Levo Gen 3 Tire pressure on turbo levo comp carbo

[Bazzer485]

Hi , I have a new Turbo Levo comp with the standard Specialized tires which have been converted to tubeless using Stan’s no more flats. Ok the question is what is the minimum tire pressure I can use? I am about 220 lbs and like a plush ride Here in Northern California the dirt is rock hard clay with lots of loose small rocks on the surface during the summer. It makes for tricky riding particularly stopping the front end from washing out
Thanks for your input
Barry

 

[steve_sordy]

This will depend upon the tyre width, tyres size, type of casing and so forth.
Honestly, the best thing is to take a guess (guided by your current experience) and then ride the bike. Take a digital pressure gauge with you and a pump. Start with a higher pressure than you think would be acceptable and work down from there. If you end up going too low, then that is what the pump is for.

This is the tyre pressure gauge I use. I have had mine for many years. Very consistent, easy to use.

SMARTGAUGE D2​

Let me guess for you. Start with 30psi front and 35 rear. That should prevent too much unpleasant pumping back up.

You are correct to use your tyres and tyre pressure as part of your suspension to get the type of ride you are looking for. But you must put at least (and probably a lot more) the same effort into getting the suspension set up for what you are looking for.

For me it's an iterative process. I start with tyre pressures that I am comfortable with, get the suspension as dialled as I can, then start again on tyre pressures. I go as low as I can without a risk of squirming, the tyres rolling off the rims, or banging the rims on the rocks. Some go even lower but add inserts like a Cushcore to absorb the hits. If I discover that I've gone too far, I increase by 1-2 psi and try again.

It's all part of the new bike fun!

 

[GrafJ]

I'd say play about with them to find what suits - everyone is different
I have a Levo Comp and I weigh 210 lbs plus Backpack
I run tubeless and use Stans and found I can run as low as:
F - 15PSI - Butcher 29 x 2.6
R- 17.5 PSI - Eliminator 27.5 x 2.6

Possibly try 22PSI to start in each

 

[brigcampbell]

what is the minimum tire pressure I can use

I'm 200lbs in SoCal and was running at 25psi. Until I bent the rear rim. That's an expensive lesson. Also at lower psi the risk of burping is real.

I run 30psi which seems to be the sweet spot.

 

[Chris Stewart]

I'm 180lbs. And run 24-26 front and 27-28 rear. Works pretty well. I'm in the north Georgia area. Still running tubes though. No flats thus far.

 

[RebornRider]

I also ride NorCal hard pack clay covered with tan dust. I started at about 30 psi front and rear. The washbaord was no fun, so I dropped to 25/25. Over the past 3 years, I've inched down, bottoming out at 20F/22R. That was low enough that the bike felt too squishy. I'm currently at 22F/23R, which seems to be the sweet spot. My regular ride is a public park without any features like berms, wall rides, fast rock gardens, or big drops or jumps, so my cornering forces and rock impacts are not super high. No burping or dinged rims!

 

[markloch]

NorCal (Marin) rider. Tubeless 17/21 on my Rail, bike plus me plus pack = 285ish. Tires are 2.8/2.6. Most of my rides are a mile or two of pavement to the trailhead. There are some rides that are 8-10 miles of pavement, for those long pavement rides if I remember to I’ll pump up to 25/30 until I get to the trailhead.

 

[Bazzer485]

NorCal (Marin) rider. Tubeless 17/21 on my Rail, bike plus me plus pack = 285ish. Tires are 2.8/2.6. Most of my rides are a mile or two of pavement to the trailhead. There are some rides that are 8-10 miles of pavement, for those long pavement rides if I remember to I’ll pump up to 25/30 until I get to the trailhead.

What it the terrain like in Marin? Here it’s very hot and dusty with lots of rain ruts, left over from last winter, with lots of loose gravelly stones, mostly pebble sized and can be very slippery. Tire choice doesn’t seem to make much difference. On my Moots YBB I have a very smooth tubeless tire and on my Levo I have the standard. I think the lower pressures might help a lot. I’ll report back once I can get a ride in when the temperature drops below 100!!!!
B

 

[markloch]

More or less the same but the ocean is right there so not as hot. Depending on temps I can choose coast side or inland side.

As far as legal trials go it’s mainly fire roads, in GGNRA (from GG bridge to mt tam) it’s more dirt, loose dirt, some rain ruts, geology of mt Tam can be more rocky. Nice thing about GGNRA is that it’s open 24x7, great for night rides on warm summer evenings.

 

[Bazzer485]

Can I assume that Mt Tam is not legal!

 

[markloch]

Can I assume that Mt Tam is not legal!

Lots of e-bikes on south side of Tam and adjacent county open space where l they’re prohibited supposed ti be prohibited. North side of Tam is mainly water district, no e-bikes, but that’s about to change, at least for a pilot period. I haven’t ridden much on that side, except for Eldridge Grade that wraps back around towards the south. Then there’s Tamarancho, owned by Boy Scouts, that has single track trails, (though I haven’t been there since in 50 years! Yikes!)

 

[Bazzer485]

Lots of e-bikes on south side of Tam and adjacent county open space where l they’re prohibited supposed ti be prohibited. North side of Tam is mainly water district, no e-bikes, but that’s about to change, at least for a pilot period. I haven’t ridden much on that side, except for Eldridge Grade that wraps back around towards the south. Then there’s Tamarancho, owned by Boy Scouts, that has single track trails, (though I haven’t been there since in 50 years! Yikes!)

I rode Tam back in the eighties with Richey and a few others. We drank loads of beer and rode clunkers, my god that was a long time ago. I lived and work on the South Shore Tahoe in the late eighties, apart from Moab that was the best riding bar non. That’s including riding in the UK , Hawaii and the Canary Islands. I also lived in Boston for a while, but none beats Tahoe, well at least as it was. I’m dead old now and because of health not so fit, but I would love to ride Tam again. The Levo has given me a whole new outlook on life. They are just amazing!!!
Thanks for the info.
B

 

[markloch]

eMTBs definitely change the game for us old guys, especially when your average rides
start at 2k vert. I haven’t ridden Tahoe but I have access to a condo at Kirkwood (my home mountain for skiing) and have been itching to go up.

I have one of my klunkers, stepson has another. ‘40 schwinn excelsior, ‘70s araya steel rims, ‘50s bendix 2-speed in back (manual not kickback!) “modern” wtb mutanoraptors, Magura brake lever for the atom drum brake in front. Feels so tiny compared to my three 29ers.

 

[Bazzer485]

Wow, what a lovely bike, it’s a museum bike for sure. I would love a bike like that.
Baz

 

[daveawb]

I'd say play about with them to find what suits - everyone is different
I have a Levo Comp and I weigh 210 lbs plus Backpack
I run tubeless and use Stans and found I can run as low as:
F - 15PSI - Butcher 29 x 2.6
R- 17.5 PSI - Eliminator 27.5 x 2.6

Possibly try 22PSI to start in each

The same tyres on mine
I run 17PSI front and 20PSI rear on trails with hard clay surfaces and quite a bit of loose gravel / dirt over the top. They grip incredibly well during the warmer dryer months but suffer in colder / wetter conditions. I also have to ride over 4 miles mostly on asphalt to get to the trails which destroys these tyres otherwise I would likely drop my pressures down to the ones @GrafJ mentions above.