Setting Your Tire Pressure

Riding your mountain bike with the appropriate

amount of tire pressure can make a huge difference

in how much control you have over your bike.

Setting your tire pressure too high will make for

poor contact with the ground and also make your

bike less controllable. Setting your tire pressure

too low will make your tires unpredictable and also

make them susceptible to pinch flats.

The appropriate amount of tire pressure in a

mountain bike will vary between rider to rider and

tire setup to tire setup. The conditions of your

trail and the type of terrain your riding will also

greatly impact what tire pressure you should be using

in your tires.

The trick here is to find out exactly what mountain

bike tire pressure works for you and your setup during

normal conditions. After doing this, you can learn

to adjust your pressure for different trails and types

of terrain as needed.

You should start by finding a reliable pressure gauge

or a pump with a pressure gauge. Then, use this same

gauge or pump anytime you are making adjustments. A

gauge can be very inaccurate, so if you switch around

it you can make things much more difficult.

You should start with a higher pressure of around 40 -

50 psi. If you have a tubeless system, you should

start lower, 30 - 40 psi. The more you weigh, the

higher pressure you should start with. Try this

pressure for a while and get a feel for how the tires

take corners and loose dirt.

Drop the pressure by 5 psi in each tire and get a feel

for how this new setup rides and how it compares to your

previous setting. You should notice some improvement

in stability, and if you don't, drop the pressure by

another 5 psi.

You want to find the lowest pressure you can ride with

without sacrificing pinch flat resistance. A pinch flat

occurs when your tire rolls over an object then compresses

to the point where the tire and the tube get pinched

between the object and the rim on the wheel.

With tubeless tire systems, you can run much lower air

pressure, as you don't have to worry about getting pinch

flats. If you start to dent your rims, burp air out

along the bead, or feel the tire roll under the rim

during hard cornering, you've taken the pressure much

too low.

Once you've found a comfortable setting for your tire

pressure, learn what your tire feels like when you

squeeze it with your hands. Once you know what your

tires feel like you can always get the right air

pressure - with any pump.