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.
Along with giving you a better selection and expert advice, bike shop personnel can you help you get fitted to the right size bike. You can get the bike either too big or too small, which will cause your enjoyment to suffer. Follow the tips below, and you'll have the perfect fit for your mountain bike.
Standover height
When you check the fitting yourself, the first thing you want to check is the inseam clearance, or the standover height. You want to have plenty of room between yourself and the top tube when you come to a stop. There should be around four to six inches of clearance from the top of your inseam to the top of the top tube.
Leg and feet position
There's a nifty formula for determining the leg position for riding a mountain bike. When riding a mountain bike, the terrain constantly changes, raising you off the seat constantly, sometimes just slightly, other times completely off.
Therefore, you'll need to sit your saddle slightly lower than you would on any other type of bike. Be sure you take this slightly lower seat height position into effect when you factor the size of the frame.
Riding compartment
The next thing you'll want to check is the rider compartment layout (the distance between the saddle and the handlebars). Once the proper leg extension has been determined, be sure the handlebar is one to two inches below the height of the saddle. You should never have the handlebars higher than the seat, unless there is some type of upper body problem.
Dual suspension bikes
With suspension being at both ends, you'll want your weight more in the middle of the bike so that your weight is distributed evenly between the front and rear suspension units, thus allowing the front and rear suspension to work as a unit.
This can be done quite easily by using either a higher or shorter stem to raise the hand height, which will in turn move the upper body up and the weight towards the rear. The increase in rise shouldn't be no more than two inches, then the decrease in reach shouldn't be any more than two inches.
Test ride
Once you have taken all of these steps into account, go out and test drive the bike. Make sure you wear a helmet, even if you are going to be testing for a brief period of time. Be sure that the tires are set to the right pressure, and the shop has adjusted the bike for you properly.
You should have a shop employee observe your body position and ride height while riding, to determine is any further adjustments need to be made. Ride the bike around for a bit to get used to its handling and new equipment. Start off slowly, then give the bike a bit of time to present its personality.
After a few minutes, you might notice that something isn't working correctly or just doesn't feel right in general. If this happens, go back to the shop and have the problem corrected before you rule out the bike.
The more you ride bikes, the easier it will be to tell the difference in the ride types. Keep in mind, it may take months and even years to appreciate the way a bike handles. Talk to those who ride, and ask them if they ride the bikes they sell. This way, you'll learn more about the mountain bikes you love so much!
This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our Privacy Policy