Tire pressure

Unicycles and Equipment
1

I have a Torker DX 24" with a Kenda Kenitics tire that’s rated
30-50psi.

I’m starting to do alot of hopping around and it appears that the tire
could use a bit of air. Considering my weight(230lbs) should I keep it
up at 50psi or, should I keep it lower? I’m unsure where the pressure
is right now but, I’m sure that it’s not up to full capacity.

Just trying to avoid damaging it.

-Rico

2

I have a 24" LX and have mine at 40psi. I weigh 150lbs. You can easily go 50-55psi.

3

Generally, hopping is easier with less air in the tire. Many people doing trials and MUni use just enough air to keep the tire from bottoming out; in your case you can probably go even below 30psi if you want to.

Less air means the tire is squishier and takes more energy to ride, but it also means it’s easier to get the compression you want when you’re hopping, and it rolls over bumps better.

4

Are you kiding below 30 psi for a 250lb person? :astonished: He would bottom out every time! Trust me keep it at around 40 psi if your doing trials and around 45-50 psi if your doing muni.

       Cam:)
5

He said 230 pounds. I have ridden on a Surly Endomorph carrying a 50-pound backpack, which put me well over 230 pounds, with the tire at 30psi on road and below 10psi on sand. The tire he has, I ran on my MUni for many years at 22psi before I switched to a Duro at 15-16psi.

6

I’d assume as long as you’re not rimming it, you should be fine. Experiment til you find a good medium.

7

No one can tell you what pressure to put in your tire unless they’re using the same tire and wheel size and they weigh the same as you.

Too low is when you’re bottoming out the rim on the ground. Too high is when you blow the tire bead off the rim. Everything in between is personal preference.

For hopping and muni, I like my tire pressure low.

To find out how low you can go, let some air out. Then go do some vigorous hopping. Still not bottoming out? Let some more air out. Bottoming out yet? If so, put a couple of psi back in, and then check it with a pressure gauge so you know what to pump it up to the next time.

8

For a 3"-ish muni tyre, 1psi for every 10lb of rider weight is usually a good starting point, which would be 23psi for you. Then adjust it depending on your riding style and terrain - if you keep bottoming out or the tyre keeps folding, up the pressure a bit; if you’re getting bounced off the pedals on roots and rocks, lower it a bit.

I think your tyre is probably a 2.6" (?) and may have thinner side walls than the likes of a Duro, so you may be best to start a little bit above the 23psi, but not much. I ride my 26x3" at somewhere between 15 and 20psi depending on how rocky the route is, and I weigh about 12 stone (168lbs). I don’t do big drops though (nothing more than 18" or so).

Don’t take too much notice of the recommended pressure on the tyre.

Rob

9

Re: Tire pressure

I checked the tire and it was at 30psi so, I raised it to 50psi and
tried it. It sucked! Hard as a rock. So, I started lowering it a
little at a time and found that a comfortable level was 40psi.
Anything lower and it feels too soft. Anything higher just feels too
tight.

I don’t really want to do any severe drops. Nothing more than 6-12
inches. I also don’t really think that I’m going to go off-roading on
it so, having it a bit tighter than that is nicely comfortable. I’ve
been watching alot of freestyle stuff on youtube lately and really dig
the smoothness of it. That’s probably what I’ll gravitate toward.
Hell, once I get better I might change my mind but, for now, that’s
the plan.

Thanks for all the input.

-Rico

10

I am a bit over 240 myself, and i ride with 30 psi in the tire all the time. Hopping, i’ve yet to bottom out with that pressure in the tire. I ride with 30/35 psi in the tire on my 24 and 29er.

I think it all depends on the rider, and his/her preferences. I won’t go over 40psi on my tires. I’ve blown one already due to that, and won’t do it again, on accident at least.