Related Hints About Mountain Bike Tire Pressures

By Ady Calow | Jul 11, 2009

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Riding a mountain bike with the correct amount of tire pressure can cause a huge difference as to the amount of control you exert over the bike.  Putting the pressure too high would cause bad contact with the terrain and additionally make your bike unpredictable.  However, setting your pressure too low will make your tires erratic and also make the tires vulnerable to pinch flats.

The proper volume of pressure in a mountain bike would alter with each rider and tire setup to tire setup.  The conditions of the trail and the type of terrain you are riding will also seriously affect the pressure you must use in the tires.  The trick in this exercise is to find out exactly what mountain bike tire pressure works for you as well as your configuration during normal circumstances.  After doing that, you can figure out how to change the pressure for different tracks as well as variations of surface when needed.

You should begin by obtaining a reliable pressure gauge or a pump with a gauge.  After that, employ this same gauge or the pump anytime you’re doing adjustments.  A pressure gauge may be incorrect, therefore if you change around you may make things a lot harder.  You must start by using a greater pressure of about 40-50 pounds per square inch however if you have a tubeless variant, you would start with a lower pressure, 30-40 pounds per square inch.  The more mass you have, the higher pressure you should begin with, consequently try that pressure for a while and get a feel for the way your tires handle sharp turns and loose dirt.

Drop the pressure by five pounds per square inch in each tire and get a feel for how this new configuration handles and how this compares to your last configuration.  You should observe a little improvement in the way it handles, and if you do not, drop the pressure by another 5 psi because for the best, you’ll need to seek the least tire pressure you can bike with without sacrificing pinch flat resistivity.  A pinch flat occurs as the tire rolls over something then squeezes to the point where the tire as well as it’s tube get squeezed between the foreign item and the rim.

Using tubeless tires, you can run far less air pressure, as you do not have to worry over obtaining pinch flats.  If you start to dent the rims, expel air out periodically, or feel the tire roll beneath the wheen rim during tough cornering, because you’ve left your pressure too low.  Once you’ve discovered that perfect setting for the pressure, work out what your tire feels like as you squeeze it with your bare hands.  Once you understand what your tires feel like you will always be able to get the proper pressure – with any hand or foot pump.

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