Tire pressure guidelines??

[Manta1]

Hi,

Kinda new here so I hope this hasent been asked 10 mil times....(tried a search)

Here go's

Is there a general guideline for tire pressure?

a) If I go riding on the road should I inflate till close to the max pressure?
b) Offroad ? Ie sand , hard dirt , mud (is there a % you can work on?)

OH I got a HARD Tail MTB Veloceraptor tires.

Thanks,
Cheers

 

[DaveWV]

I don't have a perssure guage on my tire pump. I don't need one. I don't think knowing actual PSI would matter on a mtb.
On the road I pump them up til I feel they're hard enough for the road, which would be close to the max presure.
Off road I just deflate to a point where its comfortable enough to ride, yet hard enough to not get pinch flats. If its sandy with very few rocks or roots I would go a little softer. Like I said, I don't think you need to worry about exact PSI.
Besides, I think it would be different for everyones different wieght and riding styles.
Just my opinion

Dave

 

[Hecubus]

If you get into somewhat serious riding you definately want to start worrying about your exact air pressure as it makes a HUGE difference if you know what you are looking for. For road keep doing what you do, inflate them to maximum pressure for the fastest rolling. On the trail it can vary a LOT. If you ride very hard pack smooth surfaces you can get away riding around 50-55psi. Anything more than that and the bike will be very difficult to control as it will kick back to hard on impacts but for the most part, the lower the pressure the better. If you use tube tires its generally not recomended going under about 40psi since you will risk pinch flatting the tube. If you are a very lightweight rider you can maybe get away with around 35 psi. Anything lower its almost a guarranteed flat. I would say 45psi is the average pressure for tubes. It you ride tubeless tires you can ride as low as 30psi at which point the tire will have the best impact absobtion, terrain compliance and traction since it will grip over a wider area. Of course keep in mind these are just very average guidelines. Your weight, riding style, terrain, tire design, and so many other factors will determine what the best pressure really is.

 

[Manta1]

Thanks Guys

Just nice to find out what other ppl think.....

Cheers

 

[cRock]

I think timre pressure is a very personal thing. I run ~40 PSI front and ~35 rear, but I have a skinny 2.0 up front and a fat 2.4 on the rear to take the edge off of the bumps. I'm not a lightweight (185 lbs), but I tend to ride pretty light in the saddle and rarely pinch flat. I have friends that run 2.1s as can pinch flat almost every ride running 45+ PSI.

 

[njee20]

I'm a light rider- 140lbs- and I use the Eclipse Tubeless system, running Conti Explorer Supersonics without tubes. For racing, particularly on loose rooty courses, as most UK courses are, i usually run 32 in the front tyre and 35 in the back, although i have gone as low as 25 to get grip when i made a bad tyre choice. Thats on a Trek 9.8 hardtail with Cross Max UST Wheels.

On my play bike with tubed tyres i run closer to 40, usually about 39/37 for F & R tyres respectively. Being fully suspended it's less significant, but it is amazing how much difference a few PSI can make, I suggest investing in a pump with a gauge and having a fiddle, you can read as many posts here as you, but it'll only help you so much!

 

[cachehiker]

Originally posted by Manta1
HARD Tail MTB Veloceraptor tires.

I ran the Velociraptors on my GT Backwoods between 42 and 48 psi. 42 psi worked really well in the sand, mud, and loose rock, but I had occasional problems with the front tire washing out when I ran higher pressures. I still use them for sand and mud, but most of the trails around here call for the Ritcheys.

 

[Ghr7891]

If i am doin anything technical I usually inflate it to like 35psi so its softer and offers some suspension.