Tire Pressure

[JuicyJay]

Hi all

Just a quick question , when it comes to tire pressure for different terains , what should the pressure be in my tires for each condition??

Comments appreciated

[diymirage]

depends on several things, mostly the tire your running because some tires handle lower pressure better then others
but as a rule of thumb, the harder the soil, the harder the pressure and vice versa

(EDIT) I had that written down wrong, when the soil is hard, rocks and roots and what not you want a higher pressure to keep from puncturing the tube
when the soil is soft, mud or loose sand, you want a lower tire pressure so the tire can flatten out a bit and have a bigger footprint resulting in better grip

[cornishwrecker220]

depending on your weight & the type of tyres you run & the terrain you ride it varies to be honest...I like to run 12 psi in the front & 12-15 in the rear as I don't like to suffer punctures! if you use heavy duty inner tubes then you could possibly run lower pressures..again it all depends on the above.

[JuicyJay]

yeah i guess im just so used to riding onroad bikes with hard tires , ill have a look at what tires im running , sure its maxxis tires but will double check , i also am running heavy duty inners.

[Julien D]

I run 12 in the front, and 6 - 8lb in a trials tire out back.

[KarlP]

I run 8-9 front and rear on S-12's. Any more than that and it feels "skaty", less it feels too wallowy. I do use the heavy tubes. I like to see about an 1/8" of shiny rim right at the bead.

[SS109]

Too many variables to suggest a tire pressure for you. Variables are your terrain, your tires, your tubes (or lack of), your riding style, and the weight of rider and bike. Pick a safe pressure, say 15 psi, and raise/lower it in 1/2 psi increments until you get a negative effect on handling or traction and then bump it back a 1/2 psi. Due this individually for each tire. For the record, the optimum tire pressure will change from ride to ride and even during your ride. Find a good compromise and run it!

This time of year I tend to run 7-8 in the front and around 5 in the rear. The Tubliss is awesome for getting those trals tire like pressures and traction! I tend to bump pressures up some when the dirt has more moisture in it.

[rbates9]

Too many variables to suggest a tire pressure for you. Variables are your terrain, your tires, your tubes (or lack of), your riding style, and the weight of rider and bike. Pick a safe pressure, say 15 psi, and raise/lower it in 1/2 psi increments until you get a negative effect on handling or traction and then bump it back a 1/2 psi. Due this individually for each tire. For the record, the optimum tire pressure will change from ride to ride and even during your ride. Find a good compromise and run it!

+1
It is something that you need to figure out for your situation.

[JuicyJay]

ok awesome , yeah i basically ride dry loose sandy terrain or wet and muddy , im pretty lite at 82kg's(180lbs) but yeah ill play around with the pressure and see what feels right for me , just so weird riding with flatish tires


Shot for the info guys

[6 Riders]

I'm 180 geared up.....dry(er) rocky (small river rock type) terrain I tend to run around 16/14. Wet and muddy I ride 12/10. In the NW dessert, dry, hard and BIG rocks, I run 18/16....that being said, these pressures change every time I change my tire brand/type. The side walls on mine are so tough I can drop down as low as 6 psi (which I will do if the riding gets real slick) and still have lots of traction and stability. Doing a 50 mile single track a couple weekends ago, I found clay mud and black slime. I dropped my pressure down to 9/8 just to stay on the trail and corner. If riding new terrain and I know the general type of dirt, I will try a higher pressure than I think I need, if it works well, I leave it, if I have traction problems I can drop pressure while riding. It's much easier than trying to air-up while on the trail.