weighty question
 

Ahhhh, errrrrr....... for some reason I seem to weight about 80 pounds more
than I did when I had my last bicycle.

I got a pretty nice puguet (or some other French spelling) bike at the flea
market and have been riding about a half hour every day now for the last
month.


My question is about tire pressure. My tires say their max pressure is at
90 pounds and that is what I kept my last bike at.

With the extra 80 ugly pounds I am hauling around now do I still inflate the
tires that much or do I make some allowance for weight?

Regards,
Leonard the Large



(as an aside... I am 6'1 and this bike is almost too big for me. I have
never seen a bike this big, I think it was set up for 7 footer, I have the
seat sitting on the top rail now and can at least pedal it now)

"Leonard & Peggy Brown" wrote:

Ahhhh, errrrrr....... for some reason I seem to weight about 80 pounds
more
than I did when I had my last bicycle.

I got a pretty nice puguet (or some other French spelling) bike at the
flea
market and have been riding about a half hour every day now for the last
month.


My question is about tire pressure. My tires say their max pressure is at
90 pounds and that is what I kept my last bike at.

With the extra 80 ugly pounds I am hauling around now do I still inflate
the
tires that much or do I make some allowance for weight?

Generally, more weight requires more pressure. But it also depends on tire
width. What else does it say on the sidewall? If these are 27 x 1-1/4 or 700
x 32 tires, 90 psi would be about the max I'd use. See:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#pressure

and

http://www.precisiontandems.com/phot.../tirechart.jpg

Art Harris

Leonard & Peggy Brown wrote:

My question is about tire pressure. My tires say their max pressure
is at
90 pounds and that is what I kept my last bike at.

With the extra 80 ugly pounds I am hauling around now do I still
inflate the
tires that much or do I make some allowance for weight?

I wouldn't run the tires beyond rated pressure. This flea market bike
may have old tires, or early style rims that don't hold tires securely
at high pressures.

The best solution to extra weight is fatter tires. The danger is "pinch
flats" whuch happens when the tire bottoms and the rim cuts the inner
tube. Wide tires help prevent this as does a riding style that attempts
to soak up the bumps with your legs. If your rims are the old style
diameter (27"), your tire selection may be limited. Frame & brake
clearance can also limit max tire width, but often old frames are more
generous there. You could just get a bigger tire for the rear, they
don't have to match, and that's the wheel that has the heaviest load.


(as an aside... I am 6'1 and this bike is almost too big for me. I
have
never seen a bike this big, I think it was set up for 7 footer, I
have the
seat sitting on the top rail now and can at least pedal it now)

Before the 90's, large frames were in fashion. It was not uncommon to
see people on bikes where the saddle was nearly on the toptube. As a
near 7-footer myself (6'10"), I've ridden several of these old frames.
The 27"/68cm size that was so common years ago is virtually unknown in
new frames today.

"Leonard & Peggy Brown" wrote in message
...
Ahhhh, errrrrr....... for some reason I seem to weight about 80 pounds
more
than I did when I had my last bicycle.

I got a pretty nice puguet (or some other French spelling) bike at the
flea
market and have been riding about a half hour every day now for the last
month.


My question is about tire pressure. My tires say their max pressure is at
90 pounds and that is what I kept my last bike at.

With the extra 80 ugly pounds I am hauling around now do I still inflate
the
tires that much or do I make some allowance for weight?

Regards,
Leonard the Large



Ahhh!

So nice to hear from a fellow clyde! Keep your tires at 80-90psi and watch
for wear on the rear tread. Us heavy-duty riders tend to wear out the rear
tire faster.

Before the 90's, large frames were in fashion. It was not uncommon to
see people on bikes where the saddle was nearly on the toptube. As a
near 7-footer myself (6'10"), I've ridden several of these old frames.
The 27"/68cm size that was so common years ago is virtually unknown in
new frames today.

My flea market $25 special is a 27 inch Puget and it had the handlebars way
up and the seat was about 8 inches off the post. A truly tall person rode
this. With the seat sitting on the toptube it is just a little big for my
6'1" self.

LB

Leonard & Peggy Brown wrote:

My flea market $25 special is a 27 inch Puget...

Is this a cheap copy of a Peugeot?

--
Tom Sherman – Earth (Illinois)

Leonard & Peggy Brown wrote:
Before the 90's, large frames were in fashion. It was not uncommon
to
see people on bikes where the saddle was nearly on the toptube. As
a
near 7-footer myself (6'10"), I've ridden several of these old
frames.
The 27"/68cm size that was so common years ago is virtually unknown
in
new frames today.

My flea market $25 special is a 27 inch Puget and it had the
handlebars way
up and the seat was about 8 inches off the post. A truly tall person
rode
this. With the seat sitting on the toptube it is just a little big
for my
6'1" self.

Back in the 70's, my 5'10" friend rode a 27" Peugeot while I rode a 25"
Raleigh. I think it's funny to hear people obsess today over 1 cm
differences in frame size.

"Tom Sherman" wrote in message
...
Leonard & Peggy Brown wrote:

My flea market $25 special is a 27 inch Puget...

Is this a cheap copy of a Peugeot?

--
Tom Sherman – Earth (Illinois)

Tom,
Sorry, I have enough problems spelling in English! It is a Peugeot.

LB

"Brian Sanderson" wrote in message
...

"Leonard & Peggy Brown" wrote in message
...
Ahhhh, errrrrr....... for some reason I seem to weight about 80 pounds
more
than I did when I had my last bicycle.

I got a pretty nice puguet (or some other French spelling) bike at the
flea
market and have been riding about a half hour every day now for the last
month.


My question is about tire pressure. My tires say their max pressure is
at
90 pounds and that is what I kept my last bike at.

With the extra 80 ugly pounds I am hauling around now do I still inflate
the
tires that much or do I make some allowance for weight?

Regards,
Leonard the Large



Ahhh!

So nice to hear from a fellow clyde! Keep your tires at 80-90psi and
watch
for wear on the rear tread. Us heavy-duty riders tend to wear out the
rear
tire faster.


a fellow Clydesdale!!

LB

"Peter Cole" wrote in message
ups.com...

Leonard & Peggy Brown wrote:
Before the 90's, large frames were in fashion. It was not uncommon
to
see people on bikes where the saddle was nearly on the toptube. As
a
near 7-footer myself (6'10"), I've ridden several of these old
frames.
The 27"/68cm size that was so common years ago is virtually unknown
in
new frames today.

My flea market $25 special is a 27 inch Puget and it had the
handlebars way
up and the seat was about 8 inches off the post. A truly tall person
rode
this. With the seat sitting on the toptube it is just a little big
for my
6'1" self.

Back in the 70's, my 5'10" friend rode a 27" Peugeot while I rode a 25"
Raleigh. I think it's funny to hear people obsess today over 1 cm
differences in frame size.

a 5'10 human on a 27" Peugeot! If this is a male human he was taking some
chances on losing valuable possessions if he had to stop suddenly!

LB