bobkat

Will D - were you saying that Armadillo tires should be inflated MORE than 100psi? I have armadillos and run 100 psi and so far (knock on wood) I haven't had a flat.
I think there are goat heads in Montana but I've never seen any in ND. Again, knock on wood....

Lurch

I started riding seriously in 1989 and if the frequency of flats is any indication, tires have improved greatly since then. Early on I developed the habit of closely watching the pavement surface for flat producing objects or conditions. This now deeply ingrained habit makes touring and watching the scenery more difficult, but I suspect it reduces the number of flats. My latest flats were from a prickly pear cactus and some sort of thorny twig encountered along paved bike trails. I check tire pressure frequently, especially for narrower tires and keep pretty close to what is indicated on the sidewalls.

NOS88

The only rule I'm sure of is that if it stays over inflated for more than four hours, you should see your doctor.

Carusoswi

I run my Cannondale Cyclocross on Schwalbe Stelvio's 700 x 23C pumped to 140 PSI (sidewall max says 145 PSI). Occasionally, when I've had it in for service, LBS will adjust pressure to 90-95PSI. I notice that the bike is much smoother - rides quieter (my cyclometer rattles in its little bracket at 140 PSI). I have to say that the smoothness is ok, but, to me, it feels as though I'm wasting energy at that pressure.

As for comfort, the most comfortable place in the world to me is on my bike - I am quite comfortable riding for hours regardless of the pressure.

As for flats, the only ones I experienced were from the inside of the tube contacting the underside of the spokes or spoke penetrations (don't know the correct term for those). We solved that by putting another liner (don't know the term for that, either - it's that flat piece of rubber or plastic that lines the inside of the rim) to prevent that contact. It would make sense to me that these inside punctures would be more prevalent at higher pressures, but, I really don't know.

In 3,000 miles, I've had two flats, both inside flats.

I don't know if they're available, but, sometime, I'd like to fit my bike with wider tires and put on slick MTB sized tires just to see how they would feel on my bike.

Anyone tried this? Would I be adding a lot of weight?

I had Armadillos (23c) on previously - even though they were skinny, they seemed a lot heavier than these Schwalbe which I really like (this is OT, but, I like the shaded lettering on the Schwalbe tires, too - I think it looks neat (call me a Fred if you want to - 'cause I still don't know what a Fred is)).

Anyhow, thanks for a great thread - I love reading threads about tire pressure (ok, so I'm a weird Fred).

Caruso

Carusoswi

One more thing. . .

One of my flats occurred just two evenings ago. We have this lovely recreational area called Blue Marsh in Reading, PA. One entrance is a steep but smoothly paved curving descent (I typically push 50 mph coming down this hill), then, you can take trails around the lake to an exit on the opposite side. The trail varies from smooth to soft mud to very rocky. There is no question my skinny "super" inflated tires are less suitable than would be MTB tires - but it's a fun challenge for me just the same. At the other (my exit) side is another short but steep and extremely rocky descent. I took it slowly and tried to avoid the really sharp, pointed rocks. I think I did a pretty good job, but, after leaving the area, my front tire flatted on the inside (about 2 miles further into the ride).

I had purchased an extra liner (this wheel had only the original liner in it), and, of course a spare tube, changing levers, and pump.

My question: is it likely the high pressure contributed to this flat? A similar flat on the rear occurred when I hadn't done any off-road riding. We attributed it to the lack of a second lining.

BTW, I had to change this tire next to the river, and darn near needed a transfusion until I could button up and get out of there.

Caruso

roccobike

I was surprized to read this. My new Specialized MTB tires are rated at 80 PSI max. I ran a dirt, technical trail at 70 PSI, just a little under the tire max rating. I darn near killed myself trying to take logs, small jumps and heavy roots. The tires were bouncing all over the place. My freind recommended I decrease the pressure to the minimum, 35 PSI. I tried the same trail at 35-40 PSI. Voila! not one fall, most of the obsticles seemed easy to handle.
Now, on a gravel packed trail I run the max pressure I can. In fact, I don't run an MTB tire. I run a 2.0 Bontrager comfort tire that has thin, non-aggressive tread to reduce rolling resistance. Soon, I will change to a 1.5 Kenda hybrid, low rolling resistance tire. Then again, on this type of trail I'm not concerned about obsticles since they are rare and far between.

megaman

This is the definition of a fred according to bikejournal.

fred n. 1) a person who spends a lot of money on his bike and clothing, but still can't ride. "What a fred -- too much Lycra and titanium and not enough skill." Synonym for poser. Occasionally called a "barney".
2) (from road riding) a person who has a mishmash of old gear, does't care at all about technology or fashion, didn't race or follow racing, etc. Often identified by chainring marks on white calf socks. Used by "serious" roadies to disparage utility cyclists and touring riders, especially after these totally unfashionable "freds" drop the "serious" roadies on hills because the "serious" guys were really posers. According to popular myth, "Fred" was a well-known grumpy old touring rider, who really was named Fred.

al-wagner

I weight 190 and an inflate my 700x23 to 90 psi on both front and rear tires and have NEVER had a problem. In fact the tires on the bike have about 2000 miles on them.