All you need to know about tyre pressure
Your tyres should be the only contact point between you and the ground when you’re out riding. Therefore it’s only natural that your choice of tyre pressure is going to influence how your bike handles. But what tyre pressure should you run?
That is the million dollar question. Unfortunately there isn’t a go to pressure that works perfectly for everyone. You could just inflate your tyres to the pressures written on the tyre sidewall, and the chances are the manufacturer’s guidelines may get you close. But it will still take some experimentation to find the pressure that works for you. At best, the minimum recommended ratings on the sidewall are an educated guesstimate as to what will work for most people most of the time. But even then I personally wouldn’t go down that route.
Schwalbe recommend 23-50psi on the Magic Mary.
Trying to figure out the right tyre pressure that is unique to you is as much a dark art as a science. You need to take the time to experiment with different pressures to find what feels right on differing terrain. But in order to find the tyre pressure that suits you there are several factors you have to consider.
Your weight
A lighter rider will likely get away with having a lower tyre pressure, where as a heavier rider will potentially need to run higher tyre pressures to achieve the same result.
Tyre volume
The volume of a tyre will determine how a given pressure ‘feels’ when riding. For example, higher tyre pressures generally lead to the wheel bouncing off, rather than absorbing the trails irregularities.
Tyre construction
Not all tyres are created equal. The casing, tread and sidewall strength will all determine how low a pressure you can run without compromising puncture protection, your rim, or your feeling of control.
Rim width
A wider rim does a better job of supporting a tyre than a narrow one. But it is relative to the tyre size you are running. As with tyres, not all rims are created equal. Some are fragile and some can withstand a hell of a beating.
Terrain
If you mainly ride smooth, fast and flowy hard packed trails you can get away with running lower tyre pressures. But if you ride gnarly rockier trails, running slightly higher tyre pressures will help to protect your sidewalls as well as your rims.
Riding style
The more aggressive you are, the more likely it is you may need to run a little more tyre pressure. Where as if you ride ‘light’ and are more precise with your line choices, you can probably get away with slightly less pressure so you can benefit from the extra grip and comfort.
Tubeless or tubes
With a tubeless setup you can run lower tyre pressures without having to worry about the dreaded snakebite puncture. Where as if you are running tubes higher pressures will help to avoid them. Finding that perfect pressure on a tubeless set-up still relies greatly on the factors already mentioned, especially your riding style and the terrain you ride.
Long gone is the old school methodology of pumping up your tyre as hard you can until it feels like it will burst. Tubeless has put pay to that.
So what is the benefit of lower tyre pressure?
If you run a tubeless set-up, which in my opinion if you’re not, you should be, the main benefit is the extra grip that it can provide, it allows the tyre to deform around the trails irregularities rather than bounce over them, which will give you more control and increase comfort. Although some people will tell you lower pressures result in a slow rolling tyre, the reality is that’s only really applicable on the smoothest of surfaces such as a road. So for a mountain biker, unless your riding on lanes and roads a lot, it’s a bit of a moot point.
Lower tyre pressures should give you more grip and comfort from your setup.
The higher the tyre pressure the more it should help support the sidewalls whilst offering an increase in stability in corners and berms, as well as increased protection for the rim. But, if you go too high traction will become a problem and the ride will feel harsh.
When it comes to finding the perfect tyre pressure, it’s all about finding the perfect balance between grip and stability.
Tyre pressure is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to tune up how your bike feels on the trails.
But how do you go about it?
For a more detailed explanation on tyre pressures complete with some actionable points click the link below for my ‘subscriber only’ post. It will set you up to enjoy more grip, more control and more fun from your bike.