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Gravel and Endurance Road Bike Tire Pressure Guide

November 18, 2024

Gravel and Endurance Road Bike Tire Pressure Guide

Checking your tire pressure is the simplest and most important piece of regular maintenance you should perform. It also has a massive impact on your gravel or road bike’s performance. Whether you’re racing, bikepacking, or out for a weekend cruise, using the proper tire pressure will help you conquer more miles more easily and with fewer punctures. 

Tire pressure is one of the most important factors you need to consider when setting up your gravel or road bike. Choosing the right tire pressure will improve your performance, comfort, confidence, and safety. We’ll give you our recommended tire pressures for your bike and our top tire pressure tips to help get you rolling.

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Obed Gravel Bike Recommended Tire Pressure Chart:

Gravel bike tires tend to require lower tire pressures than road bike tires because gravel is rougher than paved roads. Lowering your tire pressures will improve your speed, comfort, traction, control, and confidence on off-road terrain. 

Find your gravel tire pressure based on rider weight and tire width. All tire pressures are listed in PSI:

35mm

40mm

45mm

50mm

100 lbs

35

30

25

20

110 lbs

36

31

26

21

120 lbs

37

32

27

22

130 lbs

38

33

28

23

140 lbs

39

34

29

24

150 lbs

40

35

30

25

160 lbs

41

36

31

26

170 lbs

42

37

32

27

180 lbs

43

38

33

28

190 lbs

44

39

34

29

200 lbs

45

40

35

30

210 lbs

46

41

36

31

220 lbs

47

42

37

32

230 lbs

48

43

38

33

240 lbs

49

44

39

34

250 lbs

50

45

40

35

Obed Road Bike Recommended Tire Pressure Chart

Find your road tire pressure based on rim type (hooked or hookless), rider weight, tire width. All tire pressures are listed in PSI:

Recommended Road Tire Pressure for HOOKED Rims

25mm

28mm

30mm

32mm

35mm

100 lbs

65 

60 

55

50

45

110 lbs

67

62

57

52

47

120 lbs

69

64

59

54

49

130 lbs

71

66

61

56

51

140 lbs

73

68

63

58

53

150 lbs

75

70

65

60

55

160 lbs

77

72

67

62

57

170 lbs

79

74

69

64

59

180 lbs

81

76

71

66

61

190 lbs

83

78

73

68

63

200 lbs

85

80

75

70

65

210 lbs

87

82

77

72

67

220 lbs

89

84

79

74

69

230 lbs

91

86

81

76

71

240 lbs

93

88

83

78

73

250 lbs

95

90

85

80

75

Recommend Road Tire Pressure for HOOKLESS Rims

See the section below for more information on hookless rims and tire pressures. For hookless rims with road tires, we generally recommend using lower pressures and suggest avoiding certain rider weight/tire width combinations for more safety.

23mm

25mm

28mm

30mm

32mm

100 lbs

60

55 

50

45

40

110 lbs

62

57

52

47

42

120 lbs

64

59

54

49

44

130 lbs

66

61

56

51

46

140 lbs

68

63

58

53

48

150 lbs

70

65

60

55

50

160 lbs

72

67

62

57

52

170 lbs

-

69

64

59

54

180 lbs

-

71

66

61

56

190 lbs

-

-

68

63

58

200 lbs

-

-

70

65

60

210 lbs

-

-

72

67

62

220 lbs

-

-

-

69

64

230 lbs

-

-

-

71

66

240 lbs

-

-

-

-

68

250 lbs

-

-

-

-

70

 

Gravel and Road Bike Tire Pressure: 5 Key Tips

Gravel bike recommended tire pressure setup tips

DO NOT exceed the maximum tire pressure of your rims 

This is the most important thing to know when inflating your tires. 

Exceeding the maximum tire pressure approved by the rim manufacturer can cause your rim or tire to fail, resulting in a crash or injury. Maximum tire pressure can often be found on a sticker on the rim or on the wheel manufacturer’s website. 

General recommendations: 

  • Hooked tubeless rim max: 100 PSI / 6.9 BAR 
  • Hookless tubeless rims max: 72.5 PSI / 5 BAR

It’s important to know whether your rims are hooked or hookless. Tires on hookless rims should never be should never be inflated beyond 72.5 PSI. Exceeding this can cause tires to fail.

Currently, all standard and upgraded wheel options offered by Obed Bikes are tubeless. Wheels from DT Swiss, HED, Reynolds, and Shimano are generally hooked. Wheels from Zipp and ENVE are generally hookless. If you need clarification on whether your wheels are hooked or hookless consult the wheel manufacturer or our Customer Service team. 

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DO NOT pump your tire up to the pressure printed on the tire

To maximize your safety and ride experience, refer to the recommended tire pressure chart below. 

Many tires have a tire pressure printed on the sidewall of the tire. This is a maximum tire pressure NOT a recommended riding pressure. The maximum tire pressure printed on the tire can exceed the maximum tire pressure of the rim. Inflating your tires this high will also result in a very poor riding experience. 

DO use a tire pressure gauge

A tire pressure gauge is for dialing in your tire pressure. Fortunately, many modern bike pumps will come with a built-in gauge, or you can use an affordable handheld gauge. 

Keep in mind that tire pressure gauges are not always accurate. Digital tire pressure gauges tend to be more accurate than analog gauges. Consistency is the most important thing, so it is best to always use the same gauge so you have a consistent baseline to make tire pressure comparisons and changes. 

DO inflate your tires up before every ride

Tires will lose air throughout the day, and tubeless tires can lose air slightly faster than traditional tires with butyl tubes. To ensure consistent performance, it’s best to inflate your tires to your desired pressure before every ride. 

DO experiment with your tire pressures

Recommended tire pressures are just that—recommendations. It’s a good idea to experiment with higher or lower pressures to find the best fit for your terrain, riding preferences, and needs. We’ll dive into how to experiment to find your ideal tire pressure below. 

How To Dial In Your Tire Pressure

How to find the best gravel or road bike tire pressure

The tire pressures in the above charts are recommended starting points. Most riders will need to adjust tire pressures to suit their local terrain and riding preferences. As you experiment with your tire pressure, you may find that you prefer using tire pressures 5-15 PSI higher or lower than what’s recommended! 

When experimenting with tire pressures, it’s often best to test changes in 2-3 PSI increments. The ideal tire pressure strikes a good balance between comfort (lower pressures are more comfortable) and puncture protection (higher pressures reduce punctures).  

Here are a few basic tips: 

Increase Your Tire Pressure If:

  • Your bike bounces when pedaling or accelerating.
  • Your tires squirm, fold, or lack support while braking or cornering.
  • Your tires bottom out on the rim when hitting bumps, cracks, potholes, rocks, or roots. Rim strikes can cause rim damage and punctures. 

Decrease Your Tire Pressure If:

  • Your bike transmits excessive vibration from the road or trail into your hands, feet, and sit bones.
  • Your bike feels like it lacks traction while braking or cornering.
  • Your bike feels excessively harsh when hitting bumps, cracks, potholes, rocks, or roots.

Additional Tips

  • The ideal tire pressure can also vary depending on the tire and wheel:
    • High-performance tires with thinner, and more supple casings typically need more pressure than mid-range tires with thicker or puncture-resistant casings. 
    • A rim with a narrower internal width typically needs more pressure than a rim with a wider internal width, due to widener rims providing more air volume. 
  • Some riders may prefer using 1-2 PSI less in the front tire to increase front-end comfort or traction. 

Bike Tire Pressure FAQ

Aren’t higher tire pressures faster and lower tire pressures slower?

This is only true on perfectly smooth riding surfaces (e.g. a velodrome). Pavement, gravel roads, and trails are rarely perfectly smooth. They have bumps, cracks, potholes, chipseal, rocks, roots, and other imperfections.   

Many riders think higher tire pressures feel faster because firmer tires transmit more vibration, bumps, and shocks. This creates the illusion that you’re going faster. Vibration, bumps, and shocks, however, are all forms of wasted energy. 

Getting bounced around isn’t fast! Smooth is fast. Lower pressures allow your tires to conform to the road or trail, reducing rolling resistance and allowing more of your energy to propel you forward. They also increase comfort, which can improve your performance in endurance events. When riding gravel or trails, lower pressures also improve traction, which will help you accelerate, brake, and corner faster. 

What if I am above or below the weight range of the tire pressure chart?

If you are outside the weight range presented on this chart, try the pressure listed at the top/bottom of the chart first and adjust from there. DO NOT exceed the maximum pressure of the wheel/rim. 

I have hookless wheels and the tire pressure chart recommends using more than 72.5 PSI 

If you have hookless wheels, but the pressure recommended by the chart above is higher than 72.5 PSI, we suggest the following solutions:

  • Inflate your tires to 72.5 PSI or lower - the above chart only provides recommended pressures. There is a chance your bike will ride great at or below the recommended tire pressures listed in the chart. The only way to know is to try it. 
  • Switch to a wider tire - wider tires have more air volume and will allow you to use lower tire pressures. 
  • Switch to hooked rims - If you are unable to fit a wider tire or don’t feel comfortable running 72.5 PSI or less, you will need hooked rims to achieve your desired tire pressures. 

What if I want to run above 100 PSI / 6.9 BAR?

Inflating your tires above 100 PSI is NOT RECOMMENDED for modern tubeless tires or wheels. If you want to inflate your tires above 100 PSI, we recommend using tube-type tires and wheels. 

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OBED Exclusive

Size Guide

View our size charts below to see what size is best for you. After purchasing your new OBED, our product team will reach out to you to confirm your order and sizing information to be sure you have selected the optimum size.

If you're on the border of two sizes, the right size may depend on certain body measurements and your riding style. Feel free to contact us at any time regarding sizing questions - our product specialists are experienced with finding riders the right fit by cross-referencing your information with our fit database.  

If you're not transferring measurements from a similar bike, to get completely "dialed in" for maximum performance, we recommend you see a reputable professional bike fitter that can fit you to your new bike.

GVR / Boundary / Baseline / Borough Size Chart

 XS

5'1" - 5'6"

S

5'4" - 5'9"

M

5'7" - 5'11"

5'10" - 6'2"

XL

6'1" - 6'5"

 

RVR / RVR SLi

 XS

5'0" - 5'4"

S

5'3" - 5'7"

M

5'6" - 5'10"

ML 

5'9" - 6'1"

L

6'0" - 6'4"

 

Seclud Size Chart

 S

5'3" - 5'8"

M

5'7" - 5'11"

5'10" - 6'2"

 

* Sizing to be used as reference only