Tyre pressure - can I go lower?

Steve Kish

Fitted a pair of Panaracer Cinder (2.25 front / 2.1 rear) and TBH, despite the recommendation at the shop, I'm not over-impressed with them. I know that they're a general tyre and will never be a Wet Scream but they lose traction very easily in mud. The rear spins away quite easily amd even the front likes going sideways. I'm thinking of replacing the rear with my nineties Smoke Lite 1.9.

Could it be that I'm inflating them too hard? Manufacturer says 35-55psi and I'm running both at 35.

Would dropping pressures below this help at all and if so, how low can I go? .... 25psi?

supersonic

You can go lower, but you increase the risk of the tyre rolling of the rim and pinch flats, the former usually a much lower pressure required though.

Mud riding depends on the mud really. If its thin surface stuff, a lower pressure and wider footprint can help. If deep, higher pressure and thinner tyres might be better as the front pushes the mud out of the way and the rear can dig through for traction.

Key is to experiment. Drop to 30psi, see how it feels. Then 25psi.

Turveyd38

I used to run 20psi area seriously, but these days find I get more traction with a higher pressure, which makes ZERO sense but hey.

Try both see what works for you, there not good mud tyres though, good on wet rocks and harder surfaces though.

Steve Kish

So, being quite new to this off-road stuff, am I right in assuming that although the Cinders would be OK for non-mud stuff, I'd need a kinda winter / wet / muddy tyre until things dry up a bit?

If so, I'd go for something like va Maxxis Swamp Thing 1.9 rear / 2.1 front but TBH, I have no idea how this would handle in non-muddy conditions ... ?

.blitz

Steve Kish wrote:

...something like va Maxxis Swamp Thing 1.9 rear / 2.1 front but TBH, I have no idea how this would handle in non-muddy conditions ... ?

Swamp Things and Medusas are great in proper mud but unlike mud-specific tyres from a few years ago, they work well on other kinds of terrain. My Medusas have been great since last November - mud, slippery rocks, roots, snow, ice, they love it - but they are skinny, low-volume things and squirm a bit on hardpack so I could't wait to change them as soon as conditions improved. This weekend the Nics went back on and woo-hoo I can ride faster.

Banned!

+1 for that

I used spikes a few winters ago and had a terrible time with them on the road.

Now I run my tyres at around 30psi with gazza 3.0 dh tubes in and a lining of gaffer tape.

Steve Kish

OK, thanks guys.
I'll go for as set of winter / muddy tyres and keep the Cinders for when it gets a bit drier. Just seen some Panaracer Fire Mud Pro 1.8 that I may go for! I'm assuming that these will go well in mud and offer some sort of traction in drier conditions - seems like all my trails are about 50% quagmire and 50% hardpack these days! :?

Yukon Lad

30 psi doesn't pinch flat that easily, i rode on mine round whinlatter at full pace since i got the bike, but one sqaure edged hit off a kerb flatted it easily

Yukon Lad

Northwind

Deflate them til they puncture, then reinflate them a bit. No, wait, that'll never work