tyre pressures

BOLTONBOXER
BOLTONBOXER Posts: 68
edited March 2012 in MTB beginners
Just woundering what my tyres should be at when off road as I have got them pumped right up when doing some road miles

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    Have a read o the topic in the FAQs.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • Asar01
    Asar01 Posts: 51
    Q:How much air should I put in my tyres?
    A: The recommended values should be written on the tyre sidewalls. 35-40psi is a good starter value: experiment to see what works best for you as often different conditions require differing pressures. Lower pressures can provide more grip while higher ones tend to roll better on firm terrain.
  • journey_man_pro
    journey_man_pro Posts: 169
    I run nobby nicks at 40psi purely cos im a fat git at 16 stone.
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    If your bouncing off rocks and not getting much grip let a bit of air out. If your clonking the rims when you hit a rock or feel the bike squirming in a corner add a bit. There is no right pressure it can vary from ride to ride if your mostly doing trail centres or fireroads you can up the pressure a touch, if its slippy and muddy drop it a touch for better grip.

    Scwalbe the German tyre maker did an interesting series of tests about tyre pressures and width. They concluded that rock hard narrow tyres slow you down because they dont let the tyre deform over a bump.
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • BOLTONBOXER
    BOLTONBOXER Posts: 68
    Thanks for the help :-)
  • 1mancity2
    1mancity2 Posts: 2,355
    When your up Lee quarry run them a bit harder to avoid pinch flats on the rocks, I usually run 40psi front 42psi back but it also depends on the tyre, as stubs says you want to feel grip but without the squirm.
    Finished, Check out my custom Giant Reign 2010
    Dirt Jumper Dmr Sidekick2
  • BOLTONBOXER
    BOLTONBOXER Posts: 68
    1mancity2 wrote:
    When your up Lee quarry run them a bit harder to avoid pinch flats on the rocks, I usually run 40psi front 42psi back but it also depends on the tyre, as stubs says you want to feel grip but without the squirm.
    Exactly that happened on sunday I run then low and ended up with a pinch flat lol
  • 1mancity2
    1mancity2 Posts: 2,355
    BOLTONBOXER wrote:
    1mancity2 wrote:
    When your up Lee quarry run them a bit harder to avoid pinch flats on the rocks, I usually run 40psi front 42psi back but it also depends on the tyre, as stubs says you want to feel grip but without the squirm.
    Exactly that happened on sunday I run then low and ended up with a pinch flat lol

    So did I!

    will teach me not to check pressures before chucking myself of the drops. :mrgreen:
    Finished, Check out my custom Giant Reign 2010
    Dirt Jumper Dmr Sidekick2
  • BOLTONBOXER
    BOLTONBOXER Posts: 68
    1mancity2 wrote:
    BOLTONBOXER wrote:
    1mancity2 wrote:
    When your up Lee quarry run them a bit harder to avoid pinch flats on the rocks, I usually run 40psi front 42psi back but it also depends on the tyre, as stubs says you want to feel grip but without the squirm.
    Exactly that happened on sunday I run then low and ended up with a pinch flat lol

    So did I!

    will teach me not to check pressures before chucking myself of the drops. :mrgreen:
    Just been halfords bought multi pack of inner tubes ready for sunday now can't wait
  • NJG01
    NJG01 Posts: 13
    When I did quite a long road ride (C2C) on my MTB then went back to trails I left the tires pumped up hard ish ~50 psi and that was really squirmy on a trailcentre - ie fairly solid surface, mostly bedded rocks. Squirming all over the place under braking, cornering and pedaling! Was really un-nerving given my tires had never given me that problem before except on thick mud (Hutchinson Iguana tires came as stock on the bike).

    When i asked around why this may be the case, someone suggested it could be the pressure and others suggested road grime ie oil and stuff on the tires. So i lowered the pressure to about 40psi and cleaned the bike well and the next time it was fine. Just a bit of food for thought, if youve been riding roads, consider washing the tires.
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    No right answer, just experiment. Pinchflats are annoying but they tell you something ;)
    Uncompromising extremist
  • 1mancity2
    1mancity2 Posts: 2,355
    Northwind wrote:
    No right answer, just experiment. Pinchflats are annoying but they tell you something ;)

    Amen to that brother!
    Finished, Check out my custom Giant Reign 2010
    Dirt Jumper Dmr Sidekick2
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    1mancity2 wrote:
    Northwind wrote:
    No right answer, just experiment. Pinchflats are annoying but they tell you something ;)

    Amen to that brother!

    Yes they tell you to learn how to manual and float over obstacles. Unfortunately I keep forgetting the lesson till I hear that annoying feeessshhh :lol:
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap

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