Similar to the suspension setting fallacy, you can’t ride off a kerb at low speed to test your tyre pressure. And yet many riders will pinch their tyres by hand and muse,” yeah, that feels good.”
MTB TIRE PSI PROFESSIONAL
Not even the most experienced and dexterous professional mountain bike mechanic could accurately measure tyre pressure by the forefinger-and-thumb test. The finger pinch method is comically silly. The first step to getting your tyre pressures correct is to ignore whatever is recommended on your tyres.Īnother mistake that too many riders make is using wildly inaccurate methods for gauging and adjusting tyre pressure.
MTB TIRE PSI PRO
Nearly every pro mountain biker, rides way below the minimum suggested threshold for their given tyres. Minimum and maximum inflation guides printed on your tyre sidewalls relate to legality and product litigation.
It might sound deeply counterintuitive, but it is true. If you follow the inflation guide on your mountain bike tyre sidewalls, you are guaranteed never to ride at the correct pressure. There’s little difference in the recommended tyre pressures between tubed and tubeless, but tubeless are slightly more tolerant to lower pressures, so it’s not uncommon for tubeless riders to let just a little air out before riding.2021 Norco optic c3 rear tyre.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Even though tubeless tyres can circumvent some of the problems of having the wrong tyre pressure, it’s still important for the sake of performance. Tubeless tyres don’t suffer from this problem, because the tyre sealant automatically blocks off any airflow, making the tyres much more resistant to punctures. These differences in construction lead to different reactions to punctures when a tubed tyre is punctured all the way to the inner tube, they begin to leak air which can be potentially dangerous and leads to flat tyres. The tyre is then filled with air through a valve in the rim. Tubeless tyres, on the other hand, have no inner tube, and instead, make the tyre itself airtight, so it can be mounted directly onto the wheel rim. This tube is what holds the air pressure and allows the tyre to be inflated. Tubed tyres have an inner tube made of rubber that is filled with air and sealed inside the tyre. First, though, let’s examine the difference between higher and lower tyre pressures.Īs you might guess, whether a tyre is tubed or tubeless makes a world of difference for tyre pressure, with the latter requiring higher pressures to get the best performance and durability.
However, as we’ll discuss, when it comes to electric mountain bikes, riders often pump in a little extra pressure due to additional weight. Most mountain bike riders will run their MTBs between 22 and 25 PSI (depending on personal preference and trail variables). Fortunately, tyre pressures are really pretty simple, so you won’t have to dig too hard to uncover their secrets.įor the longest time, people thought that keeping your tyre pressure high was enough to get good performance, but thanks to years of engineering, we’ve discovered that the ideal pressure to get the most out of your wheel actually ranges from situation to situation, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be high – this is especially important if you’re running niche styles like fat tyres. You’re going to struggle to reach maximum performance out on the trails without getting tyre pressure right for your electric mountain bike.
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