This was probably sometime around the early 2010's, and gravel cycling was still in its "discovery phase", when people were still not really sure what worked best yet. Tubeless tires were rare, and you only had those if you were brave enough to convert some touring tires, or maybe you were running early 29"er tubeless ready stuff on a MTB.
So that is the context for this story. Most of the riders were still running tubes on tires that were 35mm - 40mm wide. Of course, gravel was gravel. At least THAT hasn't changed! What was changing were people's perceptions of air pressure for these roads.
On that ride I mentioned, where the question was asked, a discussion arose and several of my riding companions agreed that the tire pressures to run on gravel were a lot lower than any of us would run on a typical hard surfaced road. The rider who initially asked the question was running about 20 psi higher than anyone else in the group.
We encouraged this rider to at least try running what we were running, and so he did eventually stop to adjust his air pressure to be more in line with the group. What happened next was pretty telling, at least as far as my understanding goes of the "typical cyclists mindset".
After this rider had ridden a few miles on this lower air pressure he rode up alongside me with a puzzled look on his face. I asked him what he thought about this. Was it not better?
He agreed it was better, but he said, "I just cannot wrap my mind around running THAT low of an air pressure".
So, he stopped, aired back up to what he was used to, and finished the ride. Was that the "wrong" thing to do? Well, as I often say, "You CAN do a lot of things, but whether that is BEST is another question altogether."
This traditionalist mindset is very present in much of cycling. Some of it is fine. Even good. Some of it is, like some old ways of doing things are sometimes, a bad thing to hold on to. Then there is the factor of "feeling fast".
There is no doubt that if a tire, or bicycle, feels fast, cyclists will put up with anything negative that comes along with those feelings, even it those feelings make the rider slower. Front suspension on mountain bikes is a classic example of where riders pushed back hard against running those "heavy, inefficient forks", but later on found out those who did adopt the then new technology were most often faster than they were over the courses both were riding.
This also happens with lowering air pressure. It does not have the effect of making a rider "feel faster", but in fact, it makes you faster more often than not. This is why many casual cyclists insist on the highest air pressures their tires are rated for. Science has debunked this notion, but the traditionalists still hang on to the old ways in some circles.
Anyway, I could go down that rabbit hole, but since I am writing about air pressure, I'll stick to the story line here. My old riding friend? He eventually came along to agree that lowering air pressure was a good thing for his gravel riding. Change is some times hard to "wrap your mind around", even when you know it is a better way to go.
5 comments:
It’s amazing how many folks still are tapped into this old school line of thought. I rarely go above the low 30s on any of my bikes, and I’ve even finished the DKXL/Unbound XL on a front tire with only 17psi in it… without flatting.
Just as rider's power-to-weight ratio is a better comparison between riders, not the pure watts, I wonder if there should be a tire pressure-to-weight ratio to better compare riders' tire pressures. Using MG's comment, if he's running 30 psi and weighs 50kg (30 / 50 = .6), should I run 42 psi if I weigh 70 kg (70 x .6 = 42)? Of course this assumes other things being equal such as bike weight and tire size. Curious if this has ever been brought up before.
@Carson- Certainly weight is a component to how one should adjust air pressures, Leaving any cargo weight off the table for now, I liken body weight and tire pressures to how one would buy XC skis. If you are heavier, you'll need longer skis and vice versa. The spring rate of the ski factors in as well.
Tires are really a form of an air spring. So, optimally the tire should work over trail/road irregularities without bottoming out. So, if say, you add a hydration pack to your ride, I'd want to bump up my air pressures a bit. Obviously you can come up with a myriad of case scenarios to fit this example.
That's why it would be nearly impossible to have a singular chart, or guide, to accommodate this idea. All we can do is acknowledge this concept and account for it on a case-by-case basis. One would necessarily need to understand their ride style, tire of choice, terrain for the day, and cumulative weight load the bike/rider/cargo adds up to. Only then can anyone really come into an understanding of what might be right for their best outcomes.
I dont race, but for all bikes (including allroad, mountain, fat, townie) I never use a gauge, because I found that gauges (at least the ones I had) were inconsisent. Anecdotally, I had a Topeak digital, an AccuGauge, and a gauge on my floor pump and they all gave different readings on the same tire.
I just keep my pressure as low as I can without it feeling too soft or squirrely. I just squeeze/press the tire with my hand until it feels firm enough that I wont get a rim strike for the particular application.
@rth009 - I understand what you are saying with your gauge inaccuracy comments. However; I don't believe that is a reason not to use a gauge.
I think that if you feel that the gauge HAS to be 100% accurate you are are seeking perfection at the cost of a usable good. Think of your gauge as a reference point, and then I feel that it can be become a useful guide to your own personal tire management system. (Which, if you read into any of my commentary, is exactly what I am suggesting everyone do) Then you don't worry about anyone else's gauge, or any other gauge you might have. Then concern yourself with what you are reading on your main gauge and how that number, whatever it happens to be, affects your ride experience.
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