Less than you think — this is the number-one mistake with air cushions, and it's why some riders give up on a pad that would have worked.
The goal is flotation, not inflation. You want just enough air that your sit bones hover a finger's width off the seat base — roughly half an inch of clearance. Sit on the cushion in full gear, slide a hand under your thigh, and press a finger between the pad and the lowest point of your seat bones. If you bottom out onto the base, add a small puff. If you feel like you're perched on a balloon, let air out.
Why overinflation backfires: a firm, over-pumped pad stops behaving like interconnected cells and starts behaving like one hard ball. Your weight can't spread across chambers, you rock side to side — riders call it the beach-ball feeling — and the pressure points come right back. Underinflation is nearly as bad: you sink through and end up sitting on the seat pan with extra steps.
Three practical rules veteran users follow:
- Set it seated, never by eye with the pad empty on the seat.
- Recheck after 20 minutes of riding — air warms, cells settle, and a tiny adjustment dials it in.
- Expect a two-or-three-ride dial-in period. Everyone's sweet spot differs by weight and seat shape.
Get the inflation right and the pad disappears under you — which is exactly the point.
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