Another tire pressure questn-offroad

[NeilW]

I have been running 32/36 all the time, on and off road. The manual does say 29/29 for off road.

Do you go lower than 29 psi ( under normal off road riding conditions- not stuck in deep sand and have to get out)

My bike was a factory demo unit so I have a dent in the front rim by someone who obviously aired it down too low at just the wrong time.

Thanks for responding.

 

[Ray Ride4life]

It's not always just manual, the type of tyre will say more than the manual.
I ride 1,7 bar in front and 1,9 bar in the rear all the time but when you have a tyre with soft walls you might want to air up onroad.
The 1,7 and 1,8 i ran with the Anakee Wild and now with the Mitas E09/E13 too.

[witgen]

Highly dependent on your own preference and the tyre. I usually start fine tuning from 1.8/2.0 (26/29).

 

Dropped stock tires @ 1.7/1.9 but i still wasn't happy. But 1.6 started to feel bit uneasy on tarmac.

 

Current setup (F wild, R motoz rallz) is 1.8/2.1. that seems perfect compromise for on/offroad. 

 

And no, I definitely don't have different pressure for on/offroad. 

[Chris1974]

I have a TPMS on y bike. I use 2.2 in the front and 2.5 in the back.

 

But when the bike is in the sun, pressure rises by a few tenth of a Bar. Riding the bike so i creases temp and pressure by a couple of tenths of Bars. 

 

So to me trying to narrow down your absolute perfect tire pressure tot within a few Psi seems pointless. It fluctuates all the time depending on temp, sunshine, riding etc. Even the moment when you inflate the tire is important (how hot is the tire at that moment). How can you control all that?

[Stevoh]

Off road tyre pressure can depend on the type of tyres you have, also whether or not you have HD inner tubes, I've gone as low as 23psi front and back on the trail and I do have a couple of Biffs in the front rim from hard hits, not all from lower pressures, I think that's more a testament to how crap the OEM rims are though.

On road I just go 34psi front and back, it's true it changes a lot on hot days I don't worry about it.

[NeilW]

Thanks all for your input. I carry an electric pump so I can lower to dirt and raise to go home with very little effort. And yes definitely about the temperature making a difference. I have had TPMS on my touring bike for a few years and I about had a heart attack the first time I rode with an alert for 10# over pressure - from 36  psi to alert at 46psi.  I was on the freeway for about 15 minutes when my overpressure alert went off. Pressure in my big tubeless tires on my touring bike rose 12# to 48psi.  All that is saying is "starting" pressure is the reference point.  next time out in the dirt I am going to do 29 29 and see if it makes enough difference from 32 36.   

[Chris1974]

6 hours ago, NeilW said:

Thanks all for your input. I carry an electric pump so I can lower to dirt and raise to go home with very little effort. And yes definitely about the temperature making a difference. I have had TPMS on my touring bike for a few years and I about had a heart attack the first time I rode with an alert for 10# over pressure - from 36  psi to alert at 46psi.  I was on the freeway for about 15 minutes when my overpressure alert went off. Pressure in my big tubeless tires on my touring bike rose 12# to 48psi.  All that is saying is "starting" pressure is the reference point.  next time out in the dirt I am going to do 29 29 and see if it makes enough difference from 32 36.   

Even your starting pressure is determined by ambient temperature. Filling up to the same pressure in the afternoon wil result in a different pressure as when you fill up in the morning...

 

Basically it is all just a big gamble. 

[Ray Ride4life]

The recommended pressures are always cold numbers, best is to measure it before a ride at home so you don't warm the tyres up on the way to a gas/service station.
Freeway heating is nothing compared to riding hard in the mountains or a circuit. On a circuit you start with a few tenths of a bar lower and in the mountains depending on your riding you also might want to lower it 2 or 3 tenths but then you probably ride outside the legal limits.

[jdub53]

Too many rocks where I ride so I never air down when off-road (don't want to increase the chance of rim damage) and have never felt the need to do so. I'd be inclined to try lower pressures in deep sand, but that's not an issue where I live. Many years ago I tried the air up/air down routine for combined on/off road rides and quickly decided it wasn't worth the effort.

 

In spite of keeping pressures at 32 F/36 R, my T7's front rim dented during a spirited run through one of our rock gardens. Fortunately, no pinch flat and the damage would likely have been even worse with lower pressure.

 

   

Edited May 21, 2022 by jdub53

[Ray Ride4life]

To add to my post, we don't have rocks here.
Most is gravel(ish), sand which will get loose and deep when the summers get longer and becomes mud when the rainy season starts.
Along that we also have peet and forests, the forest part on my regular commute has a funny ground that behaves like a sponge.

[S.Ga.Rider]

I run street pressure and never air down. 

[Landshark]

No air down here either.  Works best in gravel in my opinion.  

[BikeBrother]

My only air down is when i fart ...

[DT675]

I start with 25 PSI cold all the time.  It will naturally rise as I ride from there.  Ive aired down to as low as 22 PSI but that got a little bit too warm on the tarmac for my liking. (but I could tell the difference in traction between 22 and 25 when off-road!)  Anything over about 28 IMO starts to make the bike track worse on loose dirt.  

 

For reference I dont ride very rocky terrain.  More loose gravel and sand.