Retired pro Helen Wyman shared a simple and effective method for setting cyclocross tire pressure during her career. The Wyman formula is easy to remember and works for most riders running tubular or tubeless cyclocross tires.
Wyman is worth listening to - while active, she won multiple British national championships, in addition to other major races like Superprestige and BPost Bank Trophy stops, as well as the iconic Koppenbergcross. She also founded Helen100, dedicated to creating opportunities in youth women's cycling.
How Helen Wyman sets tubular cyclocross tire pressure
The Helen Wyman method for finding your ideal cyclocross tubular tire pressure is simple:
- Begin with your weight in pounds
- Divide by 10
- Add 5 to that number
A real world example using this method:
- I weigh 170 lbs
- 170 divided by 10 is 17
- 17 + 5 = 22
- 22 PSI would be my starting tire pressure
What about tubeless cyclocross tires?
If you're running tubeless cyclocross tires instead of tubular, try a slightly different calculation:
- Start with your weight in pounds
- Divide by 10
- Add 10 to that number
A real-world example for tubeless cyclocross tires:
- I am 170 pounds
- 170 divided by 10 is 17
- 17 + 10 = 27
- 27 PSI would be my starting tire pressure
Tubeless tires will always require more pressure compared with tubulars - one of the key benefits of tubulars for racing.
Where to go from here
Once you have your starting tire pressure, take a practice lap and notice how your bike handles on the race course. It’s OK if you feel cyclocross tires bottom out on the rim, as you go over obstacles, perhaps once or twice per lap. Clearly, we want to prevent heavy impacts to the rim, but in cyclocross, you won't get the most out of the tire when it's overinflated.
I also recommend keeping a diary of your race results, either on paper or using a digital method. Make sure to include the details of the tires you used, the weather and course conditions, and the pressure selected. Later, when you return to venues where you've raced previously, you'll have a useful record of what worked (or didn't work) in the past.