Walk into the garage yesterday to grab the bike, another flat. This is getting annoying. Same rear wheel as when I got my 1st pinch flat. I remember riding it the day before and it was fine, no issues. I'm guessing another pinch flat, cause there's nothing stuck or jammed into the tire and I didn't check pressures before riding it last.

Question: do these things lose pressure daily? Should I check daily? I inflated them to around 110-115 last time. (tire shows 90-125 acceptable range)
The now flat tube is a brand new tube that worked fine for 2-3 days.

Also I'm 95% sure my tires are super duper old, original 2013 tires. The rear is worn and starting to "square". I was going to rotate them since the front has plenty of life left, but now I'm considering 2 new tires.

Thoughts?
And if so, any particular tires I should be looking for? Keep in mind I do exactly zero competitive or performance riding, don't need some super high perf, just something that will last, and be comfy and just plain work.

 

I purge and repump every time I ride, every few days. I don't check pressure before I pump anymore; I did initially and they were always low enough to need to be pumped, so now it's just part of the routine.

Where is the hole in the tube? Check to see if it's on the inner diameter or not; my only tire issues were caused by junk rim tape. The tube would push the rim tape into the spoke hole and the spoke hole would rip the tube thru the rim tape.

Specialized was running a buy one/get one free on their tires as of last week. LBS had a sign up. Their $40 Turbo Pro is a nice tire especially for the price; $20/ea on sale is nuts. I'll be at the LBS this evening and see if the sale is still on.

EDIT: April & May only, damn. Still an excellent tire at $40

That makes sense, thanks guys.

 

you'll lose 5-10 psi overnight on high-pressure tires. I'd pump up my road bike tires every few days if I was you.

get tires with kevlar or some kind of armor layer. they will be heavier and stiffer than normal road tires, but you won't flat nearly as much. since you're a noob and not racing- the weight/ride quality won't matter.

 

& Save your old tire(s) for the stationary trainer you will be buying soon enough.

 

Haha yeah it seems like everyone and their mom has one. Also one of those stands that holds bike by seat post so you can work on it

 

I tried an 80mm stem on the CAAD10 (993mm wheelbase) and did not like it at all, but if it feels good to you, rock on.

 

Pinch flats are a snake bite; two holes next to each other; due to the pinching action.

 

Bad luck/coincidence. If you get multiple flats on the same wheel in a short period of time, try to mark the orientation of the tube, then inflate the tube until you can find the pinhole and go over that area of the tire super carefully. The other thing that can cause chronic flats is slipped rim tape - if the spoke holes are exposed they will rub through the tube. A butyl tube (normal tube) inflated to 100psi should hold at least 80psi for 2-3 days. All tires will slowly leak down.

The most comfortable tires are also the fastest rolling, fastest wearing, and most expensive. The comfiest clincher I've used is the Vittoria Open Corsa CXIII but they are a little expensive and prone to flats. Expect 1500 miles out of the rear, then you swap the front to the rear and buy a new front. Repeat every ~1500 miles. Look at the Continental GP4000s-II for something a little longer lasting and a little less comfortable. If your wheels are tubeless compatible, a tubeless tire will be even more comfortable. Go as wide as you can fit in your frame - 25s are comfier than 23s, 28s are comfier still. I've been pedaling around on a tubeless 32c at 60psi and love it, but your frame may not fit that (if it does, and your wheels are tubeless compatible, go buy Specialized Roubaix Pro 2BR 700x30/32s right now).

 

+1 for the GP4k, great tire and value.

I went with the Vittoria Open Pave for road tires on the Stigmata this time around, partly because they were on sale at the time and partly because a cobblestone tire seemed to make sense in central CA with El Nino bearing down. Will likely put on GP4ks when they're worn out.

 

Short video of the local weekly short course XC I do. I'm in a few shots wearing the white with black stripe Castelli suit and white helmet on a black hardtail. Currently leading Elite Masters (45+) by a few points. Tonight we do the annual mentor night. Instead of our normal ~1hr xc race, we ride along side a beginner for their ~30 minute race an coach them. Then we do a 15 minute dirt crit. Lungs usually catch fire in that. The racing is a blast. Unlike long course where you do a lot of grinding along at your FTP, these races require an endless succession of 30s-2m 400-500w bursts followed by wheezing sub FTP recovery sections. The strongest elites are pulling 500w for 2-3min at a time, 2-3x a lap. I know because I'm dying at 400w in their draft. Been finishing 2nd or 3rd out of 10 or so masters, and 7th-13th out of the entire combined 30 rider elite/elite masters field. No masters win yet. Working on it!

 

lol @ stems shorter than 110mm, on a CX bike. Stem > wheels > power meter > frame

 

My stem is longer than your stem.

True story.

 

looked over rear tire today. 2 glass shards stuck in it.
pulled em out. 2 huge gashes left in tire.
filled up the rear tire just for giggles.
it holds. wat
I have no idea what I'm doing. or whats going on.

anyway, did a 14.6mi ride. still rides fine.

new tires are #1 on list now. #2 is lights. then take it in for derailer adjustment. then clean/lube chain and wash bike. Then ride it until my legs fall off

Oh and I'm learning the importance of planning rides. took one road today that was quite literally the most bike unfriendly road I've ever seen. lots of nervous clenching and paranoid looking over shoulder. I learned today

 

Just like cars, if you want it done right, you should do it yourself. Shimano has very good 'dealer' reference material on their website.

 

Really? Hmm, I messed with it a little bit after watching a few videos and it's "ok" but still not perfect like I want.

But you're likely right, I will have to try it again. And find this reference material you speak of.

Have we discussed tire width yet? I stopped by the LBS yesterday and looked at some tires, I think I'll get the Conti's for now, but totally forgot to ask him about 23 vs 25.

Current tires are 23, on shimano rims. Am I understanding correctly that I can run wider (25) tires and gain a little more comfort as well as puncture resistance at the price of getting a little bit slower due to weight and rolling resistance?

Oh and regarding foldable vs not: dudebro told me only difference is weight, which as a n00b I wouldn't really notice much right now.

 

So I went back yesterday, they threw on the 80mm for me, didn't really feel twitchy to me, but then when they put the 90mm back on, it felt just perfect. Puts me in a forward yet still relaxed position. So we went from a 100mm 7* to a 90mm 10*. I asked the guy about shortening too much and getting twitchy and he said that's true for some riders when you go from say a 110 to an 80, a drastic reduction. He said he's had mixed reviews on shortening by 20mm, but pointed out one of their customers Fuji bikes, a woman who had what was essentially a 40mm stem on it (looked like an 80 or 90 but was raised almost completely vertically) and he said that particular customer likes it just fine.

Picking up the bike today, and they told me to keep my 100mm for down the road when I possibly want to lean more forward. The guy who worked on my bike is really cool and invited me along for a 45 mile ride this week so that will be the real comfort test, if I come back with a numb *** or hands.

On mountain bikes, I do have a question. My 29x2.3 Bontrager XR3 experts say their pressure range is 30-40psi. I tried to ride them at 35 and its awful. Even at 30, they're bouncy and I end up going slower everywhere, took quite a spill yesterday right into a thorn bush because the bike just went out from under me in a turn. For me at 175lbs with gear, they start to feel right around 25psi, where they roll over rooty sections like nothing is even there, and are much quieter as well. A guy I rode with last week had 27.5 x 2.4 and was running 17psi front and 18psi rear. So, what's the consequence of running a lower than recommended tire pressure? Bike is a 2015 FUEL EX9, wheels are Bontrager Rhythm Comp, and yes, I run tubeless. I found some formula online which says take your body weight, divide by 7, and then subtract 1psi for front and add 2psi for rear. I think it was for Stan's notubes wheels

 

The youtube videos I've watched do not go over all the stuff the actual shimano literature does. And in my limited experience, it made a worthwhile difference: Spent probably an hour last night printing out and following the shimano dealer document on adjusting the front derailleur on my wife's new spesh. It shifted ok, but not like my other bikes and this new stuff is supposed to shift better. Turns our the LBS had it sorta jacked, brand new bike. Now it shifts real nice. Amazing what happens when you follow the manuf's directions. I used the proper document to adjust the FD on Hustler's old CX bike when I put larger chainrings on and it wouldn't shift worth a damn. Now it's crisp & clean. Youtube vids are simple steps to get it operational, which most people are OK with I'm sure.

SHIMANO Dealer's Manual / User's Manual

I've read 25's are faster than 23's, more aero if the rim is wide & aero too, even though pressure is lower. I think Emilio posted info probably 10-15 pages back by now. It was an interesting read.

 

Thanks sir, excellent info, and you get a cat for the link.

I'll search for that post from E

*edit: did like 10 searches, including reading dozens of his posts. I just can't find it :(
@emilio700 if you can chime in that'd be great.
Or really anyone that can give some proper input on this matter. So far my google-fu shows that there is no harm in 25 vs 23, and in fact should be more comfy.
I guess more importantly I need to know if 25's will fit on my current rims which hold 23's. I didn't see any sort of size markings on the rim, but guessing it's like car tires where you can run slightly thicker tire without issues.

 

Wider tire= less rolling resistance
Narrower tire = less aero drag
Wider wheels do everything better

I run a 24c front, 26c rear on my road bike

 

Excellent, thanks. 25 for me it is then.

currently eyeing these:
Continental Gatorskin Wire Road Tire
Michelin Krylion Carbon Road Tire

is it hilariously terrible that I'm leaning towards the Michelin mostly because it's got white lettering that will look nice on my bike vs yellow which will look weird? LOL

but seriously, the conti has higher tpi which should make it lighter and more puncture resistant, has great reviews and a cyclist guy at my work raves about it. but the Michelin seems to have good reviews too and it's got a bigger discount while costing more before discount.