A total waste of time, IMO. Besides, tubulars with latex tubes do a pretty good job of deflating themselves.... And one should be wearing out tires faster than they can get 'streched'.

This was my thought. Anything that helps loosen up the tire to make it easier to get it on and off the rim is a good thing.

If it's just me out solo and I've topped them up in the past week, I often don't bother.

I'll get a better workout at 80psi anyhow.


You shouldn't have to be banging to get it through brakes. And your new tyres are likely just narrower.

Same here. Mine don't seem to lose much over a week so I don't bother doing it every day. I'll top them up before the weekend group ride. 80 might be a bit low though because you're a bit more likely to get pinch flats on pot holes and other road junk.

HooHaaa

Thanks for the threads. I think I will do a test on this new set of tires. The only control is my memory and I am not sure how reliable that is or ever is. This combined with laziness and you will have one solid study. I am sure it will not hurt and it will force me to check pressure in the tire before every ride. I will post when the tires go bad, post you in about 3 months.

I certainly hope they last longer than three months...

Unless you're far more hard core than any of us... Or ride in a glass recycling plant...

You'll be getting more punctures and wearing your tyres out faster if nothing else

Aside from punctures, I have had a couple of tubes become weak and tear at the base of the stem. I figured the added pressure could have caused it. Since I have been deflating my tires slightly after I ride I haven't had that problem.


Dave

...and freddish and edited by Moderators.

Your mate is an idiot. There is no other explanation.

After several Ks on high pressure tires, I've seen the stretching effect of continuous high pressure but the tires were toast and the stretching never caused any issues for me.

If it makes the guy feel better then whatever but you would think that the same mentality would be concerned about over using his floor pump, right?

Yes. I'll go a week between pumpings, maybe longer. Unless they're latex, tubes don't lose pressure very quickly.

On the airplane bit - some airlines actually do have the requirement to deflate the tires.

Last time one of these threads came around, I proposed that IF the tire DID explode (sometimes it just happens when the bike's not doing anything... casing just gives out or whatever), the sound (really loud, especially when you're talking 120 psi or so) might be heard from inside the passenger area and cause a panic.

Someone somewhere from an airline (and a cyclist) posted the fact that animals travel in the cargo hold. The area is pressurized else they might die. He said it's okay to leave tires fully inflated.

Having said that, I'll drop them to about 80 psi. Enough to cushion, hard enough not to pinch.

I pump up my tires every time I ride. My tires (butyl) lose perhaps 20 psi overnight and I have a pump that doesn't lose air when I attach it (so it's not the pumping that loses the air).

The latex tubed tires lose air so much that I have to pump them up, even if it's only several hours after my previous ride.

+1 on the reasons for deflating silk tires. Now with much tougher and stretch resistant casings, not as much an issue. If anyone ever saw an older Clement Criterium Seta that looked like a 700x32 would know that they stretch quite a bit.

cdr

does he let his car tires down after each drive?

I don't pump my tires up every ride. About every 3rd day is all they need. I inflate to about 95 psi, knowing I really only need about 80. It generally takes at least several days to get down below 80 on my current tires and tubes. If I let them go more than that, I risk pinch flats.

I don't think it's a bad idea to inflate every time, but yes, I do like to just hop on and ride. I know it's only a minute, but at lunch time, I like to just get on and ride. A minute here, a minute there and it could be the difference between completing a 45 minute ride at the correct pace and being on time for the first afternoon appointment... or.... riding too hard, cutting the ride short, and/or being 5 minutes late for someone who's waiting.

Note I'm not saying it's dumb to inflate every ride. There is nothing wrong with keeping your tires at the optimal pressure you've chosen and checking it every time. (like I said, my short cut is over inflating for my weight and letting it go down over a couple of days). If deflating every time gets you into a good habit of inflating properly every time, that is a good enough reason to do it, imho.

I almost always check and inflate before longer or group rides on the weekends though.

Sure, no problems with leaving tires fully pumped in cargo hold. And even if the hold were not pressurized, 1 atmosphere is only about 14 psi.

It can get quite chilly or warm in cargo, however. If there's a pet in cargo, they turn on the heaters down there.

ok, I just timed meself, and it took a whopping 45 seconds to pump up both tyres form ~30psi to 110 & 120, including the time it took to carry the pump the 3m over to the bike, and the time it took to rotate the wheels to get the valves up to the top

So, the "great waste of time and effort" that it apparently is to inflate your tyres before each ride is 45 seconds, plus the cost a new Silca rubber every 6 months or so, and a new leather washer about once a year. Big bloody deal!!

Whichever Mod edited the above post is totally ghey.