how much air is needed on my bicycle tires?

Answer 1

It depends on the tires you have on your bike. But the good news is, the air pressure is indicated on the tire itself! Just look at it and it will tell you min "some number" in PSI and give you a max too!

Good luck.

PS. Check this article out:
http://ridewrc.com/page.cfm?pageid=22&tipid=22
It will help you pick the best tire pressure for your rides.

Answer 2

Most bicycle tires state the appropriate pressure on the side of the tire. Look for something that says something like "Maximum pressure 32 psi" This would mean you can inflate your tires to that pressure.

Answer 3

Yep, check the tire sidewall for the recommended range. If you go below the minimum psi, you may damage the tire sidewall and ruin the tire, not to mention run the risk of pinch flats and dings in your rim. Most tires have a maximum rated pressure that's something like 20% below their actual maximum.....don't test it, though.

Mountain bikes usually run from 32 to 40psi.....lower for smooth or sandy trails, higher for rocky or rooty areas. I usually run mine at 35-38.

For wide hybrid and urban tires, they usually run from 45-80psi and I'd run them at the highest pressure unless you want to get a little cush for pavement cracks.

Most narrow road bike tires go from 80-120psi. I used to run about 110 in mine but recently went down to 95 in the front and 100 in the rear....much nicer ride and the cornering is still crisp.

The larger the tire is, the lower you can run the pressure (within reason) because of the extra casing volume. Sometimes that's nice to do.....experiment on a few rides with different pressures to see what you like best.

Answer 4

The optimum pressure, for road and off road use on an MTB, in order to avoid pinch flats is 45PSI

road bikes tend to run at about 80 - 90 PSI. For race running, this should be inflated to about 110 - 130 PSI.

However, check your tye wall first.

Luck

Answer 5

Look on the tire sidewall. It will always indicate max pressure. Unless you are slogging through mud or loose dirt where traction is a problem, always inflate your tires to the max pressure for your tire. It will greatly reduce rolling resistance.

Answer 6

Don't worry so much. Just pump them until they're nice and hard. If you press hard on the tread with your thumb, you should *just* be able to make an indentation in the tyre.

Answer 7

read the side of the tire, it should say inflate to ___psi. Theres your answer