My GF and I finally got our new Munis ! It is a Semcycle XLW w/ Miyata
Seat. At first, we found it a little bit hard to ride them on pavement
and even off road but we got used to them in a couple of hours…
Meanwhile, My GF still finds it hard to ride…
Here’s my question : She had at first 36 psi in her tire… After a
couple of tests, we found out that the best pressure for her was 18 psi
! She weighs 120 pounds. Tire is a Gazz 24x2.6. Does this make sense
that she rides her muni with such a low pressure (min. recommended
pressure is 22psi.) ?
I know that the best pressure is the pressure we feel good with but I
was wondering what were the drawbacks, if any, of such a low pressure in
the gazz… She still finds it hard on uneven terrain (requires much leg
power for her…). Should she try to get used to a higher pressure so
that it would require less leg power ? Maybe longer cranks would help
her too… Her Muni is built with 152mm cranks (6").
That low pressure sure is nice on sand. Then again, it’s a bit hard on the wheel when you decide to impress the MUC by pinging your rim on a concreate parking bumper. She might lay the wheel over and see if the the tire folds on her; same for an agressive side hop. If it folds over badly, it’s probably too low- or not, depending on what she’s riding. Ted rides his rock solid- and manages some awsome hops! 18+ inches without going seat out front- no precompression for him. Go figure. 'Suppose we sould try riding a verriety of conditions with a wide range of pressures…
Keep in mind, you don’t want to make this an ISSUE.
I lowered the pressure to 18 psi to start out with. This helped. Over time I have adapted to the turning issue as my skills increased. I emphasize - over time - I got tire fold over when I hopped up inclines at that pressure. I weigh 160 lbs.
6 months later, I ride the trails at 28 psi and that feels comfortable. I ride hard pack out here in Los Angeles.
My suggestion is to start low and gradually increase over time, like months. She will find that over time she can begin increasing the psi and won’t even notice. That is how it has been for me.
The lower pressures slow you down a bit, but I wouldn’t worry about it, it’s more time together with your GF:D any way and you won’t win a race especially if your on a 24 x 2.6.
