As to the "heavy air" quote, it along with the reference to Goldielocks Cycles, was clearly tongue in cheek...............lighten up..:lol:

Well, 40 psi would be very low for DG's tires, which are rated from 75-100 psi. Most hybrid tires inflate to 60 to 80 psi, and tend to be 35mm to 42mm wide. Pinch flats are quite rare on these bikes and tires as it is difficult to compress one of these wider, thicker tires all the way to the rim. Much more difficult than a road tire that is running on low pressure.

In over 20+ years of riding on non-road bikes, with tires ranging from 32mm to 2", and having 5 children who rode bikes, I've never seen a pinch flat on any of our bikes. And sometimes my kids were riding on tires with around 30 psi. I'm not saying it is impossible, but it isn't common.

Now if those fatter tires are on a mountain bike, where you are hitting very sharp objects (edges of rocks) with a lot of force, then you can get pinch flats. But Gary riding around town on his Globe is unlikely to subject his tires to those conditions. Then again, perhaps he is a madman out there in the SD streets?

Actually, my tires are supposed to be at 60 psi:

FRONT TIRESpecialized Nimbus, 700x35C, 60TPI, Flak Jacket
REAR TIRESpecialized Nimbus, 700x35C, 60TPI, Flak Jacket

TPI is threads per inch....it refers to the casing.

Or was that tongue in cheek?

Ah, that's right...he lives where there is no winter. Around the D.C. area there are plenty of potholes that will be happy to give you a pinch flat if you aren't paying attention.

I'm just pointing out that if cross tires can be compressed enough to get pinch flats, I wouldn't assume hybrid tires can't be. But in the end, it can all be avoided by using that pump thingy....

maddmaxx,

Wow - thanks very much for that information!

Last year I stopped to help two cyclists who seemed to be having tire problems of some sort, and volunteered the floor pump already in my car (I was returning from a ride).

On asking how much she'd like in the tire, I was told that she preferred it to be inflated to the limit (140 psi), so...

I did as asked - and it blew just as I reached 140 (it was her last spare, one having blown a few miles earlier, which was inflated with a cartridge)...

The moral of the story - if she hadn't wanted a rock-solid tire, her ride wouldn't have ended so early...

Safer to not inflate to the maximum, for a variety of reasons...

P.S. What you mentioned does support the theory that perhaps our late club member had inflated the tire to it's maximum, leaving no room for the heat factor you mentioned, especially considering the ride wa in the steep short mountains of North Georgia - perhaps a lesson to be learned, for sure...

Busted. :D

My tires indicate they want 75-100 psi, which is a wide range, indeed.

Which is why many mountain bikers are running tubeless tires or Stans No Tubes kits which allow regular clinchers to run tubeless. I know guys running 30 psi with Stans kits.

Ha!

Interesting that my 34 mm cross tires state a maximum of 65 psi. I had thought pressure was primarily a function of tire volume but maybe there's more to it?

Different manufacturers- different construction of tyres could have a lot to do with it.

And on Tyre pressure. On the Tandem I always use Panaracer Fire XC's in 2.1 size. Most seem to use wider but I do like these tyres. I run front and rear at 60psi and the only punctures I get are thorns or flints going through the tread. Never yet had a snakebite with the Fire XC's- BUT- after a lot of badgering from mates- I put on some 2.3 Continentals. Ran as they suggested at 50psi but snakebites came on the rear tyre. So upped to 60 psi and grip went heywire in wet conditions. Then we started getting Snakebites again at 60 PSI but only on the rear. Decided to give one more try on a dry ride and Grip was there and I lifted my weight off the saddle to save the rear tyre. Wish the pilot had done the same as we had a total blowout on the front at 35mph after a firm landing on a Flint covered descent. Pilot had time to yell "We've got a "-- and we were over bouncing down the track. That one hurt and could not tell if it was a snakebite as the tyre and tube were trashed.

The Panarcer fire XC tyre is advertised as having a construction that assists in stopping snakebites. I can believe that after our experience with the Conti's.

So different construction could allow some tyres to run at a lower pressure with safety.

Panaracer's website says those tires have an "anti-rebound rubber strip". Sounds like it may help.

Hey! I think I got the article to upload. We'll know when I click this . . . .

Ya did...I got it! Though that's telling me I should run 90 psi rear and 65 front. Sounds a bit odd....

You must be a lightweight :) My combined personal + bike weight is about 218. That gave me a 95 front/120 rear pressure on my 23s. I'm trying it, and it seems to be OK, abeit, I'm probably not a good enough rider to really tell the difference. But I may change to 25s the next time around. Several of the riders in my group are 190-225 and they find the slightly lower front tire pressure good.