Best Tire Pressure for Gravel Bikes?
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
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Lots of talk about gravel bikes and supple tires, but it means nothing if you're not running good tire pressures. What's the best tire pressure for gravel? Find out.
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Mind reader! I was googling this last night and this was the best explanation. Thanks!
Thanks for these gravel educational videos. Please do more :) Cheers!
Think you're pretty spot on with your recommedations here, also running my WTB 47s somewhere between 20-30psi (or rather around 2 bars, which is more common around here in Germany :) ) Tubeless for comfort in the front, tube in the rear to prevent burping (,cause I'm a Bmxer and I like to bunnyhop a lot).
I'm using Specialized Sawtooth (700x42) at ~65psi mostly because I use my AWOL as a commuter on smoothish pavement. So far, it has worked wonders for me. Touring I might keep it the same as well. I'm currently running them with tubes.
175lbs, 47mm byway, tubeless, 35psi on the low end for dirt with no load. 50psi max if I'm doing road mostly and want to cover ground
Wow Russ, you've been busy on content creation. So many uploads in the past 2 weeks.
Now concerning the topic, I run 43c Gravel King SK's at roughly 30psi with the rear at 32-35psi. Found that at that width and pressure the tires for my weight (180lbs) roll at the happy area of comfort and rolling resistance.
I've got Specialized Sawtooth 42s on my bike and have tried everything from about 30 psi to 60 psi. For a while I was mostly riding pavement and thought the 50 was the sweet spot. Lately it's been 25- to 35-mile rides with about half gravel and half pavement. So I've been running them softer. Today I did 38 miles with the front at 35 and the back at 37. I think that for me, at 185 pounds, that's a pretty good pressure.
I run my 700×40s 60 in the back and 55 in the front. I'm new to lower pressure (I've ran 70's to 80's ) from 20 years ago til about year ago when started reading bicycle quarterly. Just to share in the late eighties I was riding my road bike on gravel roads/ trails with 110 PSI (I was a teenager then) in my 700 by 19 tires because it was fun and different. so I'm slowly converting to softer tires ;)
Shwalbe Marathons, 38mm, at 30 psi on my cross check. Ideal for New Orleans as the streets tend to be cobble stone, gravel or crackphault. There is always broken glass around and I haven't had a flat yet since I have switchd to bigger tires. Love em.
This might help. Frank Berto plotted some data for what he found was the ideal tire drop for tires on the road. I believe that BQ was in agreement although they may have "softened" a bit on the results since they seem to be in favor of lower pressures now. Anyway, the linear regression leads to this simple equation that I use: P = 600*L/w^2 + 0.75w - 25, where P is pressure in psi, L is load (rider+bike+luggage) on a single wheel in lbs, and w is tire width in mm. I use a load ratio of 40/60 front/rear for my road bikes with no additional loads.
I've been running my Compass Rat Trap Pass (~52mm) at 45-40 on road and then air down to 30 and below for gravel. Love the Rat Trap Pass tires. Only thing they dont like is loose dirt / sand.
Donnelly X'Plor MSO 650bx50. Currently running at 50 psi on pavement for the work commute. May reduce that to 40 psi for the Katy trail in Missouri this fall.
I enjoy riding some single track MTB trails occasionally and have found that on chunky stuff and short rocky climbs and descents my tubed 40mm WTB Nanos at a bit under 30psi give good traction and take a heck of a pounding. I'm under 140lbs though
Panaracer Gravel Kings sk 700/43. 35 to 40 psi with tubes. So far, so good. Still experimenting.
I'm about 225lbs. I run the Challenge Strada Biancha/Gravel Grinder 36mm tires with latex tubes at around 60-55.
I’m running Compass Antelope Hill 700 X 55 tubeless. Bike is fairly new, have mostly ridden hard trail so far. I run them at 29psi and they feel great. Will definitely drop down for soft sand (we have a lot of that in Florida) or chunky trails. Will probably start at 25 for those conditions and see.
29?
On my old Michelin Country Gravel tires (26x1.95) I like to run 55psi. I am 210 lbs and I carry dual saddle bags usually half full. Seems to ride nice on the C&O Canal towpath trail which is packed gravel and sand mostly with a few tree roots here and there. Any lower and I feel like it’s a slog to get going and maintain speed.
Continental "Speed King CX Performance", folding type, 35-622, front 36 PSI, back 50 PSI
Continental "AT Ride", folding type, 40-622, front 31 PSI, back 46 PSI
Rim width 21mm internal
Body height 6' 5"
System weight 275 lbs
relaxed sitting position
just ran my tubed 700x38 gravelkings at 25 PSI!! turned out great on descents but not so great on climbs LOL.
Running my 43mm Gravelking SK tires at just a hair under 30psi for most conditions and a bit lower in the front. My 45mm Riddlers I actually run a bit higher at 30 to 35. The casing on the Riddlers is much thinner and I feel they start to feel a bit vague any lower.
Could you maybe touch on what kind of tire tread is ideal for gravel riding? Is there even an ideal tread pattern?
Its all about the contact patch! I inflate rear tire so sidewalls bulge just a little with the bike normally weighted. Then I ride front 5-10 psi lower. When running real low pressure off road you NEED to pump back up for fast road riding and hard cornering. Low pressures do require some finesse and using your arm snd legs as suspension.
A wider contact patch doesnt really effect rolling resistance or efficiency if pressure is within reason. You get less puncture flats, better handling, braking, comfort and more SAFETY. Remember the less beat up you get, the longer you can ride and be fresher at the end of the ride.
Realize that with lower pressure and tubes youre more prone to pinch flat. So be careful, get your weight off saddle and unweight over larger bumps and obstacles.
With tubeless you just dont want to burp tires often or bang your rims hard. Bring a real pump, not a mini pump or CO2, experiment to find your best pressure for your style, weight and terrain.
Im 155-165, I ride ghetto tubeless (split tube), still the original and best! Running tires 32-40c, pressures range from 18psi in sand and snow to 60 on really smooth road.I ride rocky single track locally at 32psi on a fixed/single speed ‘cross bike. I never have problems with tires besides the occasional slashed sidewall. Knock on wood!!!
I’m 225 lbs running 50 psi on surly knard tires with tubes. Feels plenty plush to me at that pressure.
thanks for info
38mm Gravelkings (not sk) tubeless, I weigh around 80kg, ride mostly road (though its the shitty disintegrating road of SE England) with a bit of hardpack and gravel thrown in most rides. I've been running my rear tire at around 50psi and the front at around 47psi. When I am doing more off road I tend to drop it by up to 5psi front and rear. I feel like I can perceive the tyres being more draggy on road much below 50psi, though I have no idea id that is just in my head or not!
As an aside I went for a ride with a mate who has 35mm tyres and we were riding hard pack. He said his hands really hurt so I asked what pressure he had. He said over 90psi! He's new to cycling and was feeling that his tyres where really rolling slow so thought that really hard would be best. Really he needs to get a smoother tread and ride more as I'm sure the drag was in his legs!
That's helpful. I'm about the same weight (76kg) running Graveling SK with tubes. Only got road bike experience, so not sure how to run tyre pressures. Like you, I'm mostly on crappy tarmac, big hills though. Ride with one mate and he has a carbon road bike with 25mm tyres. I normally have him on the hills on my alu road bike with 28mm tyres, but struggled on new gravel bike to keep up. Ideally I need to find better routes for this new bike, but I want to get used to it first. Running 58psi, which now looks like too much. I also use too much in my 28 contis (80psi). Got to learn.
It varies with rider + bike weight and type/coarseness of gravel, so always start at the upper end of pressure and reduce until you hit your sweet spot. Otherwise you risk damaging both tire and rim. It's kinda common sense, but we keep hearing that 'tubeless doesn't pinch flat' (not true), and so it's easy to think any pressure is ok, just not optimal.
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I use around 30psi. I have the Kenda 50 Fifty in 27.5 x 1.95.
I run my 700Cx43mm Gravel King SKs at 30psi, I’m about 220lbs
I love my Panaracer GravelKing SKs (650b x 48mm) at around 30 psi.
On the gravel should be a Cadillac! :)
150 lbs, 2018 salsa journeyman (og owner), 43 cm frame, 47mm Terravail Cannonball tubeless, 25 psi. Pavement to less than ideal rail trail.Lezyne Micro Floor Drive Digital HPG Hand Pump, Mucc off Valves
I run 35c tires at 60 - 65 psi... I mostly ride hard packed dirt or road.
I love my 29”x3” Bontrager Chupacabras and have had them as low as 12psi. But after a few pinch tyre slashes and rim damage I pump them at 20psi and because I ride everyday I noticed they deflate slowly over a few weeks then I start to feel them squirm around before re-inflating. Bike and rider weigh about 145kg.
Tire pressure is definitely more of an art than a science.
1) Look at recommended range on tyre sidewall. Pump up to lower end. Try. As long as front is not folding over on corners, it’s fine.
2) Week later as tyre loses a bit of pressure try again. Repeat until crash cornering at speed. Add 5 psi
1) is good, 2) is not
My gravel bike runs 2.25 tyres and I run anything from 20psi to 35psi at 230lbs. 30years ago I was running way higher pressures on gravel but not anymore.
I'm 155lbs, my gravel bike weighs about 30lbs with water, tools, food etc. Tubeless Clement MSO 700x50 at 32 psi for smooth surfaces, a bit lower for chunky stuff.
Cool. What gravel bike are you riding?
Great video. i just purchased a Trek checkpoint ALR 5 for riding old railroad beds, mostly packed chat gravel, dirt, sometimes medium gravel. i am going with the Panaracer gravel kings SK 38cc. my bike store made them tubeless ready but went ahead and left the tubes in for now, just to see how i like it. they left them at 60 psi. what pressure would you recommend? 40-60 psi? i weigh about 185. i know it may be personal preference. just don't want to go to extreme on pressure high or low end.
60 is stupid high. I would run them in the low 40s.
@@PathLessPedaledTV THANKS for the information. i know my Trek Domane SL5 is 80 psi, i just was unsure how low i could go with tubes in my Checkpoint's GK SK Tires. i know they can have less pressure without tubes. keep up the great videos!
Please say bars aswell as psi
I'm usually running about 45PSI on my 35mm Schwalbe G-Ones TLE tyres. But I'm also somewhere in between 95 and 100kg (210-220lbs) so with anything lower there's a good chance of bottoming out on harsh bumps. Still comfy enough for me. Btw, Schwalbe claims a minimum safe pressure of 45PSI on that tyre - are there any real concerns when going lower than that and does it differ for other manufacturers?
I think the range is different for each tire. The only real concern is pinch flatting if you run tubes or damaging the rim. I try to find that sweet spot where I don't bottom out.
I am running Perelli Centurato Mixed, tubeless 50mm on 650b Hunt wheelset. I find it strange that the printed PSI range is 29-50. Is the printed range typically referring to running with tubes? I find the tire slightly firm at 30 on washboard. Any problems going to 25?
You should run it from the low 20s to low 30s and watch our vid on tire pressure.
20 psi with inserts, no matter the tire size. Sometimes a bit lower down to 18, sometimes higher 22
I am riding tubeless 45c Riddlers at 35.
My gravel bike came with 80 psi 40 tyres. Crazy.
More specific questions m what happens when your ride is 98% pavement and 2% gravel? And the gravel part is on the middle? Best option to go back to the pavement pressure? CO2 capsules? Great travel pump?
Depends on the gravel. If It is chunky enough to warrant a tire pressure change I’ll change it and pump it back up. If not, I’ll underbike it.
It's not rock garden style. Just want to avoid the energy spent in the inflate process hahaha. Thanks!
Working in a couple bikes shops i have found that there's no exact tire pressure that works for every one i always tell people to leave the tire gauge in the junk chest and go on feel
There isn’t an exact pressure that works for everyone, but I thought it would be good to give at least a ballpark as well as some things to consider for people who have no idea.
Affirmation of my own experience, Maxxis Rambler 700c x 38mm @ 35psi.
On single track down to 25-30, but bottomed out at 30 and flatted riding over roots pushing up through a paved walkway, double flatted at this pressure once on gravel urban trail, not sure why (bit of glass? blackberry thorns?).
Road, 40-50 is about my max, as I tend to prefer the trail less travelled.
Russ, what pump do you recommend and what tire pressure gauge do you recommend? Maybe another video covering types of pumps and pressure gauges would be well received. Thanks!
Eric Netzel I think Lezyne makes great pumps. They have a hose you screw onto your valve, it helps to not break the seal with tubeless valves. Get the biggest, longest pump you can manage. Mtb pumps are fine. They work the most efficiently. Mini pumps really stink! You dont need a high pressure pump for high volume tires.
Get a good quality guage and use that only and always. Experiment to find your pressure for your weight, terrain and style. For general road and graded dirt roads with 33c tires, 45 psi is more than enough for me. I often run as low as 30psi on mtb trails. Im about 160 lbs.
can @pathlespedaled or anyone recommend any mini bike pumps? and do you have one with a gauge on it or deem it unnecessary
Silca Tattico is my fave.
Path Less Pedaled thanks a bunch!
38psi for Soma Shikoro SK 700x42
There's so many variables.
STeVe PNW yep.And don't forget, without a flux capacitor none of it is possible 😉
There are SO many variables, but it is worth giving rough starting point.
Why do you think, that you can run a lot lower pressures, when going tubeless?
I know you can :) you can run lower because there is no tube to pinch flat.
Ugh...I wish any of this applied to me. lol I'm heavy at 210 lbs so most tire pressure suggestions aren't right for a rider my size. Add to that the fact that I'm still running tubes (Rims are compatible but not the tires and they are nearly new so why replace?).
So fat guy running tubes at 40mm...what tire pressure should I run? lol
45 psi + -
45 psi + -
Ok which one is it...
Not sure if my memories are correct. I think I ran between 4 and 5 bar with my touring bike with Bob Yak and tent. But that wasn't supple any more.
As another comment here says, start close to the upper end, lower it until it gets less harsh.
But first check the upper limits of tires and rims.
I'm in the same boat. Around 200lbs, tires are 700x38c. Most of my riding is on roads as I keep looking for gravel, so I haven't started experimenting with tire pressure much.
A friend of mine swears by 38’s @ 38 psi. No load. He actually runs 36 psi in the front.
I’ve heard ultraromance say to set your pressure to feel like the squeeze of an Orange…
I’am a babe in the woods when it comes to the gravel bike world I hope someone can help me, Because the bike that I just bought has no owners manual! So I’am kind of biking blind if you would... 🙄
I'm 185 pounds I ride a gravel bike with 650b x 47 and I run 22-25psi on my tires.
Glad to hear this. I'm about 170 running 30psi on the rear and still feel like i'm getting beat up. Going to try to drop a couple psi on the same gravel and see if that helps.
@@rlane4osu199 oh yes more comfort. Beating you up? Damn what tires you running?
@@pingpongballz5998 nothing crazy, 28/30ish. We just have some of the fresh chunky stuff right now. Running gravel king SK in 650x48
@@rlane4osu199 and you're body still feels beat from those tires?
@@pingpongballz5998 I think I just need some more rides to get used to it. Also I've been riding 29x2.35's at 20psi for 6 months.
I run around 30psi in my 700x40 Schwalbe Marathon Mondials tubeless, no matter what the terrain:
ruclips.net/video/fgxsIJjGKG8/видео.html
I can go as low as 27 in front before I start bottoming out the rims on the rocks, weight ~175lbs.
#supplenotmushy
You want supple? I'll give you supple: Fat Bike 4" tires @ 5psi.
:-D
0:59 👏😂
I can't focus on the subtitles. You're waving your hands too much ;).
Just 650B ? What's your issue with 700C ? Spoiler alert *** There is no "best" tire pressure. You adjust your tire pressure within the manufacturers recommendations, conditions of the road/trail, grade/slope and amount of weight/gear you are hauling.
700c on small frames = crappy geometry.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Not if you are a rider who fits a small frame ...
@@NikZechel you don't know how small frames are different from medium and large frames in the same size run do you?
@@PathLessPedaledTV I understand but I don't ride a small frame so none of that matters to me. My point is that the vibe I get from following your channel is that you basically seem prejudice towards 700C. Like you are following some make believe trend that 650B is the only way to go on a gravel bike when either size should be considered depending on terrain and distance.
@@NikZechel I am prejudiced against 700c because I ride small frames and the ones with 700c suck. It’s lazy design and 650b makes more sense and rides better rather than the incorrect and biased 700c is the best for all people at all times. Not everyone is a 5’10 or taller dude with long legs and yet we are forced to ride compromised geometry because of some fetishism with the superiority of 700c. I don’t ride large frames so none of that matters to me 🤷🏽♂️
Why do people who ride 650b feel the need to tell everyone they get the chance to? 'Fuck yr 27.5" wheels I ride 650b, have you even heard of 650b?'
Keep it civil or goodbye.
Path Less Pedaled no but really? Profanity aside, do people only ride 650b because it's 'different' just like gravel biking isn't mountain biking? Is a 650b wheel just a gravel 27.5"? Or is it perhaps because mtb riders seem stuck in an eternal argument on whether 26er or 29ers are best so the gravel bikers took the middle size 650b(27.5") just to be alternative/to differentiate their gravel bikes from standard road bikes? Why not 650c? Something that has perplexed me after meeting a number of snobby 650b riders
650b is an old historical wheel size used in French randonneur bikes dating back to the 1930s. It has been a around along time, way before mountain bikers discovered it and called it 27.5. It has been around long before the modern gravel bike. I personally ride it because I'm a shorter rider (52cm frames) and bikes at that size with 700c wheels have lots of design compromises. 650b is more proportioned to that frame size and allows me to run wider tires without a large outside diameter that creates issues with toe overlap, or lets me run a wider 42mm tire and fenders, etc., There are lots of real practical advantages and I personally have been waiting for the industry to make bikes around that wheel size for the last decade. So any change I personally get to share its advantages with people that might benefit from it, I do.
40 psi
Too high.
What is good front tire and rear tire
Depends on the tire width and rider weight.
@@PathLessPedaledTV 172 pounds I am, tires for gravel bike 700x35
Antonio Garcia info.silca.cc/silca-professional-pressure-calculator