And his butt! I ran Gator-Skins at the recommended pressure on a Tasmanian randonnee and almost had to peel my butt off the seat after about 100km. It does depend, of course, on the smoothness of the roads. Chipseal that ranges from very fine to outrageously coarse means finding a happy compromise without having to be pumping up and letting out air at various points.

I am not so sure about lower pressures inducing greater numbers of punctures. For sure, at 30-40psi, when the tyre feels squishy to ride anyway, there might be much more opportunity for pinch-flatting. But I have had few problems with new tyres inflated to 80psi when the maker (Vittoria in particular) says 120psi is the threshhold.

Interestingly for me, the Schwalbes I now have are at 80psi (the recommended minimum) and definitely feel too harsh for my liking. I will likely run them at 60 to 70psi.