I have recently started doing lots of MTB riding. I have only really used a road bike before, and I'm having trouble figuring out a good tire pressure.
What pressures are people using, and what factors are they basing their decisions on? Different pressures for front and rear? Let's hear some pressure opinions/facts.
I'm 225 pounds (103 kg) and I ride on 50% soggy gravel roads with potholes, 40% muddy single-track, and 10% rocks. I have 2 inch wide tires. Any recommendations?
I have recently started doing lots of MTB riding. I have only really used a road bike before, and I'm having trouble figuring out a good tire pressure.
What pressures are people using, and what factors are they basing their decisions on? Different pressures for front and rear? Let's hear some pressure opinions/facts.
I'm 225 pounds (103 kg) and I ride on 50% soggy gravel roads with potholes, 40% muddy single-track, and 10% rocks. I have 2 inch wide tires. Any recommendations?
Yes -- don't ride single track (or ANY) trails when it's muddy. You're damaging them. -- BS (no, really)
Yes -- don't ride single track (or ANY) trails when it's muddy. You're damaging them.
Not riding on muddy trails or tracks in Norway means not riding on trails or tracks.
I know what your mean though, but I don't think that matters where I ride. These are just small paths through the brush connecting some dead end dirts roads together. Occasionally I see someone on a horse. Sometimes a pedestrian with rubber boots on. There is no way this mud- bog feels any different about me.
I have recently started doing lots of MTB riding. I have only really used a road bike before, and I'm having trouble figuring out a good tire pressure.
What pressures are people using, and what factors are they basing their decisions on? Different pressures for front and rear? Let's hear some pressure opinions/facts.
I'm 225 pounds (103 kg) and I ride on 50% soggy gravel roads with potholes, 40% muddy single-track, and 10% rocks. I have 2 inch wide tires. Any recommendations?
Thanks!
Joseph
Most mountain bike tires are rated from 40 to 60 PSI, and no, I don't know the metric equivalent of that, so I hope that is adequate. Anyway, I keep my tires on the high side at about 50-55 PSI. That makes for efficient road riding and no pinch flats if you do hit a rock while off road. Same for potholes. If you run the tires at 30 PSI it will give the impression of a smoother ride but you are paying for it with your legs. Also, an under inflated tire can waffle on the rim during a sharp turn on a good traction surface. I got dumped that way once when my grandson called me back after I had passed his house, turned too fast and the tire just kind of folded under (waffled is the best word I can think of). No damage to me or the bike but my digital pocket camera got flattened a bit. I would go with a minimum of 45 PSI or 3 atmospheres. On a final note, do not exceed 80 PSI or the tire can explode. I had it happen to me at an auto tire place with a faulty gage and having and explosion in your face doesn't make for a good day. Good luck, experiment and have fun. Bill Baka
I have recently started doing lots of MTB riding. I have only really used a road bike before, and I'm having trouble figuring out a good tire pressure.
What pressures are people using, and what factors are they basing their decisions on? Different pressures for front and rear? Let's hear some pressure opinions/facts.
I'm 225 pounds (103 kg) and I ride on 50% soggy gravel roads with potholes, 40% muddy single-track, and 10% rocks. I have 2 inch wide tires. Any recommendations?
I'm about 175 LB, and I use 40 PSI for most off road riding, with 2.0" tires. This comes from experimentation, before I started using suspension forks. Suspension masks tire feel. I went as low as I could without the tire starting to feel soggy in the corners. Larger tires allow slightly less pressure, smaller ones need more. The tradeoff is, of course, rolling resistance vs. comfort and traction. Pinch flats are always a risk with lower pressures, but they've never been a big problem for me. At your weight, you'll probably need more pressure. Larger tires would probably be helpful too.
I have recently started doing lots of MTB riding. I have only really used a road bike before, and I'm having trouble figuring out a good tire pressure.
What pressures are people using, and what factors are they basing their decisions on? Different pressures for front and rear? Let's hear some pressure opinions/facts.
I'm 225 pounds (103 kg) and I ride on 50% soggy gravel roads with potholes, 40% muddy single-track, and 10% rocks. I have 2 inch wide tires. Any recommendations?
I'm about 175 LB, and I use 40 PSI for most off road riding, with 2.0" tires. This comes from experimentation, before I started using suspension forks. Suspension masks tire feel. I went as low as I could without the tire starting to feel soggy in the corners. Larger tires allow slightly less pressure, smaller ones need more. The tradeoff is, of course, rolling resistance vs. comfort and traction. Pinch flats are always a risk with lower pressures, but they've never been a big problem for me. At your weight, you'll probably need more pressure. Larger tires would probably be helpful too.
Matt O.
I just bought a good pump with a gauge and tried 60 psi to see what the "upper limit" would be like. 60 psi makes for noticeably less rolling resistance, but the front wheel in particular seems skittish on loose surfaces. I was using about 35 psi before, but I got a few snake-bite pinch flats.
I'll give 45 or 50 a try tonight. I might try lower in front. I'm 6' 3" and I think larger riders generally have a more rearward weight distribution on a bike (at least I think I do). So I probably need more in the back to support the weight, but if I use less in the front I might minimize the "washout" effect on loose surfaces.
I have recently started doing lots of MTB riding. I have only really used a road bike before, and I'm having trouble figuring out a good tire pressure.
What pressures are people using, and what factors are they basing their decisions on? Different pressures for front and rear? Let's hear some pressure opinions/facts.
I'm 225 pounds (103 kg) and I ride on 50% soggy gravel roads with potholes, 40% muddy single-track, and 10% rocks. I have 2 inch wide tires. Any recommendations?
I'm about 175 LB, and I use 40 PSI for most off road riding, with 2.0" tires. This comes from experimentation, before I started using suspension forks. Suspension masks tire feel. I went as low as I could without the tire starting to feel soggy in the corners. Larger tires allow slightly less pressure, smaller ones need more. The tradeoff is, of course, rolling resistance vs. comfort and traction. Pinch flats are always a risk with lower pressures, but they've never been a big problem for me. At your weight, you'll probably need more pressure. Larger tires would probably be helpful too.
Matt O.
I just bought a good pump with a gauge and tried 60 psi to see what the "upper limit" would be like. 60 psi makes for noticeably less rolling resistance, but the front wheel in particular seems skittish on loose surfaces. I was using about 35 psi before, but I got a few snake-bite pinch flats.
I'll give 45 or 50 a try tonight. I might try lower in front. I'm 6' 3" and I think larger riders generally have a more rearward weight distribution on a bike (at least I think I do). So I probably need more in the back to support the weight, but if I use less in the front I might minimize the "washout" effect on loose surfaces.
All riders have more weight on the rear wheel, plus it's the drive wheel, where rolling resistance matters more. So a harder rear tire is faster, unless you're having traction problems. How hard the front tire is doesn't matter as much for speed as it does for handling.
I just bought a good pump with a gauge and tried 60 psi to see what
the
Quoted message said:
"upper limit" would be like. 60 psi makes for noticeably less rolling
Quoted message said:
resistance, but the front wheel in particular seems skittish on loose
Quoted message said:
surfaces. I was using about 35 psi before, but I got a few snake-bite
Quoted message said:
pinch flats.
I'll give 45 or 50 a try tonight. I might try lower in front. I'm 6'
3"
Quoted message said:
and I think larger riders generally have a more rearward weight distribution on a bike (at least I think I do). So I probably need
more
Quoted message said:
in the back to support the weight, but if I use less in the front I might minimize the "washout" effect on loose surfaces.
I'm 6'10/235. I generally run my MTB tires at 50 psi. I also run the widest tires I can fit. As you have seen, it's a tradeoff. I'm a very "light" rider for my weight, so I almost never pinch flat despite riding on a lot of rocky trails. I may drop pressure to hook up better when I'm doing tricky single track. 40 psi is about as low as I go. It's a pretty narrow range of effective pressures.
