The past 2 days on my ride to work I have pinch flatted the rear on my road bike. It happens on a cycle path (the Llanberis one by the lake if anyone is familiar with it) which isn’t the best surface for skinny skinny tyres but its basically a gravelly path.

I assume I am pinch flatting as the pressure in the rear is too low, which I can rectifywith a pump, however what else can I do to help stop this happening?

The bike is new to me and came with 23 width (or whatever the 23 stands for) tyres, would going up to say 25 offer more pinch resistance? Also a more experienced road riding friend recommended Conti Gatorskins as a good hard wearing tough tyre. WOuld these help me too??

Any help ould be appreciated as its frustrating and making me late for work!!

Thanks

rhid

What pressure in the tyres?

Gatorskins are a good tough commuting tyre, but I don’t think will help too much with pinch punctures.

What pressure are you running? You can usually go up quite high … 110PSI seems okay.

Gatorskins have a reinforced sidewall so are quite good at reducing pinchflats.

I changed from some cheap tyres that came with my bike to Gatorskins and haven’t had a pinchflat since.

Do you use leavers to get your tyre on? If so you may be just catching the tube wall when fitting. Always put on by hand.

Have you looked at the tubes, are the holes in the same place? May be a bit of glass in the tyre that you can’t feel.

As above, 100+ psi

as above, gatorskins are good, but they are a road tyre, they will puncture on gravel cycle paths.

If you want a more versatile tyre, for cycle paths and roads, check out marathon Plus. Heavy, but very reliable.

bigbeard – Member

Gatorskins have a reinforced sidewall

another vote here

have you looked at side walls existing tyres? – some road tyres just flex so much on gravel trails they go thin / cut through

I think the tyres were at 90psi but then after the first flat the rear could have been lower. I checked the tyre for and foreign objects but nothing to be found plus when I checked the tube they were definately pinch flatted.

The tyre lever could realistically be the issue and will look into that! I will give the 25 Gatorskins a go and see what happens. Anyone know of any good deals on inner tubes too?

On-One have very bargainous tubes in at the moment. £2 each I believe. You’re unlikely to find any cheaper.

Its likely just to be the presure. You don’t need expensive heavy road tyres just for a gravely path.

If it had been fine for ages the likely course of events was that presure dropped for some reason over time and caused the first pinch flat, which you then repaired but didn’t add quite enough air with the mini pump, hence the second pinch flat the next day.

Did you pump the tyre with a track pump/presure gauge after fixing the first puncture?

90PSI should be fine.