Hi,

I'm off to Coed y Brenin tommorow for at least 3 days and just wondered what sort of pressure I should be running as when I went before it was rocky riding.

My tyres are Panaracer Fire XC Pro (folders not that matters!)

At the moment i'm using the pressures listed on the sidewall as a guide.

This may seem a bit of a stupid question but i dont want to be pissing around with tyre pressures mid ride.

When I went before I just slapped the bike down and rode it!

Should I do this again or should I run a bit more than I usually do here on the herts/bucks border?

I think i run about 25-30 psi when i keep check with my friends trackpump.

Cheers

(am I being to stupid?)

Not at all.

Ive no idea what the ridings like there but from the title it would seem that its going to be rocky. Personaly I would run the tyres at just above the recomended PSI and no more just to cut down on pinch flats.
If its a lot of man made trails your riding squidgy mud friendly tyres are not much point and at the end of the day I think pinch flats are more of a hazard than the back end washing out.

I think I ran my tyres at around 40 psi when I went to Coed Y Brenin. It does mean you bounce around a bit, but I don't remember having any problems with punctures in my 3 visits there to date.

You could probably get away with a bit less for the comfort side of things, but it is very rocky there, so beware. I'd say definately go up a bit from 25-30 psi though.

Enjoy yourself, wish I was off there!

Cheers Guys, I will bear those points in mind,

I'll check back here before heading off tommorow morning!

I cannot wait!!

With 2.3 tyres which are about the same size I run 30front, 35rear for CYB stuff, on a FS ( 40 rear on HT really ) try to run them as low as possible.

If you feel a sharp knock then it's your rim contacting with the rock, add abit more pressure :) easy really.

I'm 16stone also, so might get away with a bit lower than me, not many claim to run 25-30, I run 20-25 at times on muddy trails without a problem.

just try to remain relaxed over them rocks and keep the speed up ( not easy they look scarey LOL )

dylans pressures are about right, if you can ride nice and smooth

I put about 40 in & I'm 13 stone.Much lower & the climbs will f'kin kill you, unless your the type that "Grannies" it all the way to the top then stops & rests for 10 minutes, or even mid climb, like so many do.

;o)

I barely notice the difference climbing wise about air pressure, but riding over rocks and the like the lower the pressure the better for speed tyres are able to ignore the bumps easier.

Not 1 pinch flat here seriously in 3 years despite running tyres so low :)

38lb freerider I have to stop at the top, 28lb HT I can keep riding pretty much.

Dylan my point exactly, low pressure = more tyre on the trail= more drag = more effort to get it uphill = fact !

Too hard & you'll bounce all over the place, (although if your having to run your tyres that low to ignore the bumps, I'd have a closer look at your suspension set-up mate)

It's known as a "happy medium"

fwiw, I've only ever had two pinch flats, both at last years SSMM whilst running 50 psi,hit the same root on two different laps !!

Tyres react faster to bumps though, than shocks / forks can, I can role this one bit of rocky track with high pressure, top speed hits 18, drop the pressure to 20 - 25 and smoothens out the bumps I hit 26mph seriously.

It's only the back that drags anyway pretty much, I run a fast rolling Syncros 2.35 PnC on the rear 30psi no drag I can notice :)

I just have mine nice and hard, lol

Going to start altering them to trail conditions.

good your bike felt horrible compared to mine and U know it LOL

lol, mine bumped around everywhere, shit wheels and too much PSI in the tyres, still inflated highly fomr th last peaks trip a month ago, lol

FSL the answer is Downhill innertubes. They are about double the weight of an normal innertube, but you can run pretty much as low a pressure as you like without it pinch flatting.

only needed on the rear aswell the DH tube.

fatter 2.3 tyre would help aswell. Fatter rims help to Mavic EX729 rims here on the HT.

There is high and road pressure mate, can run less than that I'm sure.

your front brake doing F all literally, on a fast descent with a hard left, down a really steep rocky bit then a hard right with a huge 80degree bank was more worrying though LOL