Tire Pressure for Aventure
- Thread starter dfaulk
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Brockrock
Active Member
- Region
- USA
A good place to start is the middle of the pressure range indicated on the tire. My Level tires are rated 50-80 PSI, and I run them at 70, but I began at 60 PSI. At 70 PSI, I get slightly less tire drag, so that's my magic number. Your fat tire bike's tires will have a different range obviously, so start somewhere in the middle.
That's great advice, thank you!
Brockrock
Active Member
- Region
- USA
The issue sometimes with the manual is that it may not apply to the actual tire on the bike. Sometimes - and particularly these days - companies substitute components with what's available at the time, and it may have different specs. It's always smart to look at the sidewall specs and use those.
Brockrock
Active Member
- Region
- USA
I agree that 30psi sounds about right for a fat tire. I run my Level at 70. My Kenda sidewalls show a spec of 50-80.
mudcamper
New Member
- Region
- USA
The max pressure on the 4" tires on the Aventure is 30 PSI. Since they are fat, you can run them really low if you want for a cushy ride. I tried 10 PSI. Worked fine. But that causes more friction and uses more battery. So I decided to up mine to 20 PSI. This is working just fine for me.
dfaulk
New Member
- Region
- USA
So I started out at 20 psi for riding on pavement and that has worked well. Haven’t been off road yet but will definitely want to lower the pressures for that.
theemartymac
Well-Known Member
I am a big guy, and I ride my 4" tires at 20 front/25 rear with my regular commuter cargo. I might go as high as 23F/28R if I'm loading up a ton of cargo, but you quickly lose the cushy benefit of fat tires up there. Normally, 15-20 all around is a nice mix of cushy and decent rolling resistance, but you should try it out with a few psi either way and see what you like based on your riding style and weight.
The biggest consideration is avoiding pinch flats. if you are a lazy cruiser, softer tires down to 15 can completely eliminate vibration or the feel of sidewalk cracks, etc. And slightly lower pressures can increase the tires footprint and loose/soft/wet surface traction. Off-roaders and winter/snow and sand riders can sometimes go below 10psi on 4.8-5" tires to really maximize grip. If you are somewhat aggressive and like to play a little, e.g. jump on/off high curbs, or ride very fast on rough trails, a little more pressure will protect your tubes and stiffen up the rim and spokes to reduce broken or bent parts. But too much pressure can actually increase tire damage on sharp rocks as the tire can't deform around it, and the impact point becomes small and sharp.
I don't see too many situations outside of the heaviest cargo bikes where a recreation rider would need max PSI in a 4" or larger tire, and good quality tires still achieve ideal rolling resistance well below the max pressure. I don't find any improvement in range above 25psi, and barely notice it above 20, but I do notice the ride starts to get harsh quickly.
Last caveat, is that some specialty "Street" fat tires self-steer badly at lower pressures, and running higher pressure reduces or eliminates that problem.
The biggest consideration is avoiding pinch flats. if you are a lazy cruiser, softer tires down to 15 can completely eliminate vibration or the feel of sidewalk cracks, etc. And slightly lower pressures can increase the tires footprint and loose/soft/wet surface traction. Off-roaders and winter/snow and sand riders can sometimes go below 10psi on 4.8-5" tires to really maximize grip. If you are somewhat aggressive and like to play a little, e.g. jump on/off high curbs, or ride very fast on rough trails, a little more pressure will protect your tubes and stiffen up the rim and spokes to reduce broken or bent parts. But too much pressure can actually increase tire damage on sharp rocks as the tire can't deform around it, and the impact point becomes small and sharp.
I don't see too many situations outside of the heaviest cargo bikes where a recreation rider would need max PSI in a 4" or larger tire, and good quality tires still achieve ideal rolling resistance well below the max pressure. I don't find any improvement in range above 25psi, and barely notice it above 20, but I do notice the ride starts to get harsh quickly.
Last caveat, is that some specialty "Street" fat tires self-steer badly at lower pressures, and running higher pressure reduces or eliminates that problem.
Tire pressure is recommended change based on tire width as well. The most accurate way of checking your tire’s pressure is using a bike tire pressure gauge. Be especially careful when dealing with PSI for hybrid bike tires and BMX, since they have a wider range to work with.
Last edited:
Ben J
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I run 20/20 but I've tried down to maybe 16/16. Rolling resistance is noticeable if you pedal without assist the lower you go, so I assume range is affected similarly.
Edit to add: On a mix of asphalt with root damage, dirt, gravel, packed gravel, and pavement. I used 91% of my battery to do a 30 mile ride on ECO at 20psi on a mix of asphalt, pavement, and packed gravel.
If you really want to go low (and fat tire bikes often get into the single digits for traction and to smooth bumps) you'll need to go tubeless.
Edit to add: On a mix of asphalt with root damage, dirt, gravel, packed gravel, and pavement. I used 91% of my battery to do a 30 mile ride on ECO at 20psi on a mix of asphalt, pavement, and packed gravel.
If you really want to go low (and fat tire bikes often get into the single digits for traction and to smooth bumps) you'll need to go tubeless.
Jason Knight
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Keene, NH
My numbers run a bit different since I'm rocking 40tpi WD whitewalls instead of the stock 60tpi Kenda Juggernauts. It means my normal ride is 20psi which is the max the WD's are rated for. I drop to 15 if I know I'm taking a rougher unprepared path most of the way, and over the winter in the snow would drop down to 5psi.
The stock (or what came with mine) is a max of 30, but riding those I found the bike wanted to slip sideways even on roads a lot, so I dropped it to 25.
I have found that running the rear 5psi lower than the front feels "grippier" when/if conditions are wet. Bigger contact patch always helps with grip on your power wheels.
For those who don't understand TPI, it's the thread count of the canvas (or other fabric) the tire is shaped to. Higher the TPI the lighter weight that fabric. Good if you want to lighten the bike and are obsessed with that, but garbage for harsh conditions as it's easier to damage. Low thread counts means bigger, heavier, more durable threads, but it also means less flexibility and thus you end up with a lower max pressure rating thanks to the heavier fabric not letting the rubber expand as much.
It's funny I keep hearing some folks say high TPI is better (road racers), others say lower is better (off-road guys) and I'm like "right tool for the right job!" -- which apparently is blasphemy now. Kind of like the pedants who scream if you change a bike from its stock parts, because they don't realize one size fits all fits nobody.
Between replacing my front fork with a double shoulder with 120mm of travel and the suspension seatpost, I was willing to sacrifice a little "cush" for added durability at the tire. Besides I just really like how whitewalls look on the Aventure.
Laugh is I put the stock zoom fork on a friend's bike that had no front suspension, they already blew the seals after six or seven months of riding. It's on my workbench awaiting replacement parts. Thankfully it's all standard size o-rings.
The stock (or what came with mine) is a max of 30, but riding those I found the bike wanted to slip sideways even on roads a lot, so I dropped it to 25.
I have found that running the rear 5psi lower than the front feels "grippier" when/if conditions are wet. Bigger contact patch always helps with grip on your power wheels.
For those who don't understand TPI, it's the thread count of the canvas (or other fabric) the tire is shaped to. Higher the TPI the lighter weight that fabric. Good if you want to lighten the bike and are obsessed with that, but garbage for harsh conditions as it's easier to damage. Low thread counts means bigger, heavier, more durable threads, but it also means less flexibility and thus you end up with a lower max pressure rating thanks to the heavier fabric not letting the rubber expand as much.
It's funny I keep hearing some folks say high TPI is better (road racers), others say lower is better (off-road guys) and I'm like "right tool for the right job!" -- which apparently is blasphemy now. Kind of like the pedants who scream if you change a bike from its stock parts, because they don't realize one size fits all fits nobody.
Between replacing my front fork with a double shoulder with 120mm of travel and the suspension seatpost, I was willing to sacrifice a little "cush" for added durability at the tire. Besides I just really like how whitewalls look on the Aventure.
Laugh is I put the stock zoom fork on a friend's bike that had no front suspension, they already blew the seals after six or seven months of riding. It's on my workbench awaiting replacement parts. Thankfully it's all standard size o-rings.
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