I’ve been advised to use 19 psi. I think this feels sluggish. So I went up to 25 psi the other day. The first bump shot me off the seat like a catapult. (rather comical actually)
Is there a rule of thumb?
I find that the less pressure, the cushier the ride but it feels like riding through molasses. The more pressure the boingier the ride, but uphills are easier.
Hopping over things with the low pressure feels heavy. Easier with more psi.
I bet this is one of those “find what works for you” answers. If so, I’ll try 23 psi this weekend.
I’m running 18 psi in my 3.0x24 Gazz on my Yuni MUni. I tried running over 25 in it and it did not handle well at all. I’ve ridden it on both pavement and some pretty rocky trails and this pressure seems to work well for me. I weigh around 180 lbs and am 5’9" if this will help any.
If you have a nice smooth climb- but if it’s rooty low pressure will let you luff over stuff smaller than the tyre diameter. I’m down to the mid-low 170’s (as apposed to high 180’s when we rode at Christmas) and am running at about 9 lbs- which is kinda frightening in a drop (push rim to concrete). (Max’s ride felt like a ROCK- but he’s a big Hoss- something I feel confident in saying 1100 miles away.)
I’m certain the low teens is the place to be- find that part of yourself that says “find out what works for you” and squash it like uh bug; I find this streak of independant thinking desturbing- you’ve never been the same since climbing up on that girraffe.
I don’t think there should be or is a rule of thumb. Just try lots of different pressures out and see what you prefer. I run 18psi on my Gazz 3" and I weight about 65kg.
I run my Gazz at about 24 lbs and my Fireball at about 27lbs. I Weigh 150 lbs. I do a lot of trials. Lower pressures will give a smoother ride on the trail, but you need the higher pressure for more spring and to avoid bottoming out on thin objects.
Since everyone is so different you definitely want to experiment. It’s a bit of a job, but once you find the right pressure, it’s over. I check my tire pressure once a week to ensure that it’s right where I want it to be.
I change my pressure all the time. Since I don’t own a car, I have to ride on roads to get to the muni spots, and pump up my psi so my tyre is tight on the smooth stuff and easier to ride.
When I get to the spot I’m riding, I let air out depending on the sort of stuff I’m riding. Not to a specific PSI but to the conditions. I always have a pump in my bag as well.
If I’m riding in town on chairs, down stairs etc, with lots of hopping but generally smoother surfaces than muni, I have the tyre a little bit tighter than on muni - Gives a little more spring.
A question for those in the know…When I ride a long distance on my uni (like the 6kms to the muni spot i usually ride) my tyre heats up. When i let a little air out, it is hot as well. I undertsnad air expands when heated, so would this be enough to make my tire tighter, and that when it cools it will actually by softer than what I emptied it to?
>A question for those in the know…When I ride a long distance on my uni
>(like the 6kms to the muni spot i usually ride) my tyre heats up. When i
>let a little air out, it is hot as well. I undertsnad air expands when
>heated, so would this be enough to make my tire tighter, and that when
>it cools it will actually by softer than what I emptied it to?
That is right. For car tyres, the pressure difference between cold and
hot tyres can easily amount to 10%, this corresponds to about 30 deg
Celcius (54 deg F) temperature difference. I doubt whether your tyre
heats up that much from 6 km road use, so the pressure difference is
probably less but may still be noticeable.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
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