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Setting Your Tire Pressure
Riding your mountain bike with the appropriate amount of tire
pressure can make a huge difference in how much control you have
over your bike.
Setting your tire pressure too high will make for poor contact
with the ground and also make your bike less controllable.
Setting your tire pressure too low will make your tires
unpredictable and also make them susceptible to pinch flats.
The appropriate amount of tire pressure in a mountain bike will
vary between rider to rider and tire setup to tire setup. The
conditions of your trail and the type of terrain your riding
will also greatly impact what tire pressure you should be using
in your tires.
The trick here is to find out exactly what mountain bike tire
pressure works for you and your setup during normal conditions.
After doing this, you can learn to adjust your pressure for
different trails and types of terrain as needed.
You should start by finding a reliable pressure gauge or a pump
with a pressure gauge. Then, use this same gauge or pump anytime
you are making adjustments. A gauge can be very inaccurate, so
if you switch around it you can make things much more difficult.
You should start with a higher pressure of around 40 - 50 psi.
If you have a tubeless system, you should start lower, 30 - 40
psi. The more you weigh, the higher pressure you should start
with. Try this pressure for a while and get a feel for how the
tires take corners and loose dirt.
Drop the pressure by 5 psi in each tire and get a feel for how
this new setup rides and how it compares to your previous
setting. You should notice some improvement in stability, and if
you don't, drop the pressure by another 5 psi.
You want to find the lowest pressure you can ride with without
sacrificing pinch flat resistance. A pinch flat occurs when your
tire rolls over an object then compresses
to the point where the tire and the tube get pinched between the
object and the rim on the wheel.
With tubeless tire systems, you can run much lower air pressure,
as you don't have to worry about getting pinch flats. If you
start to dent your rims, burp air out along the bead, or feel
the tire roll under the rim during hard cornering, you've taken
the pressure much
too low.
Once you've found a comfortable setting for your tire pressure,
learn what your tire feels like when you squeeze it with your
hands. Once you know what your tires feel like you can always
get the right air pressure - with any pump.