[mack_turtle]

Got any ideas to prevent pinch flats on narrower tires? I got one yesterday and could not fix it, had to walk home.
Details:
CX bike with 32mm Gravelking SK in back. Tubeless on a Stan’s Arch EX rim. 35-40 psi, 160 pound rider. I can fit a 35mm tire in this frame, but that leave NO room for mud. I don’t think that an extra 3mm of tire girth would help much in this case.

I have ridden this setup for over a year on streets, singletrack, gravel roads, and bike paths with zero problems. I got unlucky with a sharp rock, I guess. I went exploring and was forced to ride through a highway construction zone as the highway department didn’t find it important to replace the bike lane/ shoulder with anything while they blow up the road.

I am trying a $2 DIY pool noodle insert on my hardtail, but that bike sees a lot more chunk than I would ride on the CX bike. I might try something similar on the CX bike, but I’ll be damned if I pay $150 for a freaking piece of foam. any other suggestions, other than "don't run over sharp rocks"?

 

[Kingfisher2011]

Not sure how wide the rims are, but there are Huck Norris inserts that should fit and would save you the trouble of the hack.

 

[mack_turtle]

I don't see any Huck Norris products for any tire narrower than 2.1", or about double the size of my tire.

 

[TimoA]

You could find some 1" or 30mm backer rod in a well supplied hardware store. Make a loop out of it with a zip tie and file a notch on your tubeless valve stem to allow airflow from the side and you have a legit tire insert.

 

[Kingfisher2011]

Gah, my bad. I was looking at the rim widths and thinking you'd still be good. I don't know how wide the center cutout is, but I'd be willing to bet that you could trim the narrowest version down, stuff it in there and roll out.

 

[KingOfOrd]

Tubeless pinch flat?

Not the cheapest way but you could go tubular, or is that not so common anymore?

 

[jrm]

I use crests and 35c tires but i use tubes with about 60 psi. It sounds like the 32c is too narrow for the 21mm ID arch rim.

 

[mack_turtle]

Tubeless pinch flat?

Not the cheapest way but you could go tubular, or is that not so common anymore?

It's happened to me a few times on gravel bikes In have had and on my mountain bike. Central Texas is strewn with sharp limestone chunks. It happens the same way a tube gets pinched- rim hits ground, pinching tire in between. Far less common than with a tube, but it happens.

I worked in a bike shop long enough to know that I NEVER want the headache and expense of tubulars, especially since this is my "trails are too wet and muddy so I am going to ride gravel bike paths and streets" bike. Those belong in a museum, 100%.