Tyre pressures

attica

Following on from a comment from AW on a different thread I thought I'd ask and see if there was any correlation between running tyres at the right pressure and not getting punctures.

Personally I ride 700-23 tyres on all my bikes and don't let them get below 80psi

Touch wood I've had one puncture (caused by a large stone on the road at night that I didn't spot) in the last 3 years.
(Also not counting the cheapo tyres that came with my Paddywagon that got binned after 120 miles and 4 punctures!)

Am I stupidly lucky or just doing the right thing?
What do you all do re:- pressures and what size tyres are you using?

Eat My Dust

I would of thought at 80psi you'd be running the risk of pinch punctures. I never let my 23s get below 100psi and even then that's being a bit lazy.

attica

To clarify

80PSI in the wet to give just a little more contact surface
otherwise yep it's 100+ all the time

baggsy

perhaps it can help but I'm a believe it's just down to luck. Didn't have a flat for over a year then got 4 in one ride...

NorwegianBlue

Obvious I know, but stick withing the recommendations of the manufacturer. Some 23c's will run fine at 80psi some won't. Different constructions require different pressures.

If it says 100-125psi on the sidewall it's probably because the carcas is quite soft and would deform badly at 80psi.

Gambatte

Been back riding MTB and roady for the last 2 years. I can definitely put low pressure as contributory in all 3 puctures I've had.

redddraggon

I wouldn't run my 25mms at 80psi let alone my 23s, I keep my 23s 105@front and 120@rear, and my 25s 100@front and 110@rear

NWLondoner

I have mine at 120PSI.

Although i have to be careful if i hit a wet patch. On Saturday it was very warm in the morning and I rode over some split water on the road. Yet again my back wheel wanted to join the front :shock: and NO i was not going over any metal at the time :?: :?:

always_tyred

My brother's bike once proudly boasted solid tyres to avoid all punctures. Is it still possible to get hold of them?

They were fantastic products and he never got a puncture.

(They also obviated the need to repeatedly land heavily on your coccyx and/or sit on a spike)

Crapaud

Gambatte wrote:

Been back riding MTB and roady for the last 2 years. I can definitely put low pressure as contributory in all 3 puctures I've had.

I assume that when you say 'low pressure' you mean lower than the recommended pressure.

I've got a theory, that I've no real justification or explanation for, that lower (recommended) pressure tyres are less prone to pun***res than high pressure tyres.

I got this idea on the Tour du Canada. Of the 33 riders, the only ones not to pun***re were all running on 85 psi. I should have done a survey to get a better idea, but I seem to remember that among those that did pun***re the lower pressure tyres did so considerably less that the high pressure racing boys

redddraggon

Crapaud

If you have low pressures you are more likely to get pinch punctures but the tyres should be able to deflect around debris to prevent normal punctures, the opposite is true for high pressures.

Crapaud

redddraggon wrote:

Crapaud

If you have low pressures you are more likely to get pinch punctures but the tyres should be able to deflect around debris to prevent normal punctures, the opposite is true for high pressures.

This is true!

What I meant was that all the tyres were at the recommended pressure as opposed to being underinflated.

Gambatte

Crapaud wrote:

Gambatte wrote:

Been back riding MTB and roady for the last 2 years. I can definitely put low pressure as contributory in all 3 puctures I've had.

I assume that when you say 'low pressure' you mean lower than the recommended pressure.

Yep.

All at that "should I top 'em up now or later stage". Since the last one they all get done NOW

jedster

I try to keep my 28mm ultra gators above 100psi. when ii've had puncture with them its always come from the side walls - pinch flats or sharp edged ruts - when I've let the tyres get soft.