imported post
imported post
marcveinotte wrote:
Oh...run 5-8 lbs in it..thats it. It's a scary ride with more than that in it...on or off road!
Basically this was my point, the flex of theTerraflex is determined by the stiffness of the sidewalls and carcass rather than the amount of air in the tire. My preference is for a tire that you can adjust tire pressures for the varying conditions you can run into. On the hiway I prefer to run reasonably high pressures to avoid heat build up and minimize sidewall squirm. In single track conditions I will run under ten pounds to gain the benefits of tire compliance, that is flexing and conforming to the terrain.
Although I don'tplan to "benchpress" my bike I do consider "unsprung weight" as too heavy a tire can impact suspensionperformance toa considerabledegree. That was one of the reasons MX bikes converted to 19" rimsmanyyears ago. 19" tires typically have a lowerprofile and are lighter than their 18" counterpart. MX riders also prefer the reduced sidewall flex of a shorter tire. Off roadracers tend to use 18" tires as they are taller and offer more flexibility and resistance to pinching tubes because of the height.
On a final noteit is also important not to "over tire" a bike.There is such a thing as too much traction (I am sure some will disagree). These are just some observations I have made over time and what works for me might not work for someone else.
otg
