Originally Posted by
btppberk
Thanks for the replies.
I am 150 lbs running a gatorskin on my back wheel. I had a lot of flats my first years with the bike that scared me off to Gatorskins. Tried 80 / 90 psi on front and back.
Thanks for the seat post idea. The shock stem does look annoying.
I am lusting in my heart after a Roubaix or maybe a Argon Krypton but trying to be financial disciplined...
One of the most efficient ways of preventing flats is paying attention to where one is riding - you will get an occasional flat, but, unless you live in a thorn-ridden area, just looking and avoiding road debris goes a long way.
The main reason for mentioning this is because the "puncture resistant" Gatorskin tyres are not among the most comfortable. Continental Grand Prix 4000, 5000, or 4 Seasons are a lot more comfortable (for the same width and similar pressure used, of course).
So, If there's no room for wider tyres, I'd try with some more comfortable ones and see if it helps. Perhaps testing just one, for a start, before spending the money on a pair.
Wrote in more detail about
what affects comfort on a bicycle.
Basically - the bicycle you have, like most modern bicycles, has a rather short chainstay ("super responsive, stiff but compliant, bla bla"), so you are practically sitting on the rear wheel, not in the middle, between the two wheels. Hence, more bumps get transferred straight to the rider's back. To make things worse, because of the short chainstays (among other potentially "tight" places on the bike), you aren't able to fit wider tyres, which make a lot of difference when it comes to ride comfort.