Originally Posted by wroomwroomoops
I totally don't follow this advice, at all. I pump my tires only when necessary (or when I think it's necessary, i.e. when noticeably deflated (but then, I notice the deflation very easily, as I have a strong grip)), and in fact, I never ever pump them to the maximum pressure. More in the middle-to low range. Maybe because I am light, and like a cushy ride. At any rate, I had 2 "outdoor" flats in my entire life. So, I guess, that advice doesn't necessarily apply to everybody. Oh yeah, never a snakebite, ever.
Yeah, it doesn't apply to everybody, but it's pretty sound advice for a beginner. Someone on a club ride was observed with very low tire pressure causing it to bulge dangerously. When we made her stop to borrow one of our pumps, she admitted to doing the thumb test before each ride. The problem is, her tires lost pressure so slowly that it felt fine every time until she was down from 100 to about 50-60 psi over the course of a month and didn't realize it. Frog in boiling water.
That being said, I still use the thumb test for weekday rides and pump them up fresh every Saturday morning.