This is the second Panaracer Pasala that has blown out a sidewall on me in the last few months.
The first one happened as I was riding. This one happened as I blew it up after mounting it. Judging by the monster hole in the tube, it looks as though I caught the edge of the tube between the rim and bead.
These are the cheapest Pasalas out there, so I'm not too crazy with angst, and pilot error is clearly the core issue here, but should that sidewall just rip out like that? I've never had other tires do that, and given the large number of flats I repair in a year, I end up pinching a tube between the tire/rim every now and then.
Whatever. I just put in an order for some Maxxis commuter tires. Well officially, it's a "training" tire, but it's a mostly-slick 28mm with a bit of puncture protection. I've become a Maxxis fan. I dig the Locusts for all-rounder trail/CX tires, the MaxLites for single-speed city cruising and Maddie-bike applications, the Aspen for dry trails, and the Ignitor for most mountain biking. Anyway, these new ones, the "Re-fuse" tires, will live on my 747 in fender-commuter mode. I'll report back on how they do.
What pressure do you normally run? My theory (which is mine) is that sidewalls can get worn if you run lower pressure most of the time. Or maybe you're just incredibly (un)blessed in the tire realm.
ReplyDeleteI run those tires at 80 psi. I'll have to ponder your theory...
ReplyDeleteSidewall started bubbling out on one of my Paselas, too, long before the tread was worn out. Replaced them both with T-servs. I usually run at 60 psi.
ReplyDeleteQuick search turned up this paper: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02324799. Upshot seems to be that if pressure is too high or too low it puts more strain on the sidewall. Which: duh.
That last comment was from Ken, by the way. I'm sort of failing at the internet today.
ReplyDeleteken: what's the t-serv report? For my longer commute over some shitty sections of road -- now I'm open to the idea of more "robust" tires than i have been in the past. Not Armadillo-robust, but a bit stiffer.
ReplyDeleteI've seen that t-servs and the other "urban" Panaracers redouble all the slow qualities of the Pasela Tourguards and aren't particularly more durable
ReplyDeleteThe Resist Nomad is the current replacement for the Pasela. In 700c, the 28mm is slightly bigger than advertised, and the 35 and 45 are both 3mm smaller.
I did 60 miles of gravel on them when I attempted the Almanzo 100 last year with no problems (other than me not being in good enough shape to finish the race). They held the road nicely even bombing downhill.
ReplyDeleteI was running the tourguards before so not noticing much difference weight-wise. These days I don't ride much beyond the daily commute, though.