u/Buffalo_Cottage

Back with another newb question! I've got a Liv Avail AR3 with stock tires. I'm belatedly switching tires from my trainer tire and needed to get things pumped back up.

The tire sidewall says the pressure range is 50-85 PSI. I dug around this and r/Cycling and discovered the Silca tire pressure calculator.

I popped in my info:

• 155lbs total system weight
• Worn pavement/cracks (which is maybe a little too diplomatic, I ride in Buffalo NY and our potholes have potholes)
• Tires are 700x32c
• Randomly picked "midrange casing butyl tube" (??)
• Recreational average speed (lol this is also diplomatic, I'm at like 12mph)
• 48/52 weight distribution for road bikes

It spit out 59 PSI for the rear and 57.5 for the front.

That seemed really low to me. I had my bike at the shop early last year, and the guy said their policy is to inflate to 80 PSI. I've ridden on that for a year, but it seems awfully close to the max PSI. That can't be good, can it?

I figured I'd hit a middle ground and did 70 PSI. Even that seems low; I can see a slight bulge in the back tire when I sit on it. I read a couple of threads here where people were talking about getting pinch flats from riding on crappy city streets with low pressure. I'm nervous that 70 is too low.

Is 70 ok? Should I go back to 80? Is there some rule of thumb for figuring this out?

I've got a Liv Avail AR3. When I bought it a couple years ago, the LBS put on some flat metal pedals with incredibly pointy, sharp teeth. I'm a total newb and didn't think anything of it at the time. But a couple hundred miles later, I'm ready for something that won't peel the skin off my shin when I accidentally smack myself with them. Seriously, I might as well be pedaling on shark teeth. They can make my leg look like a frikkin' crime scene. I have shed actual blood.

I'd love to switch to a flat pedal with pegs, and have my eye on these from OneUp. But I have no earthly idea how to tell if they'll work with my bike. And if they will work, I also have no earthly idea how to actually put them on the bike. Help!