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I have just purchased a new floor bike pump.While checking the tyres on my road bike the gauge reads for the rear tyre 0.95 bar , 13.5 psi.the reccommended pressure is 130 psi, maths not being my strong point! Am I just reading it wrong and not moving the decimal point so the actual pressure of the tyre is 9.5 bar and 135 psi.Sorry if this makes me seem a bit thick but I am new to cycling and want to get it right, better safe than sorry and all that. Thanks.

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    For a road bike 13.5 psi would be easy to squeeze with your fingers. If you get on the bike (not recommended) then the rims would be on the ground, and you'd pinch the tube. Roughly speaking, 1 bar is 15 psi. So 6 bar is 90 psi, and 8 bar is 120 psi. I haven't seen tires that recommend 9 bar. Are you sure it's recommended, not the maximum? 7 bar is usually quite enough pressure.
    – andy256
    May 17, 2015 at 7:51
  • I agree with better to safe than sorry. It's dangerous to ride with under-inflated tires, because they deform under load, which robs them of their grip.
    – andy256
    May 17, 2015 at 8:25
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    If your tyres are not almost flat then either your pump gauge is faulty or (more likely) you haven't got the pump attached correctly to the valve.
    – scoobydoo
    May 17, 2015 at 9:25
  • @scoobydoo yep, but you'd think the OP would notice the load pssh-ing noise every time the pump is operated :-)
    – andy256
    May 17, 2015 at 9:31
  • This question has been flagged as unclear what you're asking. While it is true that it's unclear at present, I suggest leaving it open for a little while Brian sorts it out. Brian - you'll need to edit your question in response to the comments to make it clear what you're asking of us.
    – andy256
    May 17, 2015 at 9:36

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8.5 or 9bar is a usual maximum recommended pressure for road bike tires (23mm width). Depending on your weight and demands on comfort something between 7 and 8.5bar is usually right. Just be aware that road bike tires lose pressure pretty fast so you have to refill them every week or so.

They should feel very hard at 8bar. If you can pinch them it’s way too little (though it’s hard to gauge pressure by hand).

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