Tyre advice please

moscowflyer

I've had a Voodoo Bizango 29er for a few years now but have rarely ridden it as I've always been a roadie. I want to get into off-roading now but one real annoyance was how many punctures I was getting in the early days.

Is there a particular formula to use in terms of psi to rider weight? I'm currently 95kg and see the range on the tyre is 35-65psi, so should I be looking more at the lower end of that for trail riding? I'm always used to inflating to the higher end on the road bike so going low is a whole new territory for me.

The tyres are Maxxis Ardent and came with the bike. Is there a more puncture resistant tyre I could be looking at for 'hobby riding' as an alternative?

Thanks

steve_sordy

My riding weight is 92kg and when I had 27.5x2.2" tyres I ran them tubeless with sealant. That does several things. It reduces rotating weight (which should appeal to your inner roadie), it also stops all flats! You won't stop getting punctures, but as long as you maintain the sealant (check every 3-6 months depending upon how often you ride), you will not get any flats*.

*Let me qualify that. Mostly you will not get any flats, possibly for years and years, but you may gash the sidewall on a sharp rock, get a faulty tyre that splits at the bead, or other rare events. So always take a spare inner tube and the means to fit it.

I told you my weight and tyre size so that when I tell you that I had 22 psi front and 24psi rear it will give some context. I found the following video on establishing your tyre pressure sweet spot of enormous help to me. It is by PinkBike and is from their Tech Tuesday series.
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/Tech-Tuesday-tire-pressure-2011.html

There are absolutely loads of YouTube vids on going tubeless, this is a good one from Parktool
https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/tubeless-tire-conversion

Going tubeless is a bit harder than an expert makes it look, but waaaaay easier than a beginner makes it look.

If you don't want to go tubeless and want a quick fix, buy some Slime inner tubes. These are inner tubes that have been dosed with Slime sealant. I fitted some of these and I went from a flat every 14 miles to none for years and years. But they are heavier than normal tubes, about double.

mully79

when i was 95kg I needed at least 30psi front, 35 psi rear to prevent pinch flats if running tubes. Tends to ping you off rocks and have poor grip at those pressures.
Im now 118kg (yes i am coming back down again! ) and run 25psi front, 30 psi rear tubeless.
(26x2.3 tyres)

reaperactual

I run tubes on 27.5"x 2.4 tyres, kitted up around 100kg and for general trail/xc riding usually run 30-35psi which works for me. Not had any punctures for 8ish months. Would suggest the answer to zero flats is a properly set up and maintained tubeless conversion.

moscowflyer

Thanks all, seems tubeless is the way to go then so will look into it.

steve_sordy

You do not need to buy different tyres to go tubeless. As long as you use a latex sealant you'll be fine.