indyfabz

I have Stan's No-Tubes, but I have never installed the tires. The LBS has done that for me both times. I use a simple floor pump to keep them properly inflated. Is there something unique about installing them that might require a compressor?

beatlebee 

Schwable one's on Stan's alpha 340 rims were stupid easy to set, no compressor, no soapy water, no sealant in the tires. Simply put on and pump and they are set.

Phlorida

There isn't a tube to contain the air so if the tire isn't placed into the rim properly the air runs out before the tire seats onto the rim. I typically don't have that issue and do well with a floor pump. The additional air pressure from a compressor can make it easier to make them seat. Once the tubeless tire is seated on the rim you keep them inflated just like a tube tire.

rms13

I put over 2000 miles on a set of Conti Ultra Sports. They are $20 tires and I rode them until the thread started to show through the rubber. I only had one flat in the entire life of those tires and it was because I ran over a 6 pack worth of broken beer bottles. Your tires are not the problem. I ride in an urban area with plenty of harsh road conditions. When I was new to cycling I had a string of pinch flats and it was because I was doing things wrong.

catgita

If you weigh more than about 185 pounds, 23mm tires will likely require more than their rated pressure to be "properly inflated" (about 15% sag). Wider tires on wider rims and tubeless are all excellent solutions to pinch flats, and may offer slightly lower rolling resistance (with an equivalent tire). Sealants for tubes like Cafelatex or Slime Pro (not Slime) will all but eliminate punctures, but pinch flats are not in their repertoire.

Monkey D.Luffy

Usually is a higher pressure better to prevent flats? I know they help with pinch flats.

Carbonfiberboy 

No. Pressure doesn't help with pinch flats, it prevents them in anything less than a rim denting hit. More pressure seems to increase the possibility of flatting on a sharp object, as more pressure increases the PSI between tire and road.

Roadbikedude

Conti Ultra gatorskins 25mm and make sure you check and inflate before every ride. I average close to 3200k per year and only average 1 to 2 flats per year and in most cases, the thing that flats my tires could have flatted a truck. Another option is to go tubeless.......

gregf83 

Not clear what you meant to say here.

Roadbikedude

Agree with the PRO4 Endurance - I ran the 25mm and only had one flat due to a piece of metal.

datlas 

1. How about you tell us what tires you are using?
2. Regardless, if you are getting pinch flats, that's user error. Proper inflation should solve that part.

Dave Cutter

The best defense against pinch flats is proper inflation.


Too many cyclist check tire pressure by just squeezing the tire. [There is] Nothing wrong with the squeeze test... if you like running at the highest pressure the tires can handle AND... you're only 135 pounds. But for most people it is best to check tire pressure before every ride... particularly if you're having a pinch flat problem. Then make sure your at the higher end of the proper inflation pressure acceptable for your tires. I'd even look at a new pump to make sure the gauge is reading correctly.

BoSoxYacht

I'm sold on PRO4 Endurance tires. Same great ride as PRO4 SC, but far more durable.

My wheels are tubeless ready, but with the mileage I do, it's nice to get great tires for $31.

Leinster

Higher psi in your tires shifts the goalposts of what constitutes a "rim denting hit" in your favour, though. Hit the same pothole at 25mph with your 23c tires at 110psi and at 40 psi, and where one will bounce and keep rolling, the other has a good chance of flatting you. There's obviously a risk curve in between there, but tire pressure definitely makes a difference with flats. If it didn't, we'd all roll on 60psi and never feel any road buzz at all.

Carbonfiberboy 

Yes, sorry 'bout that. I meant that more pressure is a preventative. You use enough of it and you won't pinch flat except in an extreme case, like when my buddy missed his bunny hop and ruined his rim on a 4" high pavement step.

carpediemracing 

+1

+1 I like how you define "heavy" as not just weight but also riding style.

When I was 215 lbs I wasn't riding as often but I didn't pinch flat a 23c tire either. By then I'd learned how to ride sensibly and had enough skill to bunny hop stuff when I ran out of room to maneuver.

Pinch flats are due to the tire compressing hard enough against the rim to "pinch" the tube on both sides. The reasons for the tire to compress that much:
1 - not enough air pressure (most common). I pump up my tires every ride, although realistically if I'm riding a second day in a row the tire pressure has dropped only 5 psi or something.
2 - too heavy a rider for a given pressure (see number 1 above). One customer of our store insisted on riding 20c tires even though he was probably 190-200 lbs; he stopped with the 20c only when he double flatted during a lunch ride and missed part of his work day, and after going to 23c he never had a problem. The issue is that the 20c tires has such limited air volume that even high pressures weren't enough to prevent a pinch flat.
3 - too much impact for air pressure in tire (like that 4" curb someone mentioned). As a 140 lbs rider I pinch flatted a 2.1" mtb tire on a 25 lbs full suspension mtb in a mtb race when it had 65 psi in it (max pressure) because I totally screwed up a bunny hop onto a curb at high speed. It's possible to pinch flat everything at some point.

indyfabz

Thanks. I had heard from people that they can sometimes be a PITA to install but never knew the precise reason. I buy my tires locally so they are always installed by for me by the shop.

rpenmanparker 

Sure, you are right. One has to wonder whether OP, as a newbie, rides in a very "heavy style". Butt glued to the seat and right through every road hazard.

Kai Winters

As has been said pinch flats, not during tube installation, are generally caused by one, or both, of two things...under inflated tire and/or hitting something hard enough to pinch the tube causing the dreaded "snake bite" flat.

Both can be easily remedied...first make sure your tires are inflated to a psi that prevents the flat...second, if you're not, learn to ride "lightly"...some riders are "snow plows" bashing into everything they encounter. Others are "falling leaves" drifting along on the air.

Some suggestions to avoid/minimize pinch flats:
Properly inflated tires
Look down the road while riding...not just right in front of you...you can see obstructions, pot holes, etc. so you can ride around them or skip over them with a light lifting action of your body on the bike...lighten the pedal stroke, lift your ass off the saddle and gently pull your bike up just a bit using feet, on pedals, and hands, on bars...just enough to skip over the pot hole, etc.
Stay away from the edge of the road...that is where all the nasties that love to bite our tires and tubes live.

There are probably more but they are the most important basics in my opinion.

Better tires and tubes won't generally prevent or save you from snake bites...skill and knowledge are the keys to that.

rpenmanparker 

All true, but you didn't mention the simple act of using your legs as shock absorbers when you lift your butt off the saddle. One CAN bunny hop obstructions, but in many cases just taking your weight off the saddle and flexing your legs to absorb a bump will be sufficient to protect the wheels and tires.

Kai Winters

lol...hard to describe all actions as many have become as natural as breathing and seldom thought about.
I did mean more of a "shock absorbing" action rather than bunny hopping as that can often result in some negative results if you are a "snow plower" rather than a "leaf"...but rereading it I can see it is a bit misleading...oops.
Bunny hopping is a more difficult action to master imo and takes more practice.

Nice catch...

Alias530

Yes, it does. Air volume is a huge factor in pinch flats, see below. Agreed about sharp objects though.

Yes it does. I got pinch flats all the time with 23c tires, never again when I went 25c. At max pressure, there simply wasn't enough volume in the 23c tires. Also, tires with flimsier sidewalls will pinch flat more easily at a given pressure. Think about a Gatorskin Hardshell vs. a Vittoria Open Corsa. Thicker sidewalls can help combat pinch flatting.

gregf83 

By type I meant model not size. It's true you need a wide enough tire to support your weight but once you have that you shouldn't be getting pinch flats even with flexible, low rolling resistance tires.

dalava

Everyone knows the answer to this is go tubeless clincher, but a lot of people yet to make this transition because a variety of reasons and it's been debated countless times here.

All I can say is that I had one too many of pinch flats and went tubeless on all of wheelsets, and couldn't be happier.

As for the installation, if you have tubeless-ready wheel rims, you shouldn't need a compressor. For converting regular non-tubeless rims or some tubeless-compatible rims, the process may be a harder and may require a compressor, and it's kind of hit and miss. My recommendation is get something that's tubeless-ready, e.g. Stan's Alpha ZTR, and out on a set of 700x25 Schwalbe One tubeless, and live the "no pinch flat" good life.

Alias530

I haven't done much experimenting with tires in the road bike world, just used Gatorskins or GP4000S's and been happy. But in the mountain world, where most tread designs also have varying width and sidewall models, I can tell you that the flimsier sidewall models need to be aired up higher to avoid pinch flats. Thicker sidewalls act like higher pressure. Impacts deform the sidewalls less at a constant pressure with thicker sidewalls. I can't imagine that this is vastly different in the road world.