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I have a road bike and I got a flat tire probably after going back on the road from the sidewalk very carefully. I guess I pinched my tire.

I usually inflate my tires to 7 bars. Is it enough and can I avoid this kind of issues with a higher pressure?

I also discover that I can replace my tires with some with Kevlar on it. Is it a good alternative?

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  • A pinch flat is unlikely at that pressure. We really need to know what it says on your tyres? There should be a "inflate to 4.5-6bar/65-80psi" molded into the sidewall of the tyre somewhere. Or the brand, model and size of the tyre so we can look it up.
    – Móż
    Nov 25, 2015 at 23:15
  • All the rubbish, bits of glass and metal, ends up at the edge of the road. It sounds like you passed through that, maybe something got into the tyre. Or maybe the pressure wasn't what you thought - how long since you last checked it?
    – Chris H
    Nov 26, 2015 at 7:40

2 Answers 2

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When you take the tire off to fix the puncture- find where the hole(s) are. If there are 2 holes approx the rim width apart, then you have a pinch flat. If it is just one hole, then its probably glass/thorn etc. You will get punctures from glass/thorn no matter what pressure you run at.

Once you have checked, if it's a double hole- run your pressures higher, suggest you look at your tyre and run just below the max (eg. if max is 100 psi (7 bar), run at 90 (6.2 bar). If you run them at the max pressure, it can feel very "hard" on the road (but is used for maximum efficiency)

If it's a single hole- then looking at tyres with Kevlar/other puncture protection would be a good idea (especially if it continues to happen).

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Since you mentioned that this bike is "hybrid road/City bike" I would assume that your tires are relitevely narrow just like a road bike, around 1.5-1.8" (38-45mm).

I suggest you stay with high pressure, check the sidewalls of your tire to see what the recommended pressure is. This is to have good traction, good speed and avoid having flat tires.

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    The question just says "road bike". I assume you mean 1.5-1.8 inches? That would be very wide for road tyres, which are typically somewhere in the range of about 20-28mm (0.8-1.1in). And if you are running 1.5-1.8in tyres, the whole point is so that you can use lower pressure and get a softer ride. Aug 6, 2018 at 11:38
  • @David the title mentions hybrid/city👍
    – Swifty
    Aug 6, 2018 at 19:44
  • @Swifty Man, I hate it when people ask one question in the title and a completely different one in the question body... Aug 6, 2018 at 20:10

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