For years I’ve ridden tubulars with nary a flat problem. Over the past six or seven years I’ve ridden four pairs of 24/25mm wide Vittoria Pave’s down to the casings and not had one flat. It's a tire I love.

I can’t say I’ve had as good luck with my clinchers.

I have decided to try a wider tire on my general winter bike, (a Waterford X-11)used mostly on pavement, but also on hard packed dirt and gravel.

I’m trying a pair of Challenge Strada Bianca’s and trying to figure out optimal tire pressures. The sidewall of the tire says inflate to 100-120psi. (Which seems to me to be insane) Today I inflated the tires to 80psi. The ride seemed way to harsh.

So I knocked them down to about 60psi and that seemed to get me in the ballpark for pavement, although I suspect I’ll have to go lower when I get on the gravel roads.

I guess through trial and error I need to find the point the tire is comfortable rolling and absorbs some of the road shock and yet isn't spongy when I'm pounding. (The few times I pound anymore...)

Or maybe I'm expecting the tire to do more than it really does.

For those riding these fatter tubulars what kind of pressures are you running.

Whether is matters or not, I’m 150…..probably 155 pounds after this past week.

Thanks.