Mountain Bike Tire Pressure Chart & Guide

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The tire pressure of your mountain bike has an outsized influence on your ride, affecting how much grip and stability you feel on the trail. On a mountain bike, your ability to navigate slippery roots and steep berms without washing out may come down to how much air is in your tires. 

Luckily, dialing in your mountain bike's tire pressure just happens to be one of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve your bike's overall performance. 

There are a ton of factors that affect optimal tire pressure for your mountain bike, ranging from terrain, to the kind of tires you run, to your own personal riding preferences. Tubeless mountain bike tire pressure is slightly different from rider who are still running tubes, as well.

The truth is, there's no one size fits all answer, but the general rule of thumb is to go lower than the manufacturer's recommendation. You can test your pressure by looking at how much your mountain bike tire "wraps" around an obstacle - a curb is a good example. Your mountain bike tire pressure should be low enough that it slightly "wraps" around the obstacle, but not so much that you'll hit a rim on a big drop.

Most of your weight is held in the rear, so you'll also want to run slightly higher pressure in back. Increasing PSI by 2-3 in the rear tire is a good amount to start with.

Use the chart below as a jumping off point and adjust according to your own riding style.

Note: This chart has been created using Schwalbe's Pressure Prof, based on intermediate riders running 2.4–2.5” tires with a 30 mm internal rim.

Need a tune up? Bring your bike in for maintenance at any of our flagship locations for assistance:

• Seattle Bike Services
• Portland Bike Services
• Denver Bike Services
• Salt Lake City Bike Services
• Snoqualmie Pass Bike Services
• Whistler Bike Services

Learn More With Our Other Bike Guides:
 

This is evo. We are a ski, snowboard, wake, skate, bike, surf, camp, and clothing online retailer with physical stores in Seattle, Portland, Denver, Salt Lake City, Whistler, and Snoqualmie Pass. Our goal is to provide you with great information to make both your purchase and upkeep easy.

evo also likes to travel to remote places across the globe in search of world-class powder turns, epic waves, or legendary mountain biking locations through evoTrip Adventure Travel Trips. Or, if you prefer to travel on your own, check out our ski & snowboard resort travel guides and mountain bike trail guides.

 

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