Guides
Bike Setup Guides: Tire Pressure, Saddle Height and Tubeless
Tire pressure, saddle height, tires and the tweaks you feel from the first mile.
The adjustments you feel most on a bike are also the cheapest: tire pressure and saddle height. Seven psi too much and you bounce around and lose grip; a saddle less than half an inch too low loads your knees on every pedal stroke. Neither costs a thing. You just need to know which number to aim for.
These guides give you that number and the reason behind it. Tire pressure depends mostly on your weight, your tire width and the surface: a 165 lb (75 kg) rider on 28 mm tires shouldn't run the same pressure as a 130 lb (60 kg) rider on 32 mm, and smooth pavement calls for something different than a gravel road. Saddle height starts from your inseam and gets fine-tuned at the knee, a few millimeters at a time.
If you're thinking about going tubeless, we cover what you gain (fewer flats, lower pressure, more grip), what you give up (a bit of maintenance and some mess on day one) and how much sealant to use.
Every guide opens its calculator ready to go: the tire pressure calculator and the saddle height calculator. Save your numbers in My Bike and you won't have to type them again.
Guides on this topic
Bike Tire Pressure: How Much PSI to Run for Your Weight and Bike
A 165 lb (75 kg) rider on 28 mm road tires with tubes needs about 55 psi front and 65 psi rear; on 40 mm gravel tires, about 31 and 37 psi. More weight needs more pressure; wider tires and rougher ground need less.
How to Adjust Bike Seat Height: Symptoms, Steps and Fine-Tuning
If your hips rock or the back of your knee hurts, the saddle is too high; if the front of the knee hurts, it's too low. Start from the calculator's number, check that your knee bends 25-35° at the bottom of the stroke and adjust 2 mm at a time.
Tubeless Bike Tires: Pros and Cons, Step-by-Step Setup and How Much Sealant to Use
Tubeless swaps the inner tube for liquid sealant: it plugs small punctures and lets you run about 4% less pressure than a butyl tube. Road and gravel tires take 50-60 ml (about 2 oz) of sealant per wheel, which needs topping up every 2-7 months.
How to Install Bike Cleats and Start Riding Clipless Without Falling
Position the cleat with its center under the ball of your foot (the head of the first metatarsal), angled to match your natural foot angle, and start with the spring tension at minimum and a cleat with float: yellow 6° for Shimano SPD-SL or red 9° for Look Keo.
Bike Fit at Home: How to Dial In Your Riding Position Step by Step
Work in this order: cleats, saddle height (knee bent 25-35° at the bottom of the stroke), saddle setback and, last, the handlebar. Change one thing at a time, 2 to 3 mm, and ride two or three times before touching the next.
Save your bike once, use it everywhere
In My Bike you enter your measurements, wheels and drivetrain. From there we give you your tire pressure, saddle height, gearing and chain length, plus a shop sheet you can print.