Well, thanks for all the input! I ordered a set of Ikons, they'll be here Thursday. Looking forward to getting back into it.

Expecting a range report

Well, they arrived. I got one mounted on the front wheel and got it partly inflated. Bead was aligned right, so I inflated it most of the way. That's when I discovered the slash through the sidewall. I know it wasn't me, because I cut through the center of the bag where there was a foot clearance in any direction and pulled the bag open from there with my hands specifically to prevent such a problem. This was slashed at the distributor. Looks like the classic "someone was careless with a box cutter." I went to try to the other one, and that's when I noticed the "Max load - 198lbs). I'm about twenty past my prime weight of 215, so... these clearly aren't going to work for me.

I'm not going to deal with it today. It's been a reverse Midas day all day - everything I've touched has turned to shit.

Pretty sure that load rating is per tire...Max Load 198lbs x 2 tires = 396lbs!

Ohhh! Well... that sucks less, then.

Ok, I'll carefully check the other one, and if there's no punctures or slashes, I'll mount it and inflate it and see where I end up... after a fifteen or twenty minute mental reset.

dumb question: is that max load at max psi? cuz my tires may be rated for some high psi (50 psi? not sure, i'd need to go check) but i only fill to between 20 and 30 psi depending on the trail. if lower psi, then lower load rating?

Ok, got the Ikon that wasn't slashed mounted and inflated. Started an exchange on the other, but I have to bag it up and put a label on it. What a pain in the ass. I also bent over and found a rusty steel baseplate for a jigsaw with my temple. It was hanging off the edge of a work table, and sure enough, it split me open. Just got back from getting my tetanus booster and superglued. The best part? I don't even a fucking jigsaw. I have no idea where this baseplate came from, and as an oddity encountered while unpacking, it got set in a bad place and left there. I should have stuck with my instinct to stay low for the rest of the day.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
dumb question: is that max load at max psi? cuz my tires may be rated for some high psi (50 psi? not sure, i'd need to go check) but i only fill to between 20 and 30 psi depending on the trail. if lower psi, then lower load rating?

I'd also like to know. The Ikon is rated for 35-65psi and that seems like a wide range to me. I kinda figured once I get sorted, I'll start at 50 and see what I think, but I've had the wrong idea about just about all of this so far.

It really doesn’t matter that much.

The recommended pressure range is just a conservative estimate of where tire performance will be OK.

If you go past the low end, you’ll get a lot more rolling resistance and be more likely to get pinch flats. If you go stupid low the tires will collapse and rocks will hit your rims even taking it easy and the bead will pop off.

If you aren’t getting pinch flats and the extra rolling resistance for extra traction is a trade you’re willing to make, it doesn’t matter if you’re below the recommended PSI range.

If you past the high end, you get a lot more likely to pop the bead off the rim if you hit a hard bump or hard landing. (On the high end of the rating, you also need to check your rims - rims have max pressure ratings, too, and those you really don’t want to go much past or you may damage your rims.)

Putting 65 psi in 2”+ wide MTB tires is just nuts (at least for off-pavement use on a mountain bike) and has a good chance of exceeding the pressure rating on your rims.

Given your weight, with 2.1” tires, 50 PSI might be a reasonable low-rolling-resistance pressure for pavement and urban bike paths, but you’ll probably want something more like 35-40 on trails.

Running tubes, you’ll probably start getting pinch flats if you go much lower than that. You’ll hear about people running much lower pressures, but they will mostly be running tires that are both wider (2.4-2.6 seems like the average these days and 2.8”+ is not uncommon) and tubeless. Tubeless tires are less susceptible to pinch flats and wider tires need lower pressures.

Some will also be scrawny bike fanatics, which means they need a lot less pressure to hold them up. If a 230 pound guy hops on a bike a 170 pound guy has been running 20 PSI on, things will not go well.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Expecting a range report

I fully acknowledge that this took a while, but I haven't forgotten. We bought a house and moved and a bunch of other stuff has happened in the interim, but every time I ride, I think of this comment.

Long story short - I had a shop do my bike for me. It had sat for about a decade and everything rubber was melting, and the gears weren't shifting correctly. All that got replaced, they installed the tires and I had them add those armor inserts to help protect against trail punctures.

The bike rides great now, and I was putting in 5-10 hours a week for a couple months. I've taken the Ikons on roads, sidewalks, loose dirt, gravel, a compacted trails of both mixed, and rocky terrain. No mud because, well, Phoenix area. The Ikons are a smooth ride. My only real complaint so far is they skid more than I'm used to and more than I'd like. I think if I was going to do it again, I'd pick something with a bit more aggressive tread. Otherwise, they're holding up well. I haven't had any flats, or any problems of any kind. It's been nice to get back out there.

On a side note, my knees are absolutely trashed. Pedaling hurts for the first ten or fifteen minutes of every ride, and then when the grinding and crunching stops, the pain goes away until I get home and then walking around the rest of the evening absolutely sucks. I had wanted to get into a low-impact way of getting back into shape, but this hurts and the hurting has made me not want to do it. If it hurt less, I'd be out there more. Starting to think about an e-bike, but the prices make my eyes bleed.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Are you infested with GOATHEADS like we were in Cochise County? If so, you might want something with Kevlar or solid tubes.

Looking at your location, that was my first question too! I spent a lot of time riding in CO, NM, W TX, and UT. NM particularly was the land of goatheads. What worked for me were a combination of slime tubes and Mr. Tuffy tire liners. Wasn't 100%, but it certainly helped!

quote:

Originally posted by IntrepidTraveler:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Are you infested with GOATHEADS like we were in Cochise County? If so, you might want something with Kevlar or solid tubes.

Looking at your location, that was my first question too! I spent a lot of time riding in CO, NM, W TX, and UT. NM particularly was the land of goatheads. What worked for me were a combination of slime tubes and Mr. Tuffy tire liners. Wasn't 100%, but it certainly helped!

Yeah, we have those evil bastards here, too. I've found a few, barefoot, by walking past our laundry room. How that happens, I'm not going to spend the mental energy trying to imagine, but I found them all the same.