Tech Tuesday - Find Your Tire Pressure Sweet Spot

Apr 4, 2011 at 10:19

by Richard Cunningham

Mountain bike tire pressure ranges from 25Psi to 40Psi. Depending on wheel and tire size, mtb recommended tire pressure should be varied by 5Psi for larger diameter.
All race tuning, from Formula One to Downhill, begins with an accurate tire pressure assessment, but it is important to remember that even causal riders will benefit from finding the ideal tire pressure to use.All race tuning, from Formula One to Downhill, begins with an accurate tire pressure assessment, but it is important to remember that even causal riders will benefit from finding the ideal tire pressure to use.
Every rider and tire combination has an air-pressure sweet spot, so use Pinkbike's inflation tips to find your perfect pressure and improve your shred.

Some tire-pressure must-knows...

• Tire pressure is measured in PSI, which stands for Pounds per Square Inch. It is a measurement of the pressure produced by one pound of force applied to an area of one square inch. Not that you need to know that to find your ideal tire pressure, but now you do!
• Invest in a hand-held digital or dial pressure gauge to check your tires and keep it in your gear bag. Pressure values vary significantly between floor pumps and you won't always be using yours.
• Use a series of taps on the air valve to release pressure in a controlled manner (a small Allen wrench works well for Schrader valves).
• Write it down: Pro racers keep a written log of tire pressure, bike-fit and suspension settings, but you don't have to go that far. Write your starting pressures on the rim beside the valve with a Sharpie.
• Tire manufacturers emboss their sidewalls with minimum and maximum pressures that you may or may nor agree with--so consider yourself warned.
• Higher tire pressures do not always result in easier and faster rolling speeds. This is because a harder tire will want to deflect off of obstacles instead of letting the tire conform to the ground, absorb the impact, and roll over it without losing as much speed. Don't believe me? Picture yourself on a skateboard, rolling down a smooth road - you'll have no troubles. Now do the same thing on a rough road, or one with a bit of gravel on it, and you'll have much more trouble. This is because the skateboard's wheels are very hard and want to stop when they pass over even the slightest rough patch. This is why too much air can actually create more rolling resistance.
• Tire pressure is not only dependent on the type of tire you are using, but also the terrain that you're riding. Smooth and faster trails can be ridden with slightly more air pressure than a rougher trail. Taking the time to figure out what works best on the trails that you ride most often will only make your rides even better.
• Different tires, even of the same width, often work better at different air pressures. If you've switched to another brand or model of tire it will pay dividends to experiment with tire pressure, even if it is only a few PSI more or less than what you were running previously.

What's needed: tire pump, pressure gauge

Tire pressure is without a doubt one of the most important aspects of a proper setup. Watch the video to learn why:

Tech Tuesday

by ambrose

Views: 48,387 Faves: 149 Comments: 14

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RichardCunningham

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107 Comments

16 0

thecarpy (Apr 5, 2011 at 0:19)

I'm diggin' the new titles....but on another note, I need to focus more on my tire pressure. I don't check it every ride, and I really need to take the time to find my perfect pressure. Thanks for the video, it brought up something so basic, but so important, that many of us might neglect.

rhys-the-rider (Apr 5, 2011 at 0:26)

did anyone else find that kinda repetitive? Don't get me wrong I learn't heaps from it, i thought i was running it too low and now I found out its too high, but after 4 minutes or so it just seem to ramble on a bit.

thecarpy (Apr 5, 2011 at 0:31)

It did ramble a bit, but they tried to be really detailed. I feel like everyone's so obsessed with low pressures. I run like 45 on my xc, which I know is too high, but I like how fast and quick it is.

13 6

aflo661 (Apr 5, 2011 at 2:50)

What about solid rubber tires, what pressure should we use for those?

nouser (Apr 5, 2011 at 3:42)

how do we NOT ruin our rims doing this???

mtb1stdegree (Apr 5, 2011 at 4:50)

well i run my super tacky minions at 39 psi and they seem really soft

husstler (Apr 5, 2011 at 7:16)

FWIW - When switching tires often, I like to write my pressure on the sidewall with a silver Sharpie. The article mentions on the rim, but on the tire can work too.

DanB25 (Apr 5, 2011 at 7:49)

25 on the front 30 on the back there is no question in it

naptime FL (Apr 5, 2011 at 9:11)

70ish front and rear, no joke

dom69foco (Apr 5, 2011 at 12:36)

28 front 33 back

GabrielDugas (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:15)

really depends on what conditions your are going to ride...

B-STOCK (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:26)

what happned to mike

27 0

RaleighVoid (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:35)

he changed his name and grew a beard.

shijinkamisai (Apr 5, 2011 at 15:49)

its funny because i run my tires by feel i always check them before i ride but not with a gauge and im pretty sure im running 55psi rear 50 front in my maxxis swampthing 2.5s they feel really soft and roll over anything even though they are supposed to be like 35psi.

mtbtyrrell (Apr 5, 2011 at 16:29)

but i ride park and street and run mine at 80psi if not more...

Caiokv FL (Apr 5, 2011 at 16:51)

I ride 80 for park, and on my full 50 front 55 rear. Always liked it that way...

pperini (Apr 13, 2011 at 3:24)

i ride the minimum that maxxis says ur supposed to ride on the front (35, righten on the side of the tire) and a lil bit more on the back (40)...always doesnt even matter the weather..

nouser (Apr 13, 2011 at 3:37)

yeah, i never understood why companies write those pressure on the side for a minumum when the performance is decreased... dont get me wrong i ride mine @ 35, but i've always been curious... does it count as using the tire incorrectly?

Stewartlowe (Oct 11, 2011 at 10:53)

On my 24" I run 110 rear and 100 front.

Scrub-master-general (Mar 25, 2012 at 2:34)

One of the people at our race club runs his at 18 front and 20 back........

oliver-perks (Jul 21, 2013 at 18:30)

Well I run 25psi in my minions!! probably because im light!!!

husstler (Jul 21, 2013 at 19:18)

? The last comment was over a year ago.

oliver-perks (Jul 22, 2013 at 15:43)

well sorry

jonas-2f4u (Mar 13, 2014 at 14:32)

it's ok

elliottglynn (Nov 8, 2015 at 13:50)

60psi on the dh bike tyres 95 on the dj bike tyres

11 0

corey32 (Apr 5, 2011 at 0:23)

never thought of it that way, i dont really check the pressure.."ya just gotta feeel it" (:

angard008 (Apr 7, 2011 at 8:46)

Yea me too . I gauge by feel.. put some air in lean on the bike at an angle and push to see if the tire folds..then use the palm of my hand and push down in the middle of the tire to make sure its not to hard or soft for rocks. What i don't do is take notes of pressure to the LBS.His way would go faster in the long run for sure..

allebong (Apr 6, 2011 at 6:33)

Nice article + vid - I'm guilty of just pumping up the tire to when it feels hard enough by hand and then leaving it. I suppose I really should think about it much more since it is so important.

But I must take issue with the claim about how a tire will lose pressure due to air leaking out the tube. I have 2 problems with this:

The explanation about how the air molecules will leak through the tube is wide of the mark. If you've ever seen helium party balloon you'll notice that they are always made of a metal foil (mylar) rather than the rubber/plastic of air balloons. In this case it's because a helium atom is extremely small/light and will actually diffuse through the material in the way you described. But air is mostly nitrogen and oxygen, both of which are relatively heavy diatomics, meaning that they won't diffuse through a thicker piece of rubber like an inner tube.

Secondly you can forget the chemistry and consider it empirically. You're trying to tell me that a ~40psi tire will initially lose 5psi a day? Then why is my 90psi BMX tire still happy after a month? Certainly you should always check pressure before a ride but if you're tire is losing that much pressure then you either have a slow puncture or a jammed valve.

Something not mentioned in the video is how pressure is dependent on temperature. You might have your perfect pressure set up in a nice warm workshop, but get your bike out in the snow and sub zero temperatures and the pressure will drop. Or if it's a sweltering day and you set up in air conditioning then be prepared for your tires to get harder as the air inside heats and expands. I couldn't say by how much but I'd bet it's measurable.

Believe it or not I hate to nitpick!

SintraFreeride (Apr 5, 2011 at 2:32)

Great vid. He forgot to mention that running wider rims allows you to run lower pressure because it makes the tire sidewall more stable.
I weigh 60kg and I run 16psi on my Schwalbe Muddy Mary 2.5 (zero flats in 1.5months in the alpes 100% DH) and 12-14psi on the rear of my 24x3.0 contra. I run XC tubes by the way. I really dunno why anyone who doesn't weigh 100kg runs 30-40psi in their DH tires! though my french friends did flat using minions and DH tubes...
I remember reading about the tire pressure Nico Vouilloz used to run back in the day 22psi on Michelin 2.2 and he weighs 70kg. Wonder what the current World cup Pros are running...

thehillscrew (Apr 5, 2011 at 4:16)

what, 16psi in a muddy mary, I ran mine at 40psi with DH tubes and I am 75kg and still got a flat every time i went out to ride in the rear. Eventually I got pissed and got minions and have never had a flat since.

bigburd (Apr 5, 2011 at 9:29)

I got a feeling his tire gauge is not working right... there is no way you can run 16 psi with out rolling the tire off the rim , unless you ride like a pansy that is

SintraFreeride (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:11)

1. Tire pressure gauge ISN'T off I'm a total tech geek!
2. I ran the Muddy Mary 2.5 DH casing with sticky compound at 16psi in the ALPES (Les Deux Alpes) for 1.5 months and NO flats (with a €2.5 26x2.1 XC tube)
4. Front rim was a 32mm (I'm now changing to a 42mm Trials rim so I can run 14-15psi)
5. for an examples of my riding check my photos OR www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJFVN75KwrQ

muzzLe (Apr 5, 2011 at 14:16)

... no comment ...

jeffsworks (Apr 7, 2011 at 22:42)

what he said.

SintraFreeride (Apr 16, 2011 at 2:42)

www.pinkbike.com/news/Halo-BDS-Bike-Check-Videos-at-Moelfre-2011.html

Matti's CRC Scalp running 24psi front tubeless and 27psi rear with Muddy Marys. Believe it or not! And he is running 28mm rims...

jeffsworks (Apr 16, 2011 at 13:47)

still running far higher than 12-14psi

SintraFreeride (Apr 17, 2011 at 12:36)

Well yeah cause a) they weigh more than me b) they run narrower rims c) they ride way faster and thus need more pressure!
But I only run 12-14psi with a identiti contra (aka Duro 3.0 which is actually 2.

tire, with the muddy mary 2.5 I run 16psi on a 32mm rim but should be able to go lower with my new 42mm rim.

Efka79 (Sep 1, 2012 at 13:08)

then why does it say on muddy marry 2,35. min 2.0 bar (30psi)

bigburd (Sep 1, 2012 at 13:24)

the min pressures stated on tyres are minimum pressures to seat the tyre correctly on the rim , I put about 30-40 psi in my muddy marys to get the beads to seat evenly all the way round then drop the pressure to what ever you like after.

Worm-Burner (Apr 5, 2011 at 3:03)

Man! R.Cunningham's brain is so bursting with MTB knowledge he can't get it out fast enough...Good work...

foreplayMX (Apr 5, 2011 at 11:44)

he's like bob ross for mountain biking

nouser (Apr 5, 2011 at 3:37)

i would love to run low pressure, i can't afford to be dinging my rims though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Draz85 (Apr 5, 2011 at 6:52)

Didn't know RC was on Pinkbike! Nice!

Living legend...

labop (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:29)

Hey, great video.
What about home made tubeless with 2ply tires? Do you recommend this combination or not.
I'm running a 2.5 maxxis 2ply on mtx33 with home made tubeless, do you think i"m doing a mistake,do you thing it will crash one day ,I got it over a year now and until now everything is fine.

thanks

helgiberg (Apr 5, 2011 at 17:19)

For dh i use various tyre setups depending on the tracks.
Im 86kg and ride a XL Fury A spec.
In the past i have completly gone for 2ply sidewalls and light tubes! after testing all combinations.
Dh tubes only slow the bike down and make the tyres more bouncy, reduce control and rolling speed over bumps.
Now im testing Shwalbe big Betty´s (kevlar) with stan´s tubeless strip on a Mavic 729rim and it´s ligth and fast for a smooth track.
Im riding with a little more pressure than normal - 28psi up front but normally 25 - 27 on my Maxxis 2.5 high roller, swamp thing and wet scream´s also with cut knobs.
Last season i wrote only Maxxis Tubeless and love them but i find that on some tracks (little wet or very loose) the Continental Der Caiser´s can out perform the high roller´s, but for me the difference is minimal about 0,05-0,1sek...
But it is nessesary for me (possible for other´s) to go with even lower psi on the Der Caiser´s due to the thick sidewall´s.
Finding the rigth tyre pressure can even vary from season to season as rider´s get better and faster...
Im riding probably 2-3Psi less than last season due to my 9kg weigth loss this winter and that feel´s nessesary.
There is no clear line here tyre/tube/rim/style combinations vary allot.
Best thing is to go out and test what suites you personally and feels most planted to the ground without the tyre folding to the side in hard corners.
Cheers guy´s and good luck getting faster!

cyaeggy (May 18, 2011 at 9:22)

I run mine at 20 and 25 psi. I weigh 225 lbs and it has been ages since I had a pinch flat! I use Michelin Wild grip'r DH tires that are 62-559 or Kenda nevegal "Tomac" 67-559 just because I like how they feel and I really don't care about the weight of the tire or the extra drag since I'm not competing professionally and those few tenths of a second per run don't make a difference (if there where any). Back to the tire pressure... I have always liked to run low psi in all my Bike tires and I stopped getting pinch flats about 13-14 years ago when I started putting baby powder inside the tire before putting the tube in it. it works! I have busted rims and the tube has come out intact!

swan3609 (Apr 5, 2011 at 0:31)

All about tubeless.. 26Psi in the front and 30 in the rear.. and he didnt mention but if you have UST tires, they dont leak air.. to get UST certification they have to be airtight with out sealant, so if you have UST tires and wheels then air loss is not an issue.. and even his figure of 5 psi a day doesnt seam right.. even on my ghetto tubeless stuff with non Tubeless Tires I didnt loss that much air.. at our shop we tell customers 10% a week is standard for air loss

thecarpy (Apr 5, 2011 at 0:32)

I barely loose 5 a week. My tubes just don't leak much.

wolldog (Apr 5, 2011 at 2:27)

^ he is talking about tubless

WAKIdesigns (Apr 5, 2011 at 3:14)

I lost like 5psi in 3 months on full on UST rims and tyres with 100ml sealant in both. Important thing with UST is, that if you run expensive UST rims (espically on factory wheels) you REALLY don't want to dent them when your front tyre flexes in the corner. Then on super thin walled tyres like Schwalbies it is very easy to loose air in corners. That's why I put 5psi more than the "school" says - I like my wheelset

haroman666 (Apr 5, 2011 at 5:47)

I haven't checked my tyre pressure's for for about 6 months and they've still held the same pressure... Schwalbe DH tubes in 2.5 Minions... 25psi... Lovely Jubbly

SintraFreeride (Apr 5, 2011 at 3:00)

nhp890 (2 hours ago)
and hey guys, which is more pinch flat resistant? 2ply tire + regular tube or 1ply tire + dh tube?

2ply tire and XC tube is more pinch flat resistant even if it might not be lighter. I've tried both in the hope of shedding weight off the bike and forget DH tubes, totally unnecessary unless maybe you weigh 100kg.

wesdadude (Apr 5, 2011 at 4:24)

Slightly off topic but cheap tubes vs. expensive tubes? I'm sick of flatting and wandering if its worth paying more for tubes. Will I get more life per dollar out of cheap or expensive tubes? I can get 10 Airwave tubes for $27 the inequivalent to 4 Schwalbe tubes at 6.79 each. Will getting the Schwalbes give me longer life per dollar?

Thanks,

Wes

Airwave tubes www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=41990
Schwalbe tubes www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=26726

WAKIdesigns (Apr 5, 2011 at 6:48)

If you blow tubes so often then something is just wrong. You must run either too low pressure nor use tyres with too thin sidewalls for the riding you do. Maybe your rims have too litlle support on the outer edge, so you should change for something with wide edge base. If you are heavy and not a smooth rider then go for a thick DH Tube, at least for back tyre. I don't think an Airwave tube will help you any better than a regular schwalbe or Brand XYZ. Or just go tubeless.

I thought for years something mystic was going on with my notorious flatting. Then I learned that in my mountains if you ride "fast" you need a double ply tyre. For light tyres you need to go UST.

rhys-the-rider (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:22)

Sorry for the accidental negative props, I just realised, it was meant to be positve. fat fingers and iPhones don't mix (anyone know how to take props back?).
I agree, I want to know this too, there can't be that much of a difference can there.

wesdadude (Apr 6, 2011 at 1:42)

@WAKI
Thanks for the reply,
I'm definitely not running too low pressure, still flatting with 50psi (yes I know that's crazily high but I haven't really mountain biked for a while). My last puncture was a thorn, not sure where the hole is though as its not leaking fast enough to find out

Other than that I'm not sure how I'm puncturing.
I'm running Mavic ex721's with 2.1 Nevegal ust tires (with tubes though)
My front wheel has an old inner tube between the tire and the tube (kenda) and the back wheel is running a Giant thornproof tube (which hasn't flatted at all, I've even cracked a rim with it on and its still been up)
And I'm about 55kg

Is the schwalbe worth the extra money or is it better to get the el'cheapos?

WAKIdesigns (Apr 6, 2011 at 2:01)

I think it's worth the extra money, but I mean a tube shouldn't cost more than 5 quid. It's not worth it to buy anything more expensive. Runing 50psi is too much, you will get torns and cut the tyre much easier. No one, save those dining in Mc Kentucky Fried County needs to go over 40 I believe. What you can do is buy some sealant and pour it into the tube, should help a lot. It is easiest with car/schrader valve because it is easy to dismount the valve. Just run some ~200g tube and pour like 100ml into it.

I would suggest fatter tyres too, latest research shows that 2,25 and fatter tyre rolls drives and grips better in than 2,1. Even roadies have to swallow the fact that even on smooth roads 25cm tyre is faster than super thin one. It was also shown that when road gets really rough, even CX category 32cm tyre provides better performance. It will take some time though for the old-school roadie "science" to die. They have also polluted XC a lot with their quest for holy performance and trying to limit variables which in fact are many even on their own backyard.

cesalec (Jun 21, 2011 at 13:02)

I have had a topeak digital pressure gauge, which was pretty much c*lap, I own now, a BBB digital gauge, but I cannot vouch for the exactitude of the readings, sometimes it feels like it does rad crazy things.

Anyway I keep a log of the date I ride and the tire pressure used that day, once I feel confortable in a ride, I mark the setting and try to keep it.

freestyIAM (Aug 3, 2011 at 10:54)

You CAN pinch flat even when you don't have tubes. Instead of getting a snake bite in your tube you can do it to your tire. I did it twice on Michelin Wild Gripper Advanced 2.25 tires and i was running 30 PSI while i weight 165lbs. From other forums it seems others had this problem with the michelins (probably due to not reinforcing the side walls enough) but none the less it can happen.

noah007 (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:23)

Everybody seems to run there tyres really hard compared to me! I run 2.7dual ply highrollers with 18psi in the front and 20-25 in the rear depending on the roughness of the track.

staike (Apr 5, 2011 at 0:16)

Very good tech tuesday, tire pressure is an important thing to have sorted out properly. What are you guys running in your DH tyres? I'm a light and not so aggressive rider and I'm running 15 psi.

Dirt-Street-Park (Apr 5, 2011 at 0:34)

Wut teh fuh? I didn't know people go THAT low... You don't get pinch flats like crazy?

nhp890 (Apr 5, 2011 at 0:58)

I even know people who run 10psi in dh tires.

staike (Apr 5, 2011 at 1:02)

@dirt-etc: never pinch flatted with those tyres.

Dirt-Street-Park (Apr 5, 2011 at 1:08)

Wow. I got a pinch with 40psi once. Minions with DH tube. I was on a new track and I didn't know the layout. Hit a drainage channel at full speed.

staike (Apr 5, 2011 at 1:16)

I have 2ply 2,5" high rollers with standard 200g conti mtb tubes.

i'm only 60kg/130lbs tho.

nhp890 (Apr 5, 2011 at 1:17)

i don't understand either how they can NOT pinch flat those. I run about 35psi, but my tires are 1ply and i'm using a regular thin tube

nhp890 (Apr 5, 2011 at 1:19)

and hey guys, which is more pinch flat resistant? 2ply tire + regular tube or 1ply tire + dh tube?

Dirt-Street-Park (Apr 5, 2011 at 1:22)

@staike I'm only 145

staike (Apr 5, 2011 at 1:29)

A friend of me had like NO pressure at all before. I could bottom the tire to the rim with my thumb.

Max 2 psi. He have never pinch flatted before, believe it or not! He runs Schwalbe Dirty Dan's with some standard tubes and rides really aggressive.

HellslayeR (Apr 5, 2011 at 3:08)

Well i use 2ply and 42a highrollers with 30% sag in front and rear, i usually use between 2,2-2,5 bars, the 1,8 was too low and i often loose the track in corners, the 2,5 is a little high and it creats a little more aggressive rides (so it is wasn't good in technical trails or rockgardens), that remembers me when i went with a Kona Shred hardtrail. Im 78 kgrams, i use 450 spring in the real shock, with 140-150 psi in it. And this setup is more than awesome for me!

dom69foco (Apr 5, 2011 at 12:39)

I've got front: Minion 2-ply 2.5 with xc tube at 28psi back: Conti Mountain King 2.4 with dh tube at 33psi. NEVER pinch flatted. I'm 70 kilos and quite a smooth rider I'd say, but I do dh runs on my AM bike

nouser (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:14)

i run like 35-40 psi on my wetscreams and like 45 on my dry tyres

dhfreeride3 (Apr 5, 2011 at 14:14)

I'm tubeless and I'm ridding 20-25 psi in for dh (170 lbs)

swearmouth (Apr 5, 2011 at 17:26)

Im going to call BS on 15 psi. Normal air pressure levels are 14.5-14.7 or so, so theres no way you would get any inflation at all at 15.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_conditions_for_temperature_and_pressure

I personally run about 35 psi, but never really paid much attention to it. After watching this I'm going to keep a closer eye on it.

RichardCunningham (Apr 5, 2011 at 20:38)

swearmouth (3 hours ago) [Edit]
Quote: Im going to call BS on 15 psi. Normal air pressure levels are 14.5-14.7 or so, so theres no way you would get any inflation at all at 15.

That is partially correct. Atmospheric pressure (one bar) is around 14.7 psi at sea level, as you stated, but tire pressure is measured as if ambient pressure is zero. So running 15psi in your tire (or air shock) at sea level would actually be 29.7psi. Your gauge, however, will still read zero at whatever pressure altitude you begin pumping. Up at 8,000 feet above sea level, atmospheric pressure is only 10.88 pounds per square inch, but inflating your tires to 15 psi will feel the same as 15 psi does at sea level because the pressure differential is 15psi above ambient atmospheric pressure

swearmouth (Apr 5, 2011 at 22:40)

Thanks for the clarification.

PLC07 (Jul 17, 2011 at 11:58)

I've been experimenting with tire pressures lately. I'm 135lbs riding 2.6" kenda nevegals (those that came stock with the bike) mostly on very harsh terrain. I used to ride at 20psi and I never flatted. I rode them down to 15 psi in very wet conditions and never flatted either. The only time I actually had a flat (and it happened on the first run) is when I ran them at 15psi for swamp like conditions and the next week I forgot to inflate them so I was probably running them below 10psi. That goes to say you can go very low before actually pinch flatting. I'm now playing with the other end of the spectrum. I noticed that if I go above 30PSI every time I hit a square bump with the rear tire, they sound like the rim/spokes imploded into eternity (even though there were no damage done) so I guess that's a little too high. I'm currently running them around 28psi. Accelerates very fast and I feel like I'm right at the max limit when it comes to grip but on the other hand I find it also makes you feel the track maybe a little too much on rugged terrain. I overlooked the fact that, as pointed out in the video, if there is too much pressure the tire will "comply" less with the terrain which is something I noticed when going up to 35psi. While feeling even faster, you get deflected all the time or you just don't get any grip at all on dusty rocks with steep angles so you slip all the time in very dry conditions. I'll try to see how it goes around 22-24psi now that I know that you're ok as long as your tire keeps its profile when cornering hard.

staike (Jul 17, 2011 at 13:09)

Yeah, same here. As I said earlier here I ran my tires at 10 psi. I gradually started inflating them to first 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 30. Up to 22 felt really good. When I got over that I felt the track much better, especially those square edge hits. I lowered it down to 22 psi and it's perfect. Found that 22 psi worked really well for me both front and rear, for me on my 7" bike with High Rollers., I'm 125 lbs.

PLC07 (Jul 17, 2011 at 17:11)

I can't wait to try this out. I was running very low until some guy told me he was always running very high (40ish for DH). The tires state 30-60psi after all. After trying stuff around I quickly realized that that guy wasn't making sense and that manufacturer's recommendations weren't making any more sense either. So I figured 28-30 a good compromise until I've been told that pros like gwin run around 24psi. Not sure if it's true but it's worth a try. Nothing beats trying it out by yourself I guess.

nhp890 (Jul 17, 2011 at 17:17)

i'm lighter than gwin, so i guess that 20/18 psi is ok for me. the bike feels great with that pressure

PLC07 (Jul 23, 2011 at 19:58)

Ok, 20psi murdered my rims. Technical rocky tracks sounded like a xylophone concert played on my spokes. No flats but I pinched the rear rim like twice. Also, the acceleration is way too sluggish. Very sticky though. 24-28psi range seems like the best compromise for me.

deoreo (Apr 5, 2011 at 5:05)

RC on Pinkbike Cool!!

Martland (Dec 9, 2012 at 6:41)

As soon as I noticed out of all the hair on that mans face, only his beard was grey, I completely zoned out and stopped listening to what he was saying

Fogelgren (Apr 5, 2011 at 1:24)

Like you said, this is very importent! I will check my tiers more often now! Tanks..

Diggit (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:44)

What about dirtjumpin? like riding hardpack trails? what should your pressure be then?

XKolohe1x (Apr 5, 2011 at 16:48)

im with you i DJ does it pay to have a low tire pressure like they say because i could see that destroying my rims

wesdadude (Apr 6, 2011 at 1:46)

Running lower pressures is for smoothing out all the inconsistencies in the trails and to give slightly more grip in the corners. When you're dirt jumping you don't need these things and therefore can use higher pressures with less rolling resistance

Diggit (Apr 6, 2011 at 11:43)

nice one! good explanation

downinalbion (Apr 5, 2011 at 14:13)

100 psi odyssey K-lytes 24"

rich-dj (Apr 30, 2011 at 6:46)

i run 50psi in both my moto digger tyres

elliottglynn (Nov 8, 2015 at 13:49)

I run 95 in mine suuuper hard though really quick in the skatepark

ryan-82 (Apr 5, 2011 at 4:42)

surely you want about alf a thumb front and rear

Rasterman (Apr 5, 2011 at 9:24)

What about tire pressure for urban and man made wood only trails (ladders, skinnies), any differences?

elliottglynn (Dec 10, 2015 at 22:44)

I think about 5psi for wood/skinnies and about 120psi for urban

barzaka FL (Apr 5, 2011 at 10:49)

This is maybe the best tech tuesday! Thank you pinkbike!

DaGoose (Jul 12, 2021 at 0:53)

No one will ever see this but can some one please deep fake Levy on to RCs face here.

nouser (Apr 6, 2011 at 13:34)

a video on how to set up the "sag" for front and rear shocks.

markbike (Jul 5, 2012 at 15:15)

Floor gauges are often off by 5-10psi around 30psi. Need a good gauge.

ASMC (Aug 25, 2012 at 10:16)

Thanks for the vid PB/RC!

GabeMyers (Nov 19, 2012 at 22:27)

I love this video! Very concise and precise!

pbuser102331 (Apr 5, 2011 at 5:23)

Cool but my park tool bike pump gauge is bust.

pedalhound FL (Apr 5, 2011 at 11:52)

What tire pressure gauge do you guys recommend?

vggg (Aug 24, 2011 at 12:48)

Any recommendations for a presta air pressure guage?

vggg (Aug 24, 2011 at 12:49)

Any recommendations for a PRESTA air pressure gauge?

SintraFreeride (Apr 5, 2011 at 13:05)

RC on pinkbike. Has he left Mtbaction the greatest bike mag ever?

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