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What is the optimum tyre pressure for my bike? A question every bike owner has asked themselves at least once a year, when starting the season and performing the tedious "little pump" ritual on bike tyres that have been thoroughly deflated over the winter.
In fact, you should check your tyre pressure before every ride, because it's not just a matter of your comfort and comfort, it's also a matter of your safety. Correct tyre pressure is essential to achieve the optimum balance between tyre grip (i.e. safety), comfort and rolling resistance, so it needs to be given great and regular attention.
Over-inflation will make the bike roll much easier on a flat and hard road surface (asphalt), but will not be a good solution for a dirt road or forest trail, as it will significantly reduce grip and ride comfort (the tyres will not work as a shock absorber). Driving on sandy or muddy road surfaces with tyres that are too 'hard' can become very difficult as the tyres will simply stick/sink in the sand or mud.
On the other hand, under-inflated tyres will significantly increase the rolling resistance of the bicycle, the wheel rim may puncture the bicycle tube, and the tyre may "peel" off the rim in steeper corners, causing the bicycle to slip and fall unpleasantly.
The basic principle is that the narrower the tyre, the more pressure you have to pump up - a tyre like this will have a small contact patch with the road surface and therefore low rolling resistance and also low grip, which is important for braking and manoeuvring. Such tyres are generally found on road bicycles and have a width of about 25-32 mm, but the general trend is for road bicycles to gradually increase in width and decrease in optimum inflation pressure.
Mountain bikes have significantly wider tyres and significantly lower tyre pressures than road bikes - so a mountain bike has good grip, handling and ride comfort, but this is largely at the expense of increased rolling resistance.
Indicative tyre pressures:
Road bike (tyre 700-25c) - 6-8 bar
City bike (tyre 700-35c) - 2.5-3.5 bar
Mountain bike (tube tyre 29x2.2") - 2.0-2.2 bar
Mountain bike (tubeless tyre 29x2.2") - 1,6-2.0 bar
Fatbike (tyre 27.5x4.5") - 0.5-1 bar
A digital tyre pressure gauge and carbon dioxide (CO2) high-pressure gas bottles with a special valve will be a must-have for the modern cyclist, as they can be conveniently placed in the bike bag and the tyre pressure can be restored effortlessly at any time.
