Once you’ve set up your bike at home, you’ll probably consider it done, after all, you can now ride your bike as its assembled! Even though we’ve already inflated your tyres, its worth considering what the correct pressure is for yourself. This especially applies to MTB hardtails and gravel bikes, which rely on tyre pressure to provide grip and comfort over rougher terrain. An extra PSI here or there can make a big difference for both these factors.
Tyre pressure is massively personal to you and the type of riding you do, but here are some things to consider:
- Your weight
- The terrain you ride on- do you ride on rough terrain featuring roots and rocks, or smoother surfaces where you can get away with lower pressures.
- The conditions; is it dry? Add more pressure as its less slippy, if its wet, you’ll want to drop pressure to allow the tyre to spread its size for more grip.
- How you ride- Do you ride aggressively, pushing the bike hard through rocks and roots will increase the chance of getting a puncture so you may want to up your tyre pressures.
While some people just “set and forget” their tyre pressures, it can be worth trying a few different pressures to see what you prefer, but if you’d like a base line pressure to go off for your weight, please find your recommended starting point below:
Recommended Mountain Bike Pressures
|
Rider Weight |
Pressure |
|
Sub 60 KG |
23 PSI Front, 25 PSI Rear |
|
60-70 KG |
24psi Front, 27 PSI Rear |
|
70-80 KG |
25 PSI Front, 28 PSI Rear |
|
80-90 KG |
27 PSI Front, 30 PSI Rear |
|
90+ KG |
29 PSI Front, 32 PSI Rear |
Recommended Gravel Bike Pressure
|
Rider Weight |
Pressure |
|
Sub 60 KG |
25-35 PSI Front and Rear |
|
60-70 KG |
35-40 PSI Front and Rear |
|
70-80 KG |
40-45 PSI Front and Rear |
|
80-90 KG |
45-50 PSI Front and Rear |
|
90+ KG |
50-65 PSI Front and Rear |
Recommended Road Bike Pressures
|
Tyre Width |
Body Weight |
||
|
60-85kg |
85-110kg |
110kg+ |
|
|
23c |
100 PSI |
115 PSI |
130 PSI |
|
25c |
87 PSI |
100 PSI |
115 PSI |
|
28c |
80 PSI |
94 PSI |
108 PSI |
|
32c |
65 PSI |
80 PSI |
94 PSI |
|
37c |
50 PSI |
72 PSI |
87 PSI |
Tubeless tyres
Tubeless tyre setup can be messy and sometimes a chore to setup, but it’s been widely adopted across MTB, gravel and road now, and for good reason. Tubeless not only means that you’ll have a lower risk of getting punctures, but it also means that as you’ve got no tube to worry about putting a hole in, you can run lower pressures.
This is ideal for mountain biking and gravel riding, as it’ll mean you’ll have more comfort and grip off road, with a little drop in rolling resistance. You’ll be able to drop as much as 3-5 PSI per tyre from the recommended pressures shown above for gravel and MTB.
For road riding, you’ll likely keep your pressures the same as you’ll want to retain that rolling resistance, but you’ll still benefit from lowering your puncture count.