MTB tyre pressure

[Reyneke]

Do I pump my MTB tyres the same pressure for road and off road cycling.

[TheoG]

Yes.  About 2 Bar for allover, if you riding more sandy conditions you can go down to about 1.5 Bar.

 

That being said, everyone have their own preference, you will surely get a lot of different responses on this ...

[Vetseun]

2 bar works for me.

If you are only going to ride on tarmac, you can increase the pressure.

Ultimately what ever works for you.

[DieselnDust]

82Kg for bike + myself.

23psi front (1.6bar)/ 25psi (1.75bar) rear on Pirelli Scorpion H 2.2. Lite*

If riding long distance on tar I'll jack the pressure up to 30psi front and rear (2.03bar).

 

Different weight riders will need different pressures. Try the SRAM tyrewiz app. It'l give you a fairly good indication of pressure you need to start with. 

The tyre will also make a difference as larger volume trail tyres with armoured side walls can be run at lower pressure the side walls are more supportive

 

 

* I've given up on the super low pressures because they feel good on the trail till you hit a sharp edged rock then the inevitable pinch flat happens

With my suspension tuned properly I don't need the tyre to be super low pressure. If there's a lot of sand expected then I go to 2.4 tyres and run them around 20 front and 23psi rear

Edited August 24, 2020 by DieselnDust

[Dicky DQ]

about 110 to 120 bike and me. MTB offroad 1.5 Bar onroad 2 Bar (it is faster)

[Me rida my bicycle]

I would say happy medium for on road and off would be 1.8bar rear 1.5 bar front.

For yesterday's long ride I went up to 2.4bar because I thought it would help only difference is the bike was much more uncomfortable the difference in rolling resistance over 100km+ was not noticeable. I actually think running lower pressure would have been better for my body

[DR ◣◢]

Yes. About 2 Bar for allover, if you riding more sandy conditions you can go down to about 1.5 Bar.

 

That being said, everyone have their own preference, you will surely get a lot of different responses on this ...

I’m sure this works for you but every rider is a different weight and riding styles differ. Also factor in the different tyre sizes and you find yourself with almost infinite variable.

 

Tyres on road can be run at basically the max rated pressure to reduce rolling resistance while setting up for a trail will require the correct pressure for maximum traction while not so soft that pinch flat or roll the tyre off the rim.

[arendoog]

For my weight at 100kg i ride with 1,6 Bar front and 1,8 rear pressures on 2:35 size tyres.Lower pressures are almost always better than too hard 

[BSG]

I would say happy medium for on road and off would be 1.8bar rear 1.5 bar front.

For yesterday's long ride I went up to 2.4bar because I thought it would help only difference is the bike was much more uncomfortable the difference in rolling resistance over 100km+ was not noticeable. I actually think running lower pressure would have been better for my body

Me 85kg bike +-11kg Ht, normally 1.6 - 1.8 bar front and back.

Two rides ago pumped them 2 bar and we did a corrugation gravel road, almost lost the enamel on my teeth.

[Paulst12]

82Kg for bike + myself.

23psi front / 25psi rear on Pirelli Scorpion H 2.2. Lite*

If riding long distance on tar I'll jack the pressure up to 30psi front and rear.

 

Different weight riders will need different pressures. Try the SRAM tyrewiz app. It'l give you a fairly good indication of presure you need to start with. 

The tyre will also make a difference as larger volume trail tyres with armoured side walls can be run at lower pressure the side walls are more supportive

 

 

* I've given up on the super low pressures because they feel good on the trail till you hot a shaprt edged rock then the inevitable pinch flat happens

With my suspension tuned properly I don't need the tyre to be super low pressure. If there's alot of sand expected then I go to 2.4 tyres and run them around 20 front and 23psi rear

whats your opinion of the Pirelli Tyres? 

[RobertWhitehead]

For my weight at 100kg i ride with 1,6 Bar front and 1,8 rear pressures on 2:35 size tyres.Lower pressures are almost always better than too hard 

 

This is what I do

 

I used to go with around 2 bar on my 2.35's but lately I've found to have more grip on the single track and also less of a "jittery" feel if I go with between 1.6 - 1.8. I have a set of Cobalts which only has like 22 spokes 

Edited August 24, 2020 by RobertWhitehead

[Reyneke]

I am 107kg,going down, will keep mine the same, 2.2 tyres, 2.0 bar front and 2.1 back,

Thank you all.

[DieselnDust]

whats your opinion of the Pirelli Tyres?

 

I really like them. Using the Lite in H tread and compound. Great for marathon and xco if you're a sensitive rider. The newer XC prowall tyres should sort out the riders with less finesse or opt for the older M for Mixed terrain construction.

Grip is great

Rolling resistance is low and the tyre transitions from upright to side knobs very smooth and progressively so gives me a lot of confidence.

 

The grip also remains consistent through the tyres life as its a single compound rubber not the multi compound type like others.

 

 

 

.

Edited August 24, 2020 by DieselnDust

[TyronLab]

Without giving us your weight, tyre size/casing, rim width and riding style this is pretty much a "how long is a piece of string" question.

 

For reference, on my Stache (29x3.0 on 45mm IW rims, me being 87kg) almost everybody on the internet says they run 11-13psi. If I go below 16/19 psi f/r I get rim strikes, if I go above 20psi I lose some traction and comfort. For road riding I go up to 30psi or it feels like I'm dragging a boat anchor.

 

Best thing to do is to figure out what works for you with your setup. Start out on the harder side and progressively decrease in small increments until you find the right balance between rim protection and comfort/conditions.

[Martin PJ]

Something to consider, when combining a tar / MTB ride, carry a pump and deflate / re-inflate for the off road / tar sections. I had a bad wipe out earlier this year on some gravel roads trying to ride with hard pressures. Won't make that mistake again. I don't weigh much, so the 2 bar in the tubeless is far too much for off road. Fine for tar.

[PPM]

I am 106kg 1.94mt. I ride a Merida 120XT RC with Race Rekon 2.35 as standard equipment. My approximate pressures are as follows:

Front 1.5 Bar

Rear 1.8 Bar.

These give me the best traction over the surfaces that I ride - vineyard trails, mountain trails - Lourensford etc.

 

My tyres are tubeless. If you are still running tubes, you're going to need more air....

 

Trial and error at the end of the day.