View Single Post
Old 05-15-11, 01:00 PM
  #8  
StephenH
Uber Goober
 
StephenH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Dallas area, Texas
Posts: 11,758
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 190 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times in 32 Posts
The pressure relates to both the size of the tire and the weight capacity. But for example, most car tires are run at 30-40 psi and hold up 3,000 lbs quite well due to being larger tires. The pressure rating will depend on how the tire is built, and is not the same for all size tires. Bike-shop tires may have a higher rating than Walmart tires, ask and see. If a bike tire is run without enough pressure the usual symptom is a pinch flat where the tube is pinched between the tire and rim and squishes a hole in it. You can't really judge by the way a tire looks, or you'll get paranoid and forever be thinking your tires are squished too much. If they're working okay, they're fine. Tires supporting a 300# rider are going to be squished more than those supporting a 150 lb rider.

The tube is not intended as a structural component, but just as a bladder. I suspect most "BLAM" tube failures are really an issue of the tire coming off the rim and letting the tube blow out at that point, rather than the tube just letting go itself.
__________________
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
StephenH is offline