Here is a great tip on tire pressure for MTB racing from LW Coaching athlete Erica Tingey. Erica is aTeam Jamis pro MTB racer. Stans NoTubes is one of her sponsors.

Did you know there is a formula to determine what tire pressure riders over 140 lbs can run on your Stans NoTubes ZTR rims? I’ve ridden with athletes that weigh 170 lbs and are running 30 lbs of pressure (PSI)! Yikes! I (Erica) run 19 in the front and 21-22 in the rear. You can change the pressure depending on the course, but this is a great starting point.

Rider Weight in pounds divided by 7 = x
x – 1 = Front tire pressure in PSI
x + 2 = Rear tire pressure in PSI

Example: 185 lb rider
185/7 = 26.4
Front tire pressure: 26 – 1 = 25 PSI
Rear tire pressure: 26 + 2 = 28 PSI

Example: 140 lb rider
140/7 = 20
Front tire pressure: 20 – 1 = 19 PSI
Rear tire pressure: 20 + 2 = 22 PSI

This is a great starting point to hone in on the best pressure for your own tires. Also take into consideration your speed and riding style, riding skill, terrain, type of tire and type of rim to make further adjustments.

Coach Lynda

This formula breaks down for riders under 140 lbs body weight. Sorry little people – that includes me. At a bodyweight of 110 lbs I race with 19 PSI in the front and 20 PSI in the rear tire with a Stans NoTubes (tubless) tire set up.