Tire Pressure - Does anyone ride higher pressures like they did in the dawn MTB

[Mikerb]

I would guess both rim and tyre design has improved in the last few years hence optimum pressures are likely to be different than before. The change from 26 inch to 27.5 and 29 also means the wheels have better a bility to rollover rocks/roots etc that on 26 would try to stop the wheel and therefore push into the tyre a lot more.

With reasonably low pressures ( below 25 psi) the tyre provides the first few mm of "suspension" as well.

 

[SwampNut]

I would guess both rim and tyre design has improved in the last few years hence optimum pressures are likely to be different than before.

Yup, and it seems like most people are running too much pressure. I keep watching expert riders running low pressures, and not destroying stuff, so it must also be safe for us normal people.

 

[RustyIron]

I don't think I've ever ridden on this stuff I hear about called loam.

Right? This forum is SO educational. We get to learn about this stuff called "loam," and... and... what's the other stuff called? "Mud?" Some day I want to be able to ride on all these exotic mud-loam trails.

 

[SwampNut]

I still don't know what loam is, and learned a hard lesson about what passes for mud in my area, which happens once a year or so.

 

[steve_sordy]

I still don't know what loam is, and learned a hard lesson about what passes for mud in my area, which happens once a year or so.

View attachment 113965

I see your mud and raise it with mine.

I had to stop because the mud on the tyre was being shaped by the seat stays and I was concerned that I might wear away the paint. I got rid of most of it with a stick (helpfully provided in the mud - see behind the seat tube). But 200 yards further on, I had to do it again!

 

[SwampNut]

Yeah, that's cute, I didn't get to choose. I came to a hard stop and almost went over. The mud and grass/sticks turned into concrete over the span of a few seconds. No thanks. We get 360 days of sunshine per year and a few days of rain, I'm just gonna avoid this crap.

 

[Mikerb]

What most in the UK call "mud" is soil with a high clay content.....hence it sticks to the tyres etc and if allowed to dry becomes quite difficult to remove...............but not as difficult as cow sh#t!!
Soil that has an almost equal proportion of sand, silt and clay plus some form of humus is loam. That is the trail surface I most often ride in the forests a round here..........the leaf and tree debris fall providing the humus, and the forests planted on what was previously sandy heathland. Because of the more open structure of loam it does not stick to the tyres and cleaning the bike after a ride is easy..........let it dry and brush it off, then a damp cloth and dry towel. The trals are also rideable in virtually any weather conditions, and drain really well. There is virtually no rock, just roots to contend with and tyre pressures for loam are typically 20f 22r.

If we do a XC type ride we can get a mix of mud and loamy surfaces plus sandstone rock............and cow sh#t!! I use 22f24r for those types of ride.

Another surface we encounter is pure chalk slab where any covering soil has eroded away. That stuff, if wet, is just as slippery as ice regardless what tyres and what tyre pressures!!

 

[steve_sordy]

and if allowed to dry becomes quite difficult to remove...............but not as difficult as cow sh#t!!
......................!

The worst of all is sheep shit that has been laid for a while and gone green on the inside. That washes/scrubs off OK, but actually stains the rubber on the tyres! It will not wash off with anything I have dared to use.

The only thing that shifts it is abrasion, so it's a good job that I mostly ride sandy trails.

 

[RebornRider]

This is not a common site on my regular ride (Pleasanton Ridge, California), but it will happen once or twice a year.

It won't rain for months after a sheep attack, so the pellets just turn to dust.

This thread has really left the trail!

 

[steve_sordy]

..............

It won't rain for months after a sheep attack, so the pellets just turn to dust.

..........

Then you breathe it in!

 

[Mrj35]

Hi, Whenever I raced I used higher pressures and always felt much more confident cornering, not feeling the sidewall bob and roll. So I gave up riding low pressures on my bikes. My bike in race trim always felt better. Now I've got a Levo Comp Carbon all stock and everyone is telling me to ride low tire pressure. Nobody I've talked to actually plays much with their suspension or tire pressure. With all forces magnified on an e-bike, how do low pressures hold up? I'm looking for answers from riders that have made actual comparisons on their bikes, please. Thanks!

I'm riding 32psi front and 38psi rear. Maxxis assegai double downs. No tire inserts.
Works great, plenty of grip. Just takes a bit of getting used to.

 

[Dax]

I'm riding 32psi front and 38psi rear. Maxxis assegai double downs. No tire inserts.
Works great, plenty of grip. Just takes a bit of getting used to.

That's the same tyre pressure I run in my car

 

[Mrj35]

That's the same tyre pressure I run in my car

Yeah a little sacrifice on grip to protect the wheels I'm 100kg and I just send high speed double black trails mostly.

I've run cush core with lower pressure... 28psi and it certainly doesn't stop rims from bending lol. I never get rim strikes though due to the higher pressures.

So I'm done with the cushcore and it's back to high pressure.

If I was just casually riding typical trails I could get away with <30psi though no issues.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I'll sometimes run higher pressures when working ..