# Whats your comfortable 29er tire pressure on a hard tail?



## 29er_Marc (May 23, 2012)

i recently got into trail riding and bought a DBack 29er and absolutely love it! im getting everything dialed in on it each time i go out, which is about twice a week.  i like my tire pressure kinda low, i think its around 20psi. i never know until i get back to town and fill them back up. (cause i also ride it to work) my Cousin says he runs at 40psi all the time, so im just curious of what other people ride at. Our trails around here are kinda soft cause of all the rain we get. Sometimes i feel like theyre too soft and it feels as if im using too much energy pedaling? 

Just some input for a newbi would be great... Thanks in advance

Pedal Hard or go home...


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## evenslower (Sep 26, 2005)

Generally 25 in front and rear running tubeless. I've tried lower just didn't care for it, but I'll go a little higher in rear for super rocky stuff.


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## TR (Jan 12, 2004)

Approximately 20 front and 23 rear on my pumps gauge.
Your cousin is either a monster sized guy; rides his MTB only on the road or likes pinging off every trail feature (or a combination of the above).


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## jeffw-13 (Apr 30, 2008)

25-30 psi depending on the tire. I gradually lower pressure until it feels squirmy or I start smacking the rims then go up a little from there.


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## curtboroff (Sep 21, 2010)

25 front, 28 rear. I'm gonna give ghetto tubeless a try, I want to run low 20's.


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## Dry Side (Jun 7, 2011)

24ish tubeless.


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## banks (Feb 2, 2004)

18psi with Dusters & Specy Armadillo Elite Captain 2.2 was too bouncy.

Psi will vary with pump, rim width, tire size & casing, tube-less or not, rider weight and how smooth you are.

40psi is too hard, if it sounds like a basketball, that is what the tire is doing as well as wearing the tread off very fast.


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## 29er_Marc (May 23, 2012)

i know thats what is was trying to tell him! gotta be a rough ride, hes not big 175, he does ride a FS but still... i like mine low, he said he pinches tubes when theyre low. Fingers crossed i havent yet 60mi later


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## 29er_Marc (May 23, 2012)

thanks guys, im 5'10" and 170 with 2.2 WTB Wolverines on there and my pump said 15-18psi and it was kinda too low. (i check when i get home) but when i let it out, its more to feel than an exact number. but im going to try using the gauge and running like 25 and see how that feel.


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## F13Bubba (Jan 11, 2012)

I run around 35-40 on my HT with tubes. I'm 6'4", 380 lbs.


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## muzzanic (Apr 28, 2009)

On the trail, never more than 25 lb in the rear on 2.25 tyre & on the front with a big tyre like the 2.4 Ardent down to 18 lb


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## Sheepo5669 (May 14, 2010)

20 front 2.4 ardent
30 rear 2.2 geax saguro 

The sweet spot for me.


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## 29er_Marc (May 23, 2012)

so far sounds like 25psi give or take a few is an average number, which sounds good to me. Thanks for all the input, i think today ill run 25 to see and ill get back to you on this. Thanks again.


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## pburbidge (Jan 22, 2011)

I've been experimenting with this for a while. Generally I find I need the front to be at least 28 for general riding to avoid rolling the tire too much. For racing I raise the front to 32 ish because I tend to push harder in the corners and compressions. In the rear I run 22 at all time but am experimenting with how low I can go before I start bottoming. I run a 2.25 rocket ron on the front and a 1,95 spec. Renegade on the back. Both are tubeless. I'm 170 lb aggressive rider. I find the bike rides better the lower the pressure so I'm just trying to avoid pinching and rolling. Tires are on a carbon ht..


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

50 all the way around.


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## DG Going Uphill (Apr 27, 2012)

For a mix of road and trail, I run 32 rear, 28 front.


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## Over50rider (Jan 13, 2012)

*Running tubes*

I run 36 to 40 front and rear but I weigh. 250 plus back pack of about 15 lbs. I do get some bounce but my tires hang great in turns and grip great. I have went as low as 34 which does smooth out the bounce in the rear.

Ride what feels good with your tire set up.


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## ASiameseCat (Aug 21, 2011)

25psi front and back with tubed Bontrager 29-1 2.20" works best for me


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## ragetty (Jul 9, 2006)

there was a suggestion on a forum in germany a while back: snakebite + 3psi ... seems a pretty good rule of thumb to me. as mentioned further up, rider weight, terrain and style are all going to influence your snakebite pressure ...


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## a3dhunter (Apr 27, 2012)

I was thinking about this today, before I went riding I dropped the PSI in my tires.

First off, I am 6'1" and 275 lbs, wearing a camelback for another 7 lbs of water and misc. riding a Kona Mahuna hardtail 29er with Gaex saguaro tires:
Geax Saguaro Tire Reviews

Tires are mounted in the "fast" position and tubed, I have tried running 40 - 45 lbs due to my size and was losing traction way too often. At 36-38 lbs the front end was sliding out on corners and felt like I was going to lose it.
Set it up today with 35 psi in rear and 32 in the front and felt a little better. There were times the rear was squishy but I lost traction less often.

I'm riding a lot of hard pack trails with loose sand over them, throw in some hard rocks and ledges, with occasional slick rock.

It is amazing how just a few pounds difference changes the way the bike rides.

Any recommendations with my setup?


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

29er_Marc said:


> i recently got into trail riding and bought a DBack 29er and absolutely love it! im getting everything dialed in on it each time i go out, which is about twice a week.  i like my tire pressure kinda low, i think its around 20psi. i never know until i get back to town and fill them back up. (cause i also ride it to work) my Cousin says he runs at 40psi all the time, so im just curious of what other people ride at. Our trails around here are kinda soft cause of all the rain we get. Sometimes i feel like theyre too soft and it feels as if im using too much energy pedaling?
> 
> Just some input for a newbi would be great... Thanks in advance
> 
> Pedal Hard or go home...


Read this thread: http://forums.mtbr.com/wheels-tires/tire-pressure-all-around-xc-riding-561602.html


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## 4nbstd (Apr 12, 2012)

Panaracer Rampage with around 30 psi for both front and rear. Package says 35-55 psi, but 30 psi was enough to hook the beads and stay hooked.


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## eurospek (Sep 15, 2007)

Over50rider said:


> I run 36 to 40 front and rear but I weigh. 250 p*lus back pack of about 15 lbs*. I do get some bounce but my tires hang great in turns and grip great. I have went as low as 34 which does smooth out the bounce in the rear.
> 
> Ride what feels good with your tire set up.


Do you carry a spare bike with you? WTF.


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## 411898 (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm running tubeless, mid 20's


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## 411898 (Nov 5, 2008)

*Higher Pressure For Tubeless FS 29er?*

I'm currently moving the components from my HT frame over to a FS frame. Running tubeless pressures in the mid 20's has been good on the HT. Should I bump it up a bit for the FS frame which I plan to ride "a little" more agressively (XC trail riding)?

What do you 29er FS riders running tubeless tires set your pressures at?


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## Rock_Garden (Jan 30, 2011)

Somewhere around 25 psi. I find that too much more and I'm bouncing off obstacles and my rolling resistance actually seems to increase. Too less and I can feel the sidewalls squirming.

29 x 2.2 Specialized Captain Controls set up tubeless front and rear

EDIT: Forgot to include weight, I'm 160 or so.


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## a3dhunter (Apr 27, 2012)

eurospek said:


> Do you carry a spare bike with you? WTF.


If the comment is about his weight, then you are being extremely disrespectful on a forum, which is probably due to the fact you have a computer screen in front of you instead of an actual person.
If the comment is about the backpack, you might need to think about the fact that 3 liters of water and an empty pack will usually weigh around 8-9 lbs. Add a spare tube and some tools, maybe an energy bar or something along with a cell phone or gps and it isn't hard to get 15 lbs.

When you weigh 250 +, (in my case 275) then 15 lbs is like picking up a pencil, it isn't enough to matter.


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## R+P+K (Oct 28, 2009)

a3dhunter said:


> If the comment is about his weight, then you are being extremely disrespectful on a forum, which is probably due to the fact you have a computer screen in front of you instead of an actual person.
> If the comment is about the backpack, you might need to think about the fact that 3 liters of water and an empty pack will usually weigh around 8-9 lbs. Add a spare tube and some tools, maybe an energy bar or something along with a cell phone or gps and it isn't hard to get 15 lbs.
> 
> When you weigh 250 +, (in my case 275) then 15 lbs is like picking up a pencil, it isn't enough to matter.


I read the the comment to be about the backpack. Let's not assume everyone is mean. And I weigh 300


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## eurospek (Sep 15, 2007)

a3dhunter said:


> If the comment is about his weight, then you are being extremely disrespectful on a forum, which is probably due to the fact you have a computer screen in front of you instead of an actual person.
> If the comment is about the backpack, you might need to think about the fact that 3 liters of water and an empty pack will usually weigh around 8-9 lbs. Add a spare tube and some tools, maybe an energy bar or something along with a cell phone or gps and it isn't hard to get 15 lbs.
> 
> When you weigh 250 +, (in my case 275) then 15 lbs is like picking up a pencil, it isn't enough to matter.


The comments about the backpack weight, hence it being bolded in the original quote. But anyway, that's still quite heavy IMO to lug around. And I weigh 240. On a good day.


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## Evil Chocula (Jan 31, 2007)

a3dhunter said:


> If the comment is about his weight, then you are being extremely disrespectful on a forum, which is probably due to the fact you have a computer screen in front of you instead of an actual person.
> If the comment is about the backpack, you might need to think about the fact that 3 liters of water and an empty pack will usually weigh around 8-9 lbs. Add a spare tube and some tools, maybe an energy bar or something along with a cell phone or gps and it isn't hard to get 15 lbs.
> 
> When you weigh 250 +, (in my case 275) then 15 lbs is like picking up a pencil, it isn't enough to matter.


Somebody's sensitiiiive!


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## a3dhunter (Apr 27, 2012)

eurospek said:


> The comments about the backpack weight, hence it being bolded in the original quote. But anyway, that's still quite heavy IMO to lug around. And I weigh 240. On a good day.


Could not see anything bolded on tapatalk, but the "WTF" stood out after the comment.


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## Sassen (May 30, 2012)

I usually go 55 - 60 psi


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## TR (Jan 12, 2004)

Sassen said:


> I usually go 55 - 60 psi


Why?
Are you only riding on the road and bikepaths?


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## Sassen (May 30, 2012)

[Are you only riding on the road and bikepaths?]

Usually hard pack dirt on single tracks.


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## TR (Jan 12, 2004)

Sassen said:


> [Are you only riding on the road and bikepaths?]
> 
> Usually hard pack dirt on single tracks.


So for what other reason do you ride at pressures at least double what others ride at?


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## rydbyk (Oct 13, 2009)

It would help if you all would include your body weight.. Just stating the psi does nothing for us.

It also depends on the volume of the tire fwiw.. Running 27psi on a 1.9 tire is not the same as running 27 psi on a 2.3 tire..

There is a reason we need to run 80+ psi on road tires. The volume is so minimal that a higher psi is necessary...

Me:
155 lbs
Rear 27 (2.1)
Front 23 (2.1)


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## rydbyk (Oct 13, 2009)

Sassen said:


> I usually go 55 - 60 psi


Do what now?


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## Buckley29er (Jan 10, 2012)

I run 20 in the front and 25 in the rear. If it isn't a really rocky trail I will run 20 in the rear, but if there are any decent sized rocks I start hitting the rim. I weigh 185 with my pack.


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## john#21 (May 21, 2012)

On the paved trails I run 45psi front and back on the bike and 20 psi(max) on my sons trailer.

I ran 28-29 upfront and 30 in the rear today on a pretty rocky trail

5'11'' @ 230 w/ ~ 10lbs gear.

Plenty of grip and didn't bounce too bad.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

29er_Marc said:


> so far sounds like 25psi give or take a few is an average number, which sounds good to me. Thanks for all the input, i think today ill run 25 to see and ill get back to you on this. Thanks again.


I'd go with that.

I'm 205# and run 25/27 PSI with LunarLite tubes, give or take depending on what tires I'm on that day, and how pointy the rocks are where I'm riding.

Of course, this is according to my shop pump gauge, and who knows where that really reads.


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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

160 pounds and ride ~22 psi f/r tubeless. That is for offroad only.


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## pernfilman (May 24, 2007)

155 lbs 18 up front 20 in the rear. Schwalbe 29*2.25


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## EndoanaJones (Oct 26, 2011)

I weigh 200# and ride a Niner AIR 9.w/ Stans Flow wheels
Rear: Conti Race King @ 25 psi - tubeless
Front: Ranpage @ 21 psi - tubeless.
A riding buddy (Spec Rockhopper HT) weighs 220# and runs Racing Ralphs tubeless 2.4 front/2.25 rear with about 18 psi front and rear.


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## specbill (Apr 12, 2012)

I'm on an Epic 29er, ride and race XC only, weigh 175 pounds, ride hard-pack with loose on top and some rocky stuff. Running tubeless Captain Control's at 25 pounds front and rear.
Bill J


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## Spinning Lizard (Nov 27, 2009)

I run 28psi front and rear. Weigh 165lbs and use mostly 2.4 Racing Ralphs.

And on the backpack comment, how far do you ride where you use over 100 ounces of water? Props to you, i can't even stand the weight of a multitool in my jersey pocket, lol.


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## coke (Jun 7, 2008)

Weight - Around 165-170 with gear
Front - Rampage 
Rear - Ardent 2.4
Heavy duty slime tubes in both. (Tried tubless, but didn't like it)

Around 25-27 seems to work well for me.


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## nff1987 (Jun 8, 2012)

from 30 to 35 but i dont do hard tracks yet


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## TR (Jan 12, 2004)

Same as on my HT.


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## kevinboyer (Jan 19, 2012)

Canfield Brothers Yelli Screamy Large
Weight- 175-180
Front- Maxxis Ardent 2.25 tubed 23 psi
Rear- Maxxis Ardent 2.25 tubed 25 psi


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## Trail Addict (Nov 20, 2011)

I'm extremely lightweight at 136 pounds and have been running my front tire at 20 psi and my rear at around 23 psi. It works but I'm still experimenting to get the perfect tire pressure.


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## 29er_Marc (May 23, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies to this guys, yesterday i ran 30psi and it was too hard, so on wednesday ill drop em down to 25psi. ill get the right combo soon enough. Im 166lbs on 2.2 WTB

Cheers


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## bschmalzer (Sep 11, 2007)

I ride a variety of trails, but do some high speed downhilling in sharp rocks, WV and VA racing. General trail riding, 2.2 on the front, 2.0 on rear (kenda tires) - 17 front, 27 rear - I weigh 170 lbs with gear. Racing, I up the pressure a few lbs in each tire. I ran 19.5 front and 30 rear at the pisgah stage race last year and did not touch rim or flat once. Racing schwalbes this year, 19 front, 28 rear, no flats, no problems so far.


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## rockbasher (May 30, 2012)

I run 12 in the front,about 8psi in the back with a radial trials tire,tubeless in the back. Amazing traction,will climb past vertical with proper body weighting.
That's on my 300 KTM. 

On my Kona 4" FS I end up at 25 or slightly less.


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## 29er_Marc (May 23, 2012)

Im finding that my "sweet" spot is around 25-27 in the rear and 20 in the front.


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## Dion (Oct 22, 2009)

I squish it with my hand and say, "Eh, that's about right..."


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## 29er_Marc (May 23, 2012)

@dion that's about what I do, than throw a gauge on it just to see lol no better gauge than just feeling


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## raven1911 (Jul 14, 2011)

I am 170 lbs rider and run 21 front and 23 rear tubeless. Never have had a pinch or any other problem and I feel they give me plenty of bounce and make my ride much more pleasurable. I have never had any bottoming out with running that pressure. Any riders in the northern AZ area want to hook up let me know! I am in the Prescott area. PM me!


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

Dion said:


> I squish it with my hand and say, "Eh, that's about right..."


Me too, I'm glad there are a few others out there doing this. I think I run in the low 20s on my 29er SS.


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## CPGs (Aug 12, 2012)

on my 29er hartail with tubes its 26-28 front and 28-32 rear ive gone as low as 22 front and 26 rear but it gets slow and eventually im gonna have to get a pinch flat but have never yet and im running tubes (light)


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## BjornS (Feb 5, 2010)

SS Hack said:


> Me too, I'm glad there are a few others out there doing this. I think I run in the low 20s on my 29er SS.


I do the same. Run about 40 psi on the 30 min commuting ride to work, detour in the afternoon via nice singletrack on the way home.

Relief air from both wheels until the tumb and finger agrees, and when I get home i'm usually somewhere around 20-23 psi front. A wee bit more in the rear wheel. I run 2.2 Ikon front and rear, the best compromise I've had for commuting on asphalt road and singletrack during the long way home.

Bjørn


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## giantdefy (Jun 26, 2010)

27psi on tubless!


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## keith_mtb (May 12, 2012)

i run 28-30 front, 30-32 rear. i weigh 205, tubeless, ht 29er


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

thanks for all the replies. i am more or less new to riding niners and this thread is telling me i need to drop my pressures a bit. 

i'm 5'11' 170 and carry a pretty heavy pack and feel like i'm bouncing around more than i ought to be running 30F/35R on tubed panaracer comets.


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

SS Hack said:


> Me too, I'm glad there are a few others out there doing this. I think I run in the low 20s on my 29er SS.


are you running tubes or tubeless?


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## millertm (Jul 20, 2012)

6'4" 300lbs, 45 rear and 40 front. Any less and I squish the tires. With my weight and my bike's 33.7 lbs I dig in well. 60 front and back on the road. I might drop into the mid 30's if it real soft but the hard pack here in NM likes it a bit firm.

Mark


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## jesspal (Apr 26, 2009)

I'm 280 plus a pack and run 38 front and rear. Had tires at lower psi but when I would got a real short steel part of a trail I would burp out from the down forces. 

Perhaps I just don't know how to approach this hill in the proper manner. Or I am just a total fat ass.


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## BruceBrown (Jan 16, 2004)

shekky said:


> thanks for all the replies. i am more or less new to riding niners and this thread is telling me i need to drop my pressures a bit.
> 
> i'm 5'11' 170 and carry a pretty heavy pack and feel like i'm bouncing around more than i ought to be running 30F/35R on tubed panaracer comets.


If you were running those Comets tubeless, your _starting point_ would be 24 psi + 2 in the rear, - 1 in the front.

A bit higher that that for tubes, but I would say 30/35 is still too much with tubes for your weight. I'd drop that a bit and experiment to find the happy medium. Maybe 28 front/30 rear and adjust up and down from there to find your sweet spot.


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## egr551 (Feb 6, 2011)

Running tubeless:
25 for front and 27 PSI for rear.


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## ddublu (Oct 14, 2012)

What if there is a good amount of pavement on way to trails? Won't lower tire pressure chew the tires away quicker?


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## _Alberto_ (Sep 8, 2012)

28/30 tubeless I'm 202lbs

Anything less on the front and it squirms. I can run to about 33psi and not feel much difference rear. At 28psi I've burped the air out the back tire.


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## ALBM (Jan 16, 2012)

5'4" 125lbs 18F/18R tubeless SS


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## memi (Nov 14, 2011)

145 lbs, 5'4" on HT, Panaracer Rampage in winter, Kenda SB 8 in summer, both about 25 to 30PSI.


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## broadwayline (Jan 19, 2008)

22 front and 26 rear

200lbs with gear, rocket ron / racing ralph


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

memi said:


> 145 lbs, 5'4" on HT, Panaracer Rampage in winter, Kenda SB 8 in summer, both about 25 to 30PSI.


I run the Rampage up front down to 19psi and the SB8 in back in the low 20s - I weigh 165 geared up. Am I the only one that can run tubed tires this low?

Quick question for experts as I've never gone tubeless. Is a tubeless tire softer and more compliant at the same pressure as a tubed tire? My pressures are low now and I'd still like to go lower. I ride very "lightly".


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## BruceBrown (Jan 16, 2004)

SS Hack said:


> I run the Rampage up front down to 19psi and the SB8 in back in the low 20s - I weigh 165 geared up. Am I the only one that can run tubed tires this low?
> 
> Quick question for experts as I've never gone tubeless. Is a tubeless tire softer and more compliant at the same pressure as a tubed tire? My pressures are low now and I'd still like to go lower. I ride very "lightly".


A tubeless tire - or more likely a tubeless ready tire is what the majority of people are buying these days - has more sidewall material than a non-tubeless/non-tubeless ready tire. Not sure I would label all the extra rubber as being "softer" on a true tubeless tire as it really is providing an enforced sidewall to prevent puncture/tears and to provide stability at lower pressures when running tubeless.

Plenty of plain old tires have been converted to tubeless over the years, but the problem being if they are not the tubeless ready version there could be quite a bit of squirm at lower pressures compared to the models with a bit more beefed up sidewall.

You can run mad low pressures with a true tubeless tire (Maxxis LUST Ardent or Crossmark for example) thanks to the beefed up sidewalls. Yes, they weigh a lot more than other tires with all of that beefed up rubber to make them a true tubeless tire.

The next category would be the _tubeless ready tires_ which can be run at low pressures, but not quite as low as a true tubeless tire. In the case of the Kenda brand, they call their tubeless ready tires SCT which adds about 100g give or take in the Small Block 8 over their non-tubeless ready Small Block 8 29"er tire. And non tubeless ready tires you have to keep a bit higher to avoid squirm when converting them. Not to mention, it will take a while for the sidewalls to seal up and stop sweating so much sealant.

That was the beauty of the NoTubes rims as they allowed you to easily convert the non-tubeless ready tires. I haven't done a look at all the current tire models, but I imagine most have been "upgraded" to tubeless ready these days. I've got all three types (tubeless, tubeless ready, and non-tubeless ready) which I mix and match and convert on all my rims.

BB


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## memi (Nov 14, 2011)

I run with tubes. Any lower I'm going to ruin my rims for sure in rocky places...


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