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Under Pressure


ridelondon

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Ok, this post has nothing to do with the Bowie/Queen track...

Yesterday I had my first ah moment and was able to get on and going without support! Lots of had waves and I looked like Bambi taking it's first steps but I was up and moving!

I noticed while going over bumps the tyre was a bit flat so when I got home I pumped it up to 40 psi (it's what's written on the tyre) and then it felt like I was back to square one, it's much harder to get on and I was only table to stay on a few seconds at a time.

It's an inmotion v10, what's a good tyre pressure for a beginner?

Thanks.

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7 hours ago, ridelondon said:

Ok, this post has nothing to do with the Bowie/Queen track...

  :roflmao:

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the progress!

Tire pressure can have a very big effect on how the wheel behaves, making it too soft and unresponsive if under-inflated and squirrely and unstable if over-inflated (especially when learning). Here's a general guide for weight and tire size, but experiment with different pressures and see what you're most comfortable with :)

EUC-unicycle-Recommended-Tire-Pressures.

 

 

Edited by travsformation
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Opinions vary, but i have found that a lower pressure indeed makes it seem more stable and easier for beginners. Again, opinions vary, but here's a couple in this thread. I also have a video where i discuss it for a few moment during my trip.Tire opinon vid It was an offoad trip, and my opinion may not apply. Fwiw, I ride within the graph above, tho Im a mere 135lbs and like 25-30psi on my 18L, I get by with 20psi on the mten if Im mindful about curbs and how I use the old knees(it's REALLY squishy). I rode my newest 18L today with 35psi and it followed the road more and was a lot more 'agile/twitchy', than my other 18L set at 25psi. I rode them back to back on the uneven asphalt to compare, same tires, near same mileage on both wheels.

Edited by ShanesPlanet
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57 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Opinions vary, but i have found that a lower pressure indeed makes it seem more stable and easier for beginners.

:thumbup:

I agree. I'm about 158 lb and started with 30 psi. As I learned, I started to prefer more pressure, as the wheel felt much more agile and responsive (although a lot of people don't like that twitchy ride) and eventually ended up at 42 psi, which I rode at for quite some time until a) I had a couple of scares due to tram-lining (high pressure makes the tire sidewalls stiffer and less capable of flexing to absorb irregularities, so they're more prone to deviate from one's intended path and follow cracks in the road...which can lead to some real brown-pant moments when at speed!), and b) I started to do more off-roading, and MAN did my knees thank me when I lowered the pressure. I now ride the 18XL at 35 psi and the 16X and 30 psi.

Everyone has their preference. A lot of people use higher pressure for urban riding and air down for off-roading

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5 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Opinions vary, but i have found that a lower pressure indeed makes it seem more stable and easier for beginners. Again, opinions vary, but here's a couple in this thread. I also have a video where i discuss it for a few moment during my trip.Tire opinon vid It was an offoad trip, and my opinion may not apply. Fwiw, I ride within the graph above, tho Im a mere 135lbs and like 25-30psi on my 18L, I get by with 20psi on the mten if Im mindful about curbs and how I use the old knees(it's REALLY squishy). I rode my newest 18L today with 35psi and it followed the road more and was a lot more 'agile/twitchy', than my other 18L set at 25psi. I rode them back to back on the uneven asphalt to compare, same tires, near same mileage on both wheels.

I'm 60KG (about 135 lbs, same as you), I'll start with 30 and go from there. On another note, it's comforting to see someone with a few miles under their belt and see them still wobble when they get on.

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falling off and wobbling like crazy, are two of my other skills. They come and go.. I like to keep moving when possible.:roflmao:

Edited by ShanesPlanet
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