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Old 03-12-08 | 04:52 AM
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Little Darwin
The Improbable Bulk
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 8,379
Likes: 7
From: Wilkes-Barre, PA

Bikes: Many

I have had 2 blowouts in the past 4 or 5 years... and they both happened in my apartment at night.

My guess is that any blowout not caused by road hazards is at a random time, caused by tube or rim issues. For example one of mine was related to a worn rim strip, the other was on an older tube at the base of the stem (probably due to topping off the pressure many times). Lowering pressure may ensure that this doesn't happen while the bike is idle... but think of the alternative.

Thinking about it just now, I would leave the tires inflated to increase the odds of a tire blowing during the 23 hours a day I am not riding, since it probably increases the chances that a weakness in the tube fails while riding it if I reduce the chance of it blowing while it is just sitting there...

My thoughts may not prove out by facts, but I would rather have a blowout when off the bike than when riding...

I seem to recall reading here in another thread that the pressure increase associated with a temperature increase is only a few percent. So, I will consider any minimal increases in pressure based on heat a stress test.
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