August 30--Tip of the Week

This is often a tough one for those of us who have been in the sport, particularly road riding and racing, for a long time:

Lower pressure (to a point) is faster than rock solid.

I started road riding and racing on 21's and 23's.  I can remember seeking out Vredstein tires because even with a tube, they could be pumped up to 140 psi, as opposed to many other's topping out at 125 pounds per square inch (psi).  During a stage race a couple decades ago, a friend let me borrow his disc wheel with a tubular.  He said, "just check the tire pressure. "  I replied, "How much?  Like 125, 130?"  He simply laughed and said "Not quite.  Pump that sucker up to 180."  One hundred eighty psi on a disc wheel with my aluminum bike!  To say it was a bit of a harsh ride is an understatement.  I don't fault my friend.  At that time, it was readily accepted that harder was faster.

While it's been accepted in the off-road world, particularly in 'cross, that lower and very specific tire pressure  provides SIGNIFICANT advantages, the road world has been a little slower to adopt this mindset.

This Fasttalk podcast with the master himself, Lennard Zinn, does a great job of explaining the concept of psi and how tire size, road/trail surface, rider mass, rider style, and other important factors need to be considered.

https://www.fasttalklabs.com/fast-talk/lennard-zinn-and-the-art-of-tire-pressure/

I've posted this before, but this is a great tool to help you get a starting point:

https://silca.cc/pages/sppc-form

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