I averred:
>> Sharp pointy things lying in the road normally lie flat, so when the
>> front tire rolls over them, it goes over the flat side. After the
>> front has rolled over, the foreign object often bounces up
>> spinning...just in time to get hit by the rear tire while it is a
>> more threatening orientation. This is generally considered to be the
>> reason that rear punctures are so much more common than front ones.
Ed Kasper mused:
>I guess it wouldn't have anything to do with the greater weight distribution
>over the rear wheel and resulting larger contact patch, or would it?
>Bunny hopping the sinkholes in Detroit,
The rear tire shouldn't have a larger contact patch if properly inflated, unless a wider tire is used in back.
Any difference would be a function of the width of the patch, not its area, so even if tire pressure were equal front/rear (not good policy) the difference in patch width is teeny.
Sheldon "Prefers A Wider Front Tire Anyway" Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts
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