Bikeguide.org - Bike maintenance for BMX'ers
The Street => The Bike Shop => Topic started by: Narcoleptic Insomniac on October 25, 2016, 06:12:14 PM
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As I'm sure many of you I grew up riding 1.85"-2.00" tires pumped up to 90psi. In part to avoid getting pinch flats after casing a ledge and in part because that was just how you'd set up your bike back then. Then when tires started getting wider I was running the same pressure as before on the new larger tires and didn't think much of it. It wasn't until I started riding big bikes that I realized how the relation between tire width and tire pressure works. Since then I've been gradually running lower pressure on my BMX and don't see myself running rock hard tires other than for a concrete bowl session or something along those lines.
I now run 35-40 psi in the front and 45-50 psi in the back on 2.3" and 2.2" tires respectively. This is really low compared to what I used to run years ago but I've found the bike feels and handles best at this pressure and my wrists definitely agree.
What's your tire pressure of choice?
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Riding flatland these days I'm on khe tires that are 1.9 i think. 100 psi front and rear.
When i rode ramps it was more like 70ish
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I generally keep it around 60 psi or so now that I'm running bigger tires (2.4,2.25). I tried 90 psi for a hot second but it felt terrible and my wrists were screaming.
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I generally keep it around 60 psi or so now that I'm running bigger tires (2.4,2.25). I tried 90 psi for a hot second but it felt terrible and my wrists were screaming.
That's what I was running for the longest time before trying lower pressure. It also depends on how heavy you are.
For flatland obviously harder is better.
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80psi 2.15 front and back. I'm heavy so there's an issue there. Also, low pressure wallrides suck.
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140 psi on primo comet 1.5" tires. I ride flatland tho 👌👌😃😃
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I ride bowl and vert. Get really paranoid when the tyre start to give so I ride 100+ PSI in my 2.3"
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~45 front and ~55 rear whatever i ride
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2.25 in the front and 2.1 in the back, i usually pump them up to 55-60 psi then just leave them til they drop to 40/feel shit and sluggish for manuals. when i started out riding i used to run 35-40 in like 1.85-1.95s hah
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2.25 in the front and 2.1 in the back, i usually pump them up to 55-60 psi then just leave them til they drop to 40/feel shit and sluggish for manuals. when i started out riding i used to run 35-40 in like 1.85-1.95s hah
Same here, though I usually start with 80 and don't mess with them till they get to around 50.
I'm riding the new style Aaron Ross tires and they are great--they old style suck. Unless I kept them at at least 80, it always felt like the sidewalls were folding over.
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100 psi front and rear. It makes a huge difference if you ride ramps at 50-60 psi then pump them up to 100. Much faster and you don't get the horrible tyre flex when carving around.
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I always used to run 110 in 2.1 or 2.25 front and 1.85 rear. Now I have 60 in 2.25 both ends. Feels way better.
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Why do the flatlanders prefer such small widths? For me the bigger the tire the easier it is to carve around on one wheel.
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under 50psi is great if you ride slow
say im riding a 2.25, 2.0 both at 75psi at sea level, 100degrees. how much is tire pressure affected if i then go to 5000ft elevation 40deg F? is the dial on the bicycle also effected?
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PV=nrt
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Why do the flatlanders prefer such small widths? For me the bigger the tire the easier it is to carve around on one wheel.
spinning tricks
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Back in the 2.1/1.95 days, I used to prefer a softer tyre than most, around 50psi. Mostly to give the joints a bit of a break. I used to get a lot of flats.
Now I'm on 2.4/2.15, I actually run them harder, about 80. I found that big tyres flex too much otherwise. Also, I think a big tyre has more give than a narrow tyre at any given pressure - so I can now run harder pressures than before and my knees are still happy. Consequently, as well as more grip, I also have more speed on bigger tyres - not what I was expecting! I resisted big tyres for ages, but now I'm so converted that I'm really thinking about 2.4/2.4, even more speed...
Also something else I only just appreciated recently is the effect these huge new tyres have on bb height and head angle. 2.4/2.15 Rubens slacken your bike by nearly a degree, and raise the bb height by 0.4" compared to 2.1/1.95. And the wheel diameter is more like 21", getting closer to a 22" cruiser.
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Why do the flatlanders prefer such small widths? For me the bigger the tire the easier it is to carve around on one wheel.
much less flex in the tires which fucks with your balance, as it introduces a delay in your pumps. plus the extra friction eats away momentum, and it's really noticable in flatland
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used to be a strict 90psi guy ( 2.25 dirt monster/ 1.95comet) but I'm old and my wrists hate the psi... so i run 80/85psi (2.4 ruben/2.2 t1) The t1 tire is slow as fuck at 80psi or less. My wrists hate me so much anytime i land flat on a 1/4 or jump. One of my riding buddies runs like 45-50 psi front and back... he also can't get more than a ft out of a 1/4 or hip and doesn't jump anything... Ill never understand low psi for anything but street.
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80 but im 200 lbs
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I run about 40. I used to run 90 or 100. Then I only had a hand pump for a few years and got used to low pressures. Anything higher than 60 feels gross to me. I don't really ride ramps.