What Should Mountain Bike Tire Pressure Be?

The tire pressure of your Mountain bike can make a big difference in how your ride feels as well as how much control and performance you have over your bike. This took me a while to figure out. Simply, if the mountain bike tire pressure is too low, it makes the control of your bike and tires behave unpredictably.

With low tire pressure, the tires can be compressed against the rim, making the tire more susceptible to flats. On the other hand, if the mountain bike tire pressure is too high will make for poor contact with the ground and a less controllable ride.

In this post, we will go through what your mountain bike tire pressure should be, and you can go biking with confidence. Let’s get started!

Factors To Consider

Well, what pressure should the mountain bike tires be? There are a number of factors to consider as the tire pressure will affect your rolling resistance, traction, and the comfort of your ride. These are as follows.

Riding style.
Terrain.
Bike tire size.
The biker’s weight.

Riding Style

Your riding style is a factor also if you are more aggressive in your style, the more likely it is that you will need to add a little bit more pressure.

Terrain

The terrain you are riding on has a major effect on your perfect tire pressure. If you are riding in mountain terrain with rocks then you should run higher pressures to protect your tires and rims.

On the other hand, if you are riding on a more smooth trail you can ride on lower tire pressure.

Bike Tire Size

Size goes matters, if you have a wider rim, you can bike with lower tire pressure due to surface area and volume.

The Bikers Weight

Simply, the heavier the rider is, they will need more pressure. For example, if someone weighs 100 lbs can bike on less pressure than someone who is 140lbs.

What PSI Should Your Mountain Bike Tires Be?

25 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) is a good starting point but generally, for tubed mountain bike tires, 28 to 30 PSI is a common value to start with. And tubeless tires a good starting value is 23 to 25 PSI.

A Simple Formula To Help

If you want to get the best out of your bike, the first and cheapest place to start is the tire pressure. Get that right and then you are off to a great start.

There is a simple formula that is good as a starting point.

Rider weight(lbs)/7 – 1= front psi

Rider weight(lbs)/7 +2= rear psi

There are also apps that can help with figuring out the right pressure. And there is an online calculator that can help to work this out. And amazon has tire pressure gauges that start from $7.99.

Play with the tire pressure within that range on the sidewall and find out what pressure works the best for you.

Wrapping Up

Finally, getting the optimal tire pressure depends on a few factors with the terrain being the biggest. Is the trail twisty, rooty singletrack, wide-open hardpack, or a road? Another is the bike, does it have suspension, its tire width and tire tread and the biker’s weight are all factors to consider for optimal tire pressure.

And that’s it for now! I’d love it if this post on what should mountain bike tire pressure be was helpful to you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.