I’ve often wondered, is is tyre pressures or riding style that causes most punctures, or is it just plain bad luck. Every enduro or marathon that I do there are always people at the bottom of the desents fixing punctures and so far, I’ve never had a puncture on an Enduro ( well probably just hexed myself there)Granted I’ve only done about 8 or 9 of the things, but thought I would have punctured by now.
I guess I’ll get the ‘ride faster down hills’ comments, but I don’t think I hang around and I’m 15 stone, so unfortunatly not too light.
So what d’ya think??

Lots of combinations to consider:

Tyre choice
Tube choice
Tyre pressure
Riding style

and many more.

Bad riding style and low pressure will cause pinch flats

I almost never get punctures on the mtb. (Jinxed myself now, surely!)
When I do it’s usually thorns. I think I’ve had one pinch-flat in the last 10 years.
I still run normal tyres and tubes with no sealant or nuffink.

Amazes me too, the number of people fixing flats at the bottom of enduro event downhills.

yeah I find it’s thorns that cause mine, only ever pinch flatted once in twenty years of riding… and I managed to do both tyres. I felt a lump under each wheel as I plowed over a rock which I didn’t see on a downhill and both tyres were as flat as they could be in about three seconds… and I run mine at around 35-40psi.

Rule 1) look where you’re going !

Kev

This time of year I run the rear at about 45psi, front at 40. No pinch flats for me. thorns mostly, or flints on the sidewalls. Touch wood, been alright for ages though

Stop mincing down stuff 😉 and sell some windows! Or i’ll tell your old man your on the computer in works time!
Technically i am to…but it’s a bike forum so it’s called research 😆

Funny enough though i ran tubes in Bonty 24/12 and didn’t punture once, compared to a mate who puntured every lap! (on the same descent-numpty)

“Bad riding style and low pressure will cause pinch flats”

On my HT I had one pinch flat downhilling ever – a bed of pointy rocks – but think I has a slow thorn which lowered the pressure first.

But when I got my FS, I pinched going down and going uphill – simply by big ring thrashing it through rock gardens (had weak Kendas tyres tho). Now I’ve Ghettoed, I continue to thrash at low pressures but without pinching.

Carcass and tube thickness is defo a factor in both types of puncture.

Oi! shorty If I’m mincing what you doing?? 😆 Need to get me a nice charge hardtail, or even a sanderson geard one for next event. Oh yeah, loose some weight too 😳 I couldn’t get over the amount at the bottom of the really rutted section changing tyres on Sunday, there must have been 6 or 7 people at the same time.
Fullily enough going on about riding style I think the mad man punctures about 5 to my 1 on genral trail riding. Mind you , he ain’t mincing 😯 😆

Sanderson SS in your garage…MTFU and ride that 😆

Busy boy then?

I think it’s down to bad technique, being to heavy on the bike and picking bad lines,clouting rocks etc.
Hardtail helps improve your floating over stuff technique.

“being to heavy on the bike and picking bad lines”

On a HT, this results is the inevitable crash! On a FS, you get away with it which is why they are so much fun!

cough cough tubeless cough

buzz-lightyear – Member
“being to heavy on the bike and picking bad lines”

On a HT, this results is the inevitable crash! On a FS, you get away with it which is why they are so much fun!

Ohhh lets start that discussion again…… 🙄 🙂

“My bikes way more fun than your’s…..”

cough cough tubeless cough

Yep, been there, stuck on whites level -3degree with hole in tyre and a screw in valve that was stuck fast. numb fingers and a walk home. 😥
Like I said, touch wood, I don’t suffer with punctures, just thinking I might be ‘special’ 😆

Oh yeah WTF is MTFU, and yes pretty busy at the mo. 8)

“special…mummy say’s so..”

Tubeless is the future though. 🙂 I’ll text you MTFU up..

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mtfu

No excuse for front flats.. thats just bad line choice ;).. rear flats, well sometimes sh*t happens.

My last race flat (pretty much all races over here are enduros) was 2k from the finish of a 75km point to point (Test of Metal), feeling strong, on for my best finish so got carried away, took the ‘fast’ line through some rock slabs and double flatted with ~45psi in my tires.. I put it down to over excitement [red mist] clouding my judgement resulting in inexcusably bad line choice and well.. sh*t happening.

RealMan – Member
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mtfu

I’m a big fan of noise bot ad…. 😀

Ride faster, then the snakes won’t have time to bite your tyres…. or somesuch.

I tend to mince around trails on my HT (out of the saddle on roots, rocks etc), and have my tyres pumped up to ‘not much give when I shove my thumb in the sidewall’ and haven’t had a puncture for a looong time*. Since I switched from Fire XC Pro tyres, which ripped the valves off my inner tubes, a couple of years ago, I think I’ve had one or two punctures, tops.

On t’other hand, my regular riding buddy stays in the saddle for all gnarly stuff and runs his tyres pretty low pressure (and has some fairly chunky Specialized rims) and is forever getting pinchflats.

* touch wood

Pinch flats are caused by riding like a clumsy oaf and/or running tyres and/or tubes which are too lightweight for your clumsy oafness.

😀 Pinch flats are caused by riding like a clumsy oaf and/or running tyres and/or tubes which are too lightweight for your clumsy oafness.
😆
IS oafness a new word or an Americanism 😆

“My bikes way more fun than your’s…..”

Oops sorry about that. BTW. I’m hard-tailing tonight, with tubes too!

ohhh the filth of it…hardtail sir..with tubes sir?? suits you sir.. 😆

I’m going hard tonight 😳