Tyre Pressures - Conti Gatorskins 700x23c

dee4life2005

Up until just over 1 week ago, I'd done around 1500 miles since fitting the Conti Gatorskins to my road bike and hadn't had any issues, but in the last week I've now had two punctures - both of which were pinch flats as evidenced by the "snakebite" holes in the tubes.

I have been running 100psi for both front and rear, but with all the censored on the road from tractors etc. I'm starting to think that this might be a little on the low side and may be why I've had a couple of pinch flats - can't remember catching any potholes or the like.

I'm 165lbs (75kg), and the gatorskins (700x23c) are rated to 120psi. What are other people running in their tyres ... I seem to recall reading a chart based on weight but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

nweststeyn

110 front 115 rear - but I check them before every ride

JimBobs09

Hi

I also use Gatorskins, but I use the 25mm tyre. I keep mine at just over 100psi and have not had any problems for the few months i've been using them.

I weigh just under 13 stone.

priory

pinch flat at 100psi sounds extremely unlikely to me.
if a week passed between pump and flat then maybe pressure was down to 70, particularly if the tube and valve are getting old. if the tube or valve has a slow leak the the tyre could go soft while you're on a ride and finish with a pinch flat.

Frank the tank

Haven't weighed myself lately but I'm about 72Kg-70Kg and run ultragator skins at 8bar (116psi) Could be tempting providence but I've not had a problem with 'em. Could be 1,500miles is getting toward the end of its life.

dee4life2005

Seems like I'm a little light on the pressure then ... I`ll try upping it a bit see if it helps, as changing a puncture in temperatures < 5c is not my idea of a fun ride.

The rear tyre, the one that punctured, was inflated to 100psi last night ... I didn't check it this morning before setting off though as was in a bit of a rush. It was a continental tube with a removable core, so perhaps some air was leaking out from the valve ... It was a new tube that I fitted after the pinch flat I had 7 days ago. The tyre is definitely still okay, as it's nowhere near the wear indicators - assuming that's what these two small circular "dips" in the slick part of the tread are for.

stiffupperlip

I run front 110, back 120, -10 for wet/leafy roads. Never had a snakebite but last week had an inside puncture at the back due to old rim-tape allowing the tube to blister into spoke hole - are you sure your tape is OK? I'd done c2500m on mine before changing it.

145lbs, c8-10 punctures on my Gatorskins in 2500m (nearly all flint/thorns).

dee4life2005

good point about the rim tape ... didn't think to check that. Might take the tyre off tomorrow and have a quick look.
ta.

99thmonkey

Id have the tyres off and check the rim edge plus the tape for any debris or purtruding spokes / metal

tiredofwhiners

Frank the tank wrote:

Could be 1,500miles is getting toward the end of its life.

Not likely IMO - tyres will last well beyond that as long as they don;t get a slash in them. I've had Gatorskins last maybe 7,000 miles until they worse through.

I always check my tyre pressures before every ride and its rare that either if them don't need a little more air. I've found that inner tubes with removable cores tend to start to leak a bit even if the inner is sound.

notlongnow

110 back 100 front and I check em every 2 days

Lookyhere

Im doing something wrong here i ride some of the shitiest potholed hedge trimmed lanes Cornwall and W.Devon have to offer, have never had a pinch puncture using Gatorskins and run about 85 to 90 psi - @ 78kg, how you guys manage 115psi is beyond me but each to their own.
I do about 7000miles a year on either these or Gp4000s and tempting fate here, have had about 2 or 3 punctures in the last 5 years and only one of those was on a Conti, the other 2 being a Vittoria Pave and a Pro3.

drlodge

I run 110 rear, 95 front, although yesterday I didn't pump up/check my tyres so they were a little lower than that and actually quite a bit more comfy. Probably around 105/90. I'm 12 stone.

I've had one puncture on these tyres, which was a pinch flat on the front, I went over a stone straight on at about 30mph.

alihisgreat

priory wrote:

pinch flat at 100psi sounds extremely unlikely to me.
if a week passed between pump and flat then maybe pressure was down to 70, particularly if the tube and valve are getting old. if the tube or valve has a slow leak the the tyre could go soft while you're on a ride and finish with a pinch flat.

this.

At 75kg you shouldn't be having pinch flats at 100psi unless you're hitting lots of potholes hard.

It is worth noting the influence of temperature on tyre pressure -> if you're pumping your tyres up indoors at ~20 degrees Celsius.. then going out and riding at 5 degrees Celsius there is going to be some loss in pressure due to the air contracting at the lower temperature. (around 6psi for that temperature gap I think).

Since I keep my indoors I put in 110-115psi to the rear, accounting for a fall to 100-110psi due to temperature differential.

cougie

Exactly - you can't be pinching them at that pressure.

I'm heavier than you and I run mine about 90-95. Thats what a conti mechanic advised me - and it works. I'd not want to be riding rock hard tyres with all the slippery stuff around.

DavidJB

I run my tyres at no less than 234PSI.

surreysean

Had a blow out using gatorskins with bontrager innertubes at 100psi....felt it was the failure of the tube because it exploded rather than a pinch or flat.

fenix

I never go over 100 PSI for 23mm and I'm slightly heavier than you with no bother.

Gauge on the pump might be wrong ? Or possibly you had a slow flat both times that gave you the snakebite ?

debeli

You may have just been unlucky with your punctures, or there could be something in the rim or the outer that is causing the same puncture to reappear.

I've run 700c x 23 Gatorskins on many bicycles over many years and I would be surprised if someone of your weight (which is my weight) is getting snakebites at 100 psi.

I have mine at anything between 100 and 115 psi. Oddly, the Gatorskin is a tyre that feels very similar on the road across a fairly wide range of pressures.

I do not want to tempt fate, but I have been fortunate with this brand of tyre. I skewered a sidewall when I clattered someone in a bunch ride - embarrassing but I was the only casualty - but in terms of going through the tread.... nothing so far. And 1500 miles is really hardly run-in for a Gatorskin.

Do check your pressures at least weekly.... I'm not sure about every ride; I just give mine a squeeze daily but put a gauged pump on weekly.

svetty

surreysean wrote:

Had a blow out using gatorskins with bontrager innertubes at 100psi....felt it was the failure of the tube because it exploded rather than a pinch or flat.

Tubes generally puncture because something happens to their environment rather than due to sudden tube failure. Something penetrating the tyre is the usual culprit. Rim tape migrating and thus spoke hole edges can also do this....

ajmitchell

see calculator in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Clk_LLBYFzA&t=449s

benjamess

the trick with gatorskins is to put around 0psi in each, take a tyre leaver, remove tyres and place gently in the bin. Never had as many punctures as during my month long affair with a set last January.

simon_masterson

benjamess wrote:

the trick with gatorskins is to put around 0psi in each, take a tyre leaver, remove tyres and place gently in the bin. Never had as many punctures as during my month long affair with a set last January.

What on earth do you ride over!? Gatorskins are ridiculously durable - I've used them for commuting for about 5 years, and I've punctured them about as many times. I'd go so far as to say overkill for most half decent road surfaces.

benjamess

Simon Masterson wrote:

What on earth do you ride over!? Gatorskins are ridiculously durable - I've used them for commuting for about 5 years, and I've punctured them about as many times. I'd go so far as to say overkill for most half decent road surfaces.

commuting to work, mainly a roads and some cycle paths! normally use shwalbe zx or shwalbe ones, thought i would try a set of gatorskins for the winter, at least 15 punctures in a month then went back on a set of used ones on the winter bike, 1 puncture in the 2 months.

can only imagine i got a dud set, they are such a t*** to get on and off as well.

craigus89

Gatorskins are incredibly durable but absolutely bloody horrible to ride on.

I opted for others after my set had done 1,000 miles as I'd rather have the comfort and grip and have to deal with a couple more punctures per 1,000 miles.

Pippy aston

Craigus89 wrote:

Gatorskins are incredibly durable but absolutely bloody horrible to ride on.

I opted for others after my set had done 1,000 miles as I'd rather have the comfort and grip and have to deal with a couple more punctures per 1,000 miles.

So what 'others' did you opt for?

AK_jnr

GP 4 season.

andcp

This works foe me (shamelessly pinched from somewhere, but I can't remember where)
Rear
Tyre Width=20: = (0.33 * Rider Weight in lbs) + 63.33
Tyre Width=23: = (0.33 * Rider Weight in lbs) + 53.33
Tyre Width=25: = (0.33 * Rider Weight in lbs) + 43.33
Tyre Width=28: = (0.33 * Rider Weight in lbs) + 33.33
Tyre Width=32: = (0.17 * Rider Weight in lbs) + 41.67

Front pressure 0.9 x rear pressure.

All in PSI. Divide the figure by 14.5 to get the pressure in bar.

froze

There is no way you should be pinch flatting with your weight, size of tires, and air pressure you're using, see this PSI calculator: http://www.dorkypantsr.us/bike-tire-pre ... lator.html Use the second one and simply enter your weight and tire size and you'll see you're using the correct PSI. In fact I'm close to your weight and use the same pressure for years with various tires including Gatorskins and never had any issues, in fact I once rode 15 miles on just 75 pounds of air and never pinch flatted; I also bang around on rough streets due to freeze and thaw cycles breaking the concrete and blacktop.

So I'm thinking two things about why this is happening to you; either your body scale is wrong, or more likely the psi gauge your using is incorrect. Most bicycle gauges that are hand held are not very accurate, but pump gauges are even worse, I've seen pump gauges off by as much as 20 psi and the one that was a $150 pump! My pump is off by 5 psi, but the one prior to that was off by 15. And it doesn't matter if it's digital or analog.

47p2

I run Gatorskins on my single speed all through the winter in the snow and black ice and never had a single puncture or pinch flat yet. I've done around 3500 miles on them at 70psi rear and 60psi front, my weight is around 63.5kg. Only time they lost grip was when I hit a drain cover on a fast bend, but I still managed to keep upright and cycle on.

craigus89

Pippy aston wrote:

Craigus89 wrote:

Gatorskins are incredibly durable but absolutely bloody horrible to ride on.

I opted for others after my set had done 1,000 miles as I'd rather have the comfort and grip and have to deal with a couple more punctures per 1,000 miles.

So what 'others' did you opt for?

GP 4 seasons.