Tyre pressures, Under steer and no grip Options

[stephen]

Just put a new set of boots on my bike Bontrager Jones ACX UST tubeless they inflated ok and I thought to myself lets go out after work for a quick spin in my local . Well no sooner had I hit the first bit of singletrack something funny began to happen .I could not for the life of me keep the bike on track through the bends which flowed very nicely to the right and left as I rode along. Bugger this I thought what the hell is going on here .I mean I`ve done this bit of track more than once and had no trouble at all and so I just carried on but I just kept under steering and could not keep my line.
Damn it what is wrong with me .I know I`ll be more aggressive in the turns and shift my weight more ......still no good I wasn`t having a good time of this so with one more brave (so I thought ) go of it as I hit another turn on this very tasty singletrack I lost grip altogether and bit the dust .Bruised and cut and alittle shaken I picked myself up and looked long and hard at my steed ............then the penny dropped ,I felt my tyres once more and realized the pressure in them were way too high ,releasing the air from front and rear wheel I got back on and my ride was transformed ,no more under steer ,loads more grip and so I pressed on lesson learn`t (the hard way) .
ps the bluebells are out aren`t they nice .

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[Gareth]

Softer pressures give a lot more grip, just watch you don't have them too low when you hit rocky trails at speed. Tubeless helps a bit as you get less pinch punctures but rim damage is a real possibility if you go too low. I always like bigger tyres because these can be run at lower pressures without rim damage on my rocky routes.

Also, make sure you have the tyres fitted the right way around (most tyres these days are directional and have the rotating direction marked on the sidewall).

[stephen]

Softer pressures give a lot more grip, just watch you don't have them too low when you hit rocky trails at speed. Tubeless helps a bit as you get less pinch punctures but rim damage is a real possibility if you go too low. I always like bigger tyres because these can be run at lower pressures without rim damage on my rocky routes.

Also, make sure you have the tyres fitted the right way around (most tyres these days are directional and have the rotating direction marked on the sidewall).

Thanks Gareth I`ll keep that in mind as I`m going Afan end of May plus tyres are non -directional so thats ok.

[Jarl]

only thing about directional tyres is that something like a high roller will give no grip if mounted the correct way round under pedalling, so if you get in a lot of pedalling on loose surfaces, avoid ramped rear tyres.

[addict]

a little tip I was given was to always stick a little bit more air in the back end than the front, that way if ur pegging it and its a bit sketchy twitchy, its more likely that the back end will go first, which is a lot easier to get under control than a greasy front end...

[Nik]

What addict said!

I run my tyre pressures as low as possible in sloppy conditions and put the pressure back on for dry hard pack runs.

[stephen]

a little tip I was given was to always stick a little bit more air in the back end than the front, that way if ur pegging it and its a bit sketchy twitchy, its more likely that the back end will go first, which is a lot easier to get under control than a greasy front end...

Too right it was the front that washed out with the back following suit so I will put that in place as conditions are very dry now .
I tend to run my pressures around 35-45psi and can afford to run them a bit lower for sloppy conditions with the tubeless set up,but must admit I was caught out here and never realized what an adverse effect tyre pressures could have .
Anyway thanks for all the advice everything has been duly noted.

[Nik]

getting use to putting your weight over the front tyre on flat turns is another way to help keep traction... takes abit of getting used to though...

[Suggsey]

I am a big biffer and run 2.3 width tyres with tubes at 30psi front and 35 rear on the hardtail and the full suss and have only ever had (I know its going to cause me a shed load now) one pinch flat on that style set up (and two on 2.1's). The one whilst running 2.35's was on Blackley Hey descent at silly speed about 10 metres from the bottom. Ride light and use your arms and legs to float the bike over really rough stuff or sharp edges and you should get away with sub 30psi for tubeless.
As for running tyres the right way round, is Pikies secret tyre wrong way round gaff been posted eslewhere?

[stephen]

I am a big biffer and run 2.3 width tyres with tubes at 30psi front and 35 rear on the hardtail and the full suss and have only ever had (I know its going to cause me a shed load now) one pinch flat on that style set up (and two on 2.1's). The one whilst running 2.35's was on Blackley Hey descent at silly speed about 10 metres from the bottom. Ride light and use your arms and legs to float the bike over really rough stuff or sharp edges and you should get away with sub 30psi for tubeless.
As for running tyres the right way round, is Pikies secret tyre wrong way round gaff been posted eslewhere?

Thats kinda the mark I was looking at so 25psi at most 30psi .