, and have noticed a smoother ride, better grip on
corners, descents and rough roads, and no increase in flats. Even though I
don't race, I used to find that my Pro Races were a bit dodgy in the wet,
but now they're fine for my non-suicidal style

--
Home page: http://members.westnet.com.au/mvw

 

[Bill Baka]

Michael Warner wrote:
> On Tue, 14 Mar 2006 05:55:15 GMT, mark wrote:
>
>
>>I would expect the tire to bulge when absorbing surface irregularities, but
>>when I'm sitting on the bike on a smooth surface I would not expect to see a
>>noticeable bulge.
>
>
> You expect wrongly. If there's no bulge, you're not getting any of the
> major benefits of a pneumatic tyre - shock absorption and decent contact
> area for grip.
>
> A few months ago I dropped from 120 to 100psi in the back, based on some
> online advice I saw, and have noticed a smoother ride, better grip on
> corners, descents and rough roads, and no increase in flats. Even though I
> don't race, I used to find that my Pro Races were a bit dodgy in the wet,
> but now they're fine for my non-suicidal style
>
The only performance problem I had (once) with low pressure was trying
to make a sudden turn and having the front tire peel off the rim from
the side force, thus dumping me rather ungraciously. I was going slow
with some of my second generation crew so it was only embarrassing
except that I fell on my digital camera in my pocket and crushed it.
Bill (now high pressure guy) Baka