Two KS 16X with different tires

[Paulo Mesquita]

Hello all,

Can someone enlighten me about something that I'm totally ignorant about?

I bought a brand new KS 16x and a few weeks later I bought a used KS16x. So now I have two. But the tire tracks are different.

Can someone tell me if one is better than the other of the difference is not important?

Thanks for reading. Cheers

 

 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Paulo Mesquita

[Tawpie]

The top one (green) is an H-666 tire, I have that one. It’s a very nice tire both on and off road. Not sure about the other one but you’ll be able to let us know how they’re different!

The tire manufacturer and model are molded into the sidewall.

[Paulo Mesquita]

@Tawpie I assume that with my weight (89kg + gear = +- 92kgs)...I should have both of them at least with 2.5bar/ 37 psi?

[Dreygun]

27 minutes ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

@Tawpie I assume that with my weight (89kg + gear = +- 92kgs)...I should have both of them at least with 2.5bar/ 37 psi?

I ride my h666 24psi. It was way too squirrely any higher. In -10C to 30C just for reference. Rub chalk across the tire and ride straight for 20 feet. See how wide of a profile is actually sitting on the concrete when you ride. I do this with my 37-13-17 jeep tires as well just to get a nice flat, even wear.

Edited February 26, 2021 by Dreygun

[Tawpie]

3 hours ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

I assume that with my weight (89kg + gear = +- 92kgs)...I should have both of them at least with 2.5bar/ 37 psi?

I do expect that the two tires will end up at different pressures as the construction of the tire sidewall and tread makes a huge difference in their 'ride quality'.

I've read that the good starting point is 1/3 your riding weight (kg), in psi. For 92 kgs, that comes out to about 30 psi give or take.

But I find t's mostly about "how you ride". I know that's a cliche and not terribly helpful. The things to keep in mind are basically two: 1) a lower pressure will allow the tire to absorb small bumps which makes the ride less rough and in general less squirrely—the cost is that if you hit a big one or go down a curb with low tire pressure you risk getting a pinch flat or worse, bending your rim (motor replacement usually required). 2) higher pressure will protect you against the pinch flat/bent rim and will increase your range (a little, probably not worth mentioning) but the tire tends to bounce over the small bumps which to me, is what I call 'squirrely'—it's easier to lose control when the tire isn't on the ground. There are other consequences of tire pressure as well (how easy it is to yank the wheel into a 180, the amount of gription changes with the area of the tire in contact with the road, carving is probably easier/smoother at higher pressures and so on), but I want to find the balance point where it's easy to maintain control, but not get a flat.

Like @Dreygun, I ride the H-666 on pavement at 25 psi, but my riding weight is 55 kg soaking wet (yes, I do have to run around in the shower to rinse off—heard it, laughed at it… move along). For really bumpy things like snow trails that people have been walking on, I like 20 psi better—it's less exhausting because my legs don't have to absorb all of the little bumps.

I'd recommend starting where you are and if you don't feel like the wheel is going all over the place, it's a great spot. If the wheel feels a little bouncy going over normal bumps in the road, or if your teeth are rattling out of your head, lower the pressure a couple of psi and see how that feels... keep going up/down until you find what you like. No matter what, experiment! Get a little pump and the valve stem extenders and a tire pressure gauge and fiddle around.

Edited February 26, 2021 by Tawpie

[Paulo Mesquita]

4 hours ago, Dreygun said:

I ride my h666 24psi. It was way too squirrely any higher. In -10C to 30C just for reference. Rub chalk across the tire and ride straight for 20 feet. See how wide of a profile is actually sitting on the concrete when you ride. I do this with my 37-13-17 jeep tires as well just to get a nice flat, even wear.

Thanks for the idea. I'll try it. 

[.....]

I found my ideal pressure by airing up pretty high to about 35psi. I went for a ride. After a few bumps and cracks making my teeth hurt, I'd stop and let a little out then ride again. I didnt use a gauge as I didnt want to be biased. I kept doing that until the teeth jarring stopped. Then I went home and checked pressure. I ended up at about 25psi on the 18l and 20psi on the sherm. I did the same thing again and ended up at about the same stats.  15psi on the mten, 20psi on the sherm and  25psi 18L.I decided I wanted a little easier free roll at the expense of comfort. Lower pressure is less twitchy, but also takes more input to go faster. With worry about the sherm tire, I upped it by 5psi. Biggest thing is to not have it so high that you bounce when hitting bumps, as I found it bounces me off the pedals. Sounds to me like you have the experience and skill now, to come to your own conclusions. Tire pressures are a custom to ride thing and noone can tell you what youll like. You'r obviously in the ballpark, so now you just need 'season to taste'. Dont be surprised if your two tires dont end up at same pressure. Hell, why not leave one low and another higher and pick the one that fits your needs for the day?Try going really low on one to practice slow manuevers and backwards riding. Biggest problem of too low, is rim impact and heat buildup. Of course witht he sherm, too low could = much worse things. Looks like both your tires are mounted facing the right way at least! Dont forget, cheap spring loaded tire gauges arent accurate. Best scenario is to use the same gauge all the time and just consider the actual numbers a mere referance. My gauge shoulda been labelled in 'tacos' not psi, as  neither is the REAL figure anyhow.

Edited February 27, 2021 by ShanesPlanet