Originally Posted by Smorgasbord
Your rims won't fail before the tires. The tires will have a quoted pressure, but you can run them higher if you want. The quoted pressure limit is chosen based on statistical reasoning (e.g. 99.9% of all tires will handle this pressure until the tread is worn off).
Wherever did you get that?
Tire blow offs, while unusual, certainly aren't unheard of. When it happens, the tire usually gets blamed, partly because tires have more variables and it's easier to measure the rim to see if it's within manufacturing spec. than it is to measure a tire. Rims also wear during normal use. As the brake surface wears, it can allow the flanges to flare outwardly as you inflate your tire. European rims are required to have a brake wear indicator designed into them.
I used to routinely inflate my tires beyond the maximum pressure indicated on the label. Since I've become aware of tires blowing off of rims (I've personally seen it happen), I've become more conservative about tire air pressure. The spin off benefit has been that I've learned how little tire rolling resistance affects the performance of a road bike and I've noticed how much air pressure affects the ride quality.