I recently bought a cyclocross bike (Jamis Nova - a 2003 closeout from Performance) for my youngest son. The bike came with Hutchinson Pro Series Elite Gold tires. I was surprised to find that the maximum tire pressure was 71 PSI. Given that my road bike tires handle more than 100 PSI and my mountain bike tires handle 80 PSI, I would have guessed that cyclocross tires would handle about 90-100 PSI.

If the cyclocross bike was used predominantly for road riding, would my son be safe in inflating the tires to 90 PSI or would the tire simply be unable to handle this extra pressure?

Thank you.

You didn't say what width your tires are. Generally, as width increases, PSI decreases. I use Vredestein Campo 28c & 32c, and max. recommended PSI is 135 and 100, respectively.

But tires are usually built to withstand PSI's somewhat in excess of their "recommended max".

The tires are 700 x 30. That's why I thought they should be able to handle at least a 90 PSI.

I would think 90 is OK for those. Is the 71 PSI max printed on the sidewall, or what does Hutchinson's website recommend? Maybe you could e-mail them?

If the cyclocross bike was used predominantly for road riding, would my son be safe in inflating the tires to 90 PSI or would the tire simply be unable to handle this extra pressure?

If the bike is going to be road only, I'd get a pair of road tires. If he might mix it up, I'd get a pair of Vredestien Campos. Also, if he's going to take it off road, I'd adjust the pressure down (30-40 psi) and then pump them back up for the road.