Check your tire pressure

🧠 Need to Know This Week...

1. 🛞 Tire pressure is boring as hell but it'll save your ass more than you think

2. 🪬 I finally got an airbag vest last year; did you?

3. 🤖Zero and Yadea bikes have security holes that hackers can exploit... great

4. 📱 Cardo finally ditched the terrible Riser app and rolled out something entirely new

5. 🎥 Stages accident scams are getting worse and dash cams are your best defense.

6. 🤑 Open-box adv deals for when you want quality but your wallet says no

7. ⚠️ Harley's recalling thousands of bikes for airbox issues that could dump oil everywhere

I check my tire pressure maybe once a month. Should probably do it more. You should too.

Most of us treat tire pressure like flossing... we know we should do it regularly, but we don't. Then we wonder why our bike feels off or why we're burning through rear tires faster than expected.

The thing is, tire pressure affects literally everything about how your bike handles. Too low and you're wallowing through turns like you're riding through pudding. Too high and you're bouncing off road imperfections like a pinball. Both will chew up your tires and make the bike feel unpredictable.

Check when cold

This means before you ride, not after you've been cruising around for 20 minutes. Heat from riding increases pressure by 4-6 PSI, so that "perfect" 36 PSI you just set after a ride to Bear Mountain is actually closer to 30 PSI when you start tomorrow morning.

I keep a digital gauge in my jacket. The stick gauges at gas stations are garbage and usually off by 3-5 PSI. Spend $15 on a decent digital one and actually know what you're working with.

Your manual knows best

Start with whatever your manual says. It's usually on a sticker somewhere on the bike too if you can't find the manual. Most bikes want something between 32-36 PSI front, 36-42 PSI rear, but this varies wildly depending on what you're riding.

If you're carrying a passenger or luggage, bump the rear up a few PSI. Your suspension is already working harder; don't make your rear tire do extra work too.

When it goes wrong

Low pressure in the front makes the bike feel heavy and reluctant to turn. You'll find yourself muscling it through corners instead of the bike wanting to lean. Low in the rear and the bike feels unstable, especially under braking.

Too much pressure and you lose contact patch. The bike feels twitchy and harsh, and you'll slide around on wet pavement like you're riding on hockey pucks.

I had a slow leak in my rear tire last season that took weeks to figure out. Kept thinking something was wrong with my suspension setup because the bike felt like shit in turns. Turned out I was riding around at 28 PSI instead of 38 (I’m fat). Fixed the leak, got the pressure right, and the bike felt completely different.

Make it a habit

Check pressure every two weeks, minimum. Tires can lose 1-2 PSI per month just sitting there, and temperature swings make it worse. That perfect pressure you set in April is probably 5 PSI low by July.

Takes two minutes and saves you from buying new tires every season because you've been riding around on underinflated rubber. Plus your bike will actually handle the way it's supposed to instead of feeling like you're fighting it through every turn.

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Until next time!

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