Pinch Flats and Tubular Tires

Pinch flats are the worst kind of flats because you get two holes in your tube instead of just one. Some people refer to them as snake bites because that’s what it looks like. This is not the typical type of flat you get on the road because it’s caused by hitting something hard enough that the tube gets pinched between the ground and rim. It is something you need to be concerned about during cyclocross season though. Cross tires are low volume and many courses have rocky sections where it will happen easily and take you out of the race. This brings up one of the many advantages to using tubular or sew-up tires. Since you glue them on and there is no tube to pinch, the pinch flat is almost eliminated. The only down side to tubulars is the cost and difficulty of riding home after a flat. The good old beaded tires are best for training and I save the tubulars for races only.