Recommended tire pressure
Front {{ wheels[0].targetPsiDisplay }} / Rear {{ wheels[1].targetPsiDisplay }}
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mm
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psi
Safety note
These are starting-point recommendations. Always stay within your tire and rim pressure limits, adjust gradually, and prioritize control over speed.
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# Wheel Load Target Range Safe Contact patch Copy
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{{ row.targetPsiDisplay }}
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Enter values to see recommendations.
The curve keeps tire width and rim width fixed while sweeping total system weight. Use it to check how bikepacking bags or race kit shift your pressures.
Tags: Cycling
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Bicycle tire pressure is a balance between support and grip. Too much pressure can feel harsh and skittish on rough surfaces, and too little pressure can increase drag, pinch risk with tubes, and rim strikes off-road.

This calculator gives a front and rear starting point based on your total system weight, tire width, rim internal width, and how you want the ride to feel. It also accounts for typical differences between road, gravel, and mountain setups so the recommendation matches the style of riding.

Treat the result as a baseline. Stay within your tire and rim limits, then adjust in small steps until the bike feels controlled in corners and stable over impacts.

Technical Details

The tool splits your system weight across the front and rear wheels using the configured load share, then estimates a target pressure from load and tire width. Riding category, surface, priority, setup, casing, weather, and inserts apply bounded multipliers so the pressure shifts in realistic increments.

A safe window is shown for each wheel and the final target is clamped to that window. If you know your printed sidewall maximum or a minimum you never want to go below, you can set optional overrides to clamp the window further.

For context, the contact patch estimate follows a simple relationship where contact area grows when load increases or pressure decreases. Internally it is approximated as load in pounds divided by pressure in psi, then converted to square centimeters for display.

Units and rounding

  • Inputs accept kilograms or pounds for weight and millimeters for tire and rim width.
  • Results are shown in psi and bar, rounded to practical increments for pumping.
  • The sensitivity chart holds your tire and rim sizes constant while sweeping system weight around your current setup.

FAQ

Should front and rear pressures be different?

Usually, yes. The rear wheel often carries more load, so the tool typically recommends a slightly higher rear pressure to maintain similar support and handling.

How do I tune from the recommendation?

Make changes in small steps, then test on your typical surfaces. If you feel rim strikes or harsh bottoming, add pressure. If traction feels poor or the bike chatters on rough sections, reduce pressure while staying inside your safe limits.