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22 to 35 lbs? Who?

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coasterbrakejunkie1969

Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
I collect mostly '60s middleweights. I have finally stepped into the balloon bikes and could not be more happy that I did. I'm a little late to the party but at least I made it and I'm having a great time. I own a '39 Shelby a '51 Huffman and a '51 Phantom. I have tried to keep the Phantom close to original as possible and that included period correct tires. I run modern 2.125 tires on the other 2 for now. The tires I found for the Phantom are listed as 22-35 lbs. I would like to know if there is anyone who runs their tires at 22lbs. I understand these bikes were made for teenage kids and most weighed less then some of our collector friends. I myself am a middleweight and I still air the Phantom to max pressure. Am I missing something or was this a pressure that was used early on due to uneven road ways. I'm tempted to air them down to 22 some day just to see how it feels. Thanks for any and all responses.
 
To be frank, Ive been doing this for so dang long I dont check tire pressure, I go off of tire feel with my hand. Ive gotten so used to what it should be that I can tell pretty quickly where it is. Im 220lbs so anything "smooshy" bogs me down so bad its a chore to pedal so i go higher pressure myself so I dont feel like Im pedaling in mud.
 
To be frank, Ive been doing this for so dang long I dont check tire pressure, I go off of tire feel with my hand. Ive gotten so used to what it should be that I can tell pretty quickly where it is. Im 220lbs so anything "smooshy" bogs me down so bad its a chore to pedal so i go higher pressure myself so I dont feel like Im pedaling in mud.
Can you run a higher pressure modern tube over 35lbs in a vintage tire? Are the tires not made to handle that pressure side walls and such?
 
Can you run a higher pressure modern tube over 35lbs in a vintage tire? Are the tires not made to handle that pressure side walls and such?
All of my riders have original tires on them from the era and Ive never had an issue. Most of my "go-flat" issues are from my tendency to use whatever tubes I have laying around and usually if they're laying around its cause I pulled em out of an old bike. Lol All of my riders with new tubes are still holding air strong even after sitting thru the holidays.
 
I'm also in the 220+ crowd. I run John's tires at 38-40 and couldn't be happier. I think over 40 and the ride gets a little harsh. The Chinese brick treads are still really squishy to me at 40 psi. Good for rolling over gravel etc but they do sacrifice efficiency. John's tires are priced in line with any decent modern road/mtn tire and in my opinion well worth it.

Not really an answer to the OP but just my observations.... Most of the OG tires that came on my bikes have a little too much sidewall checking for me to trust. I think it all depends on how you ride as well. If it's all flat bike paths I'm sure they would be fine (as would higher psi) but I beat on my riders pretty hard
 
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