UST tires: BUUUUUURRRP!

What’s the deal with UST tires burbing? I have problemns with either wheel wanting to burb and it usualy ends up with me on my butt onthe side of the trail. Even the rear wheel wants to burb on a landing off a small jump like off a root or a rock, Am i doing something wrong Lee?

Chris

Hey Chris,

Lots of riders struggle with their UST tires burping air, usually on a hard corner or a crooked landing. I’ve never had that problem.

I can think of three variables:

1. Tire pressure. More air makes your tire more resistant to burping. I weigh about 175 pounds and ride smoothly but pretty aggressively. For DH I’ve been running 25 to 30 to even 40 psi. For XC I run 35-40 psi. A bigger, stronger, faster rider would need even more pressure.

2. Tire/rim fit. The UST combos I’ve used — for downhill Maxxis High Rollers and Minions; for trail Specialized Resolutions, all on Mavic 823s — have worked fine. Perhaps other tire/rim combos don’t fit as well.

3. Riding style. If you habitually land jumps crooked, that’s a problem. If you ride very fast and very hard, can also a problem. Many top downhillers, including the Yeti-FOX Factory team, use standard tires and tubes. They corner so hard nothing else will stay on. Even with 50 psi at Vermont last year, the Yeti guys still ripped tires off the beads. Imagine cornering that hard. Lopes has the same issue. I doubt the rest of us have that problem.

So: More air. Try a different tire. Land straight.