Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 54 total)
  • How wrong was I ….. Tyre pressures …..
  • letmetalktomark
    Full Member

    I have a track pump thats gauge hasn’t worked for a while now.

    I’ve always thought I was gauging tyre pressures fairly well.

    How wrong was I …..

    After a bit of jesting over tyre pressures in my LBS I bought a digital gauge.

    Que me now checking all tyre pressures …..

    Surly Bud (4.8) on a Marge Lite …… 5psi (Front)
    Surly Nate (3.8) on a Marge Lite ….. 6psi (Rear)
    Knard (3.0) on a Dually (29er+) …… 6.5psi (Front)
    WTB Prowler (2.1) on a DS25 ………. 17.5psi (Rear)
    Ardent (2.25) on a DT 470 ………… 19.5psi (Front)
    SB8 (2.2) on a DT 470 ……………. 17.5psi (Rear)

    I stopped checking after these 😆

    Now wrong is probably the wrong word as tyre pressures are, i guess, a personal thing but certainly for the non fat tyres I am a long way off the recommended operating range.

    30psi seems waaaay to hard!

    Despite being 90kg+ I’m light on my wheels and tyres so I may have been lucky avoiding too many punctures and rim strikes (I’ve had none of the latter).

    So I guess its time to start experimenting.

    binners
    Full Member

    What condition are all your rims in? 😯

    letmetalktomark
    Full Member

    Perfectly true and as new!

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    letmetalktomark
    Full Member

    I rode MM with these pressures too!

    philjunior
    Free Member

    If you’re not getting rim strikes and the tyres aren’t rolling about all over the place, you’re not running them too low. I wouldn’t bother increasing the pressures as clearly what you’re running suits your riding style on your usual trails.

    Bit more air if you go anywhere with sharp rocks though, I reckon.

    amedias
    Free Member

    Ardent (2.25) on a DT 470 ………… 19.5psi (Front)
    SB8 (2.2) on a DT 470 ……………. 17.5psi (Rear)

    😯

    I’m 75KG and anything under 25-30 on the rear puts me at serious risk of burpage or pinch flatting, have successfully ridden/nursed lower through a race before but do you not notice the tyre folding and squirming off the rim at that pressure whenever you corner hard or land anything?

    andysredmini
    Free Member

    I went for a ride the other day and as soon as I set off I though my tyres felt a bit low but I had amazing traction. I didn’t realise how low until I landed from a 10″ ladder drop. I checked when I got home and the rear was about 9psi and front about 11. The tyres are magic Mary front and hans dampf rear. With normal riding they were fine but push them a bit and the rear was a bit squirmy. I think I could of climbed any hill with how well the rear was gripping.

    larkim
    Free Member

    How do you know the digital gauge is correct?

    binners
    Full Member

    I take it your not a chunky monkey?

    deviant
    Free Member

    Was interesting reading about Brycelands pressures when he races DH, you’d expect low pressures as forums are full of people advocating sub 20psi pressures at the moment….Josh runs 30psi by the way, when asked why he said he hates the feeling of the tyre moving around on the rim.

    Shows the massive skill difference when forumites on here are advocating super low pressures for grip on their typical XC type rides yet a pro can get down a track that would likely put most of us in hospital while using seemingly rock hard tyres!

    philjunior
    Free Member

    Yeah but the OP isn’t a pro and isn’t having a problem at the pressures he’s running, so why change it? (unless he wants less rolling resistance or might be doing different trails that will get him punctures/rim damage obviously)

    egb81
    Free Member

    I run psi in the early 20s and am a skinny whelp at around 60kg. I destroy rear rims far too quickly though so probably not the best to advise on how hard your tyres should be.

    letmetalktomark
    Full Member

    larkim – Member

    How do you know the digital gauge is correct?

    I have to trust the gauge to be the gauge …..

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Yeah but the OP isn’t a pro and isn’t having a problem at the pressures he’s running, so why change it?

    Going from about 20-25 on the Salsa to 35 or so made it way more responsive in handling and with power input, a lot nicer to ride despite being bumpier.

    philjunior
    Free Member

    Good point, molgrips. Worth experimenting. I guess as I tend to get millions of pinch flats at lower pressures I’ve never had much issue with low pressures making handling worse, or rolling any worse on the trials. 30psi front 35 rear is as low as I dare go on tubeless HT.

    no_eyed_deer
    Free Member

    he hates the feeling of the tyre moving around on the rim.

    ^ This

    The lowest I ever go to is 30 psi on the front and around 40 psi on the rear and this doesn’t seem to slow me down much (2.25″ tyres and 80kgs). Even then I’ve been known to get pinch punctures in really rocky places.

    I simply cannot stand that horrible squirming about feeling that comes with all these low pressures you weird lot rave about.

    Gotama
    Free Member

    You must be very light on the bike. I’m the same weight and put a dent in my rolling Darryl rim with bud at 10psi on a pretty tame trail, let alone 5 psi 😯

    mashiehood
    Free Member

    15-20 psi max and im a skinny XC type! Cant stand rock hard tyres.

    njee20
    Free Member

    I go to 20psi in floppy Schwalbe 2.1″ XC tyres and find it ok for my 68kg. Generally run about 25. Agree that if you like how they rode and weren’t walloping your rims there’s little reason to change just because you now have a number alongside that.

    large418
    Free Member

    Tubeless or tubed? Can run lower pressure tubeless, and it can still feel fine. I tend to run 25psi tubeless as there’s bags of grip and no pinch flats, but i am careful on rocky stuff and am 70kg

    leftyboy
    Free Member

    I’ve normally run 32psi F and 36psi R on my Whyte T-130 which has Maxxis Ardents setup tubeless on ROAM40 wheels. When I checked recently I’d gone down to 24psi F and 18psi R due to lots of small thorn punctures which had sealed but lost a few psi each time. The bike felt awful when running so low, it really felt like the rear was going to roll off the rim!

    As always if it works for you why change it?

    wrecker
    Free Member

    I have no idea how people get away with low pressures. I feel rim against rock sometimes at 30lbs!

    NormalMan
    Full Member

    On my Solaris I usually stick to 35psi.
    (Tubed)

    forzafkawi
    Free Member

    All the aforementioned just shows how variable pump pressure gauges can be.

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    On the big bouncy SB66, 19 front, 21 rear. No squirming, and I’d only ever chuck in 2psi for lakes/Munro days. I’m 6’3″ and 16 stone.

    No squirming, rims are fine.

    30psi and I’d be skittering about.

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    And that’s on both my schwalbe and my mates topeak digi gauge.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Good point, molgrips. Worth experimenting. I guess

    Oh I should add it depends on tyres. Old fashioned skinny sidewalls need more pressure to handle well, as well as avoid pinch flats. Modern tubeless ready ones seem to have more sidewall support so are better lower.

    crashtestmonkey
    Free Member

    How do you know the digital gauge is correct

    because like many people the OP confused “precision” with “accuracy”.

    zero-cool
    Free Member

    Anything under 30psi (ish) and my tyres feel like they’re squirming and folding as I corner. Do not like. The GF runs hers done to 18-20 at times by comparison

    Tom KP.

    badllama
    Free Member

    bloody hell some low pressures here!

    Spesh Enduro Elite 26″ wheels 40 psi front and back, I may drop the front down a little to 35 ish if really mucky and soft.

    Spesh Carve HT 29″ wheels 50 psi front and back may push to 55 psi if lot of road riding involved.

    ultimateweevil
    Free Member

    I run 22 on the front and normally 25 with a tubeless setup and no squirming on the Spitty. Anything over that and the bike feels awful.

    Metasequoia
    Full Member

    Mmmmm 90kg – 17.5 psi in a 2.1 tyre- no rim damage or pinch flats- I remain unconvinced….

    grey
    Full Member

    On my Alpine Five, 22front and 30 rear or for a big day out 30 front and 40 on the rear, running with tubes and I weigh about 105kg all kitted up, not had a puncture for about two years now, touch wood.
    I’ve put a curse on myself now haven’t I 😯 😆 .

    FOG
    Full Member

    It’s the squirming on the rims that I don’t like with low pressures. I have recently gone back to tubeless and find this feeling even worse with what seems equivalent pressure.

    letmetalktomark
    Full Member

    Pumped the rear tyre on my Fortitude up to 25psi and it feels waaaaay to firm.

    Will give it a bash though.

    I’m more like 96kg at present 😉

    Superficial
    Free Member

    I love low pressure from a grip / feel perspective, but I usually pinch at <30psi on the rear. However I’m experimenting with heavier tyres and lower pressures which is working for me. Recently I’ve been down to 24psi and touch wood no punctures yet.

    Who am I to say that Bryceland is wrong… But that’s mental. You’d have thought he’d be on the limit of grip all the time and always looking for ways to improve it.

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    I find a good rule of thumb for pressure is twice your weight in stone – and then add more if it squirms or pinches and let air out if it skitters. More air for skinnier flimsier carcasses and vice versa.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Pepole should say if they are running tubeless or not. 20psi tubeless is fine, it’s mental with tubes.

    DangerousD
    Free Member

    I think where you ride is as big a factor as what and how you ride. I run 35psi with tubes around Cannock chase and never get a flat, but any ride in the peaks seems to result in at least one snake bite.

    chum3
    Free Member

    People should also says which size tyre and wheel size, no?

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 54 total)

The topic ‘How wrong was I ….. Tyre pressures …..’ is closed to new replies.