Unanswered Higher pressures on emtb?

[Chrismondy]

I've never been part of a forum before and wanted to ask what tyre pressures you guys ride?

Do emtbs generally need a little more than mtb due to their weight?

I wrecked my set of tyres and rim on my mondraker within 1 run of bombing it down a skislope. Pretty disappointing and i was running 1.6 bar.

Is that high /low/totally crazy?

 

[Rahr85]

Pressure is very variable and also related to the durability of the tyre casing and the conditions you are riding in, along with your riding style and your weight. (and altitude as atmospheric pressure changes)

I generally run around 25 psi front (1.7bar) and 28 psi rear ( 1.9 bar) in 2.5/2.6" x 27.5" tyres but if i'm solely doing jumps and more likely to case the rear i'll run closer to the mid 30's as i'd rather the suspension worked harder than the tyre giving in and slamming the wheel rim on something.

If coming into contact with rocks i think 1.6 in the rear might have been bordering on low pressure, but i know people will run tubeless at these pressures.

 

[Chrismondy]

Pressure is very variable and also related to the durability of the tyre casing and the conditions you are riding in, along with your riding style and your weight. (and altitude as atmospheric pressure changes)

I generally run around 25 psi front (1.7bar) and 28 psi rear ( 1.9 bar) in 2.5/2.6" x 27.5" tyres but if i'm solely doing jumps and more likely to case the rear i'll run closer to the mid 30's as i'd rather the suspension worked harder than the tyre giving in and slamming the wheel rim on something.

If coming into contact with rocks i think 1.6 in the rear might have been bordering on low pressure, but i know people will run tubeless at these pressures.

That's good to know cheers for sharing! I'm on tubeless 29ers and i could probably get my suspension doing more work and perhaps even softening it as its hard to bottom out

 

[Gary]

Hi.
Asking or giving advice about tyre pressures is fairly pointless without giving your weight or tyre volumes.
Bottom line is suitable tyre pressures depend on a rider's weight and how and where they ride. And even then personal preference comes into it massively.
But if you're pinch flatting easily you're definitely not running supportive enough pressures for the tyres you have.

Destroying rims is another matter. If you run too low tyre pressure it stands to reason sooner or later you're going to damage your rims. If you puncture and continue riding on the flat it stands to reason you're going to do even more damage.

 

[steve_sordy]

I ride with lower tyre pressures on my emtb than I did on my mtb, despite the fact that the emtb is 6kg heavier.

But that is because the mtb tyres were 27.5x2.2" and my emtb tyres are 29x2.5".

Adjust your tyre pressures until you get the ride feel, cornering and climbing ability that you want. Don't be afraid to adjust it later if you are riding somewhere different, and then again, and again, and again................

 

[Chrismondy]

I ride with lower tyre pressures on my emtb than I did on my mtb, despite the fact that the emtb is 6kg heavier.

But that is because the mtb tyres were 27.5x2.2" and my emtb tyres are 29x2.5".

Adjust your tyre pressures until you get the ride feel, cornering and climbing ability that you want. Don't be afraid to adjust it later if you are riding somewhere different, and then again, and again, and again................

Nice that's interesting so the weight of the bike is just one variable that isn't necessarily and indication to say = increase tyre pressure over and above mtb. Appreciate the feedback. I already run massive 29ers 2.6 in exo+ or blck dmnd side walls yet still managed to completely destroy my back wheels rim and at the time was running 1.6 bar. I thought that was normal which by the replies here isn't too unusual. So was just riding very hard.

 

[flash]

You could also consider inserts. You sound like a good candidate for Cushcore.

Gordon

 

[Mikerb]

The fact that you specified your tyre pressure perhaps infers you do not adjust that to suit whatever terrain you think you will encounter on a specific ride. For reference, I typically run 18f/20r psi on natural forest trails, 24f/26r on harder/more mixed terrain, and for particularly rocky terrain probably more like 28f/30r. I am 79kg and that is with both 27.5 and 29 2.4 tyres enduro spec casings.
If you have set tyre pressures for softer terrain and you happen upon a rocky section you obviously have to moderate your line choice and speed to take account of that. No one wins the race by breaking their kit!!

 

[Chrismondy]

The fact that you specified your tyre pressure perhaps infers you do not adjust that to suit whatever terrain you think you will encounter on a specific ride. For reference, I typically run 18f/20r psi on natural forest trails, 24f/26r on harder/more mixed terrain, and for particularly rocky terrain probably more like 28f/30r. I am 79kg and that is with both 27.5 and 29 2.4 tyres enduro spec casings.
If you have set tyre pressures for softer terrain and you happen upon a rocky section you obviously have to moderate your line choice and speed to take account of that. No one wins the race by breaking their kit!!

Agreed and thank you for sharing your stats

 

[Rosemount]

Tyre gauge and a pump for a few rides .
Try different pressures . Feel the difference 2-3 pounds makes . Once you find the happy medium . Check with the gauge . Squeezing the tyre is inaccurate . Use the same again adjust minimally for changing conditions .

edited to add ; tyres often lose pressure over time . If you use the gauge . Then they can be the same every ride . Or adjusted appropriately to suit conditions . No gauge its a shot in the dark .