Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 14 hours ago
For long course triathlon such as Ironman and 70.3 races you will check your bike in to transition the day before the race. A helpful official will advise you to take some air pressure out of your tires so that your tubes do not burst before race morning.
Are they correct? Should you follow this advice?
Good quality tubes fitted correctly with no pinch points and supported by properly fitted rim tape are unlikely to burst solely due to an increase in atmospheric temperature.
Reducing the pressure in your tires means you will need to pump them back up again on race morning, in the dark, and at the same time as everybody else. I have seen more problems with people trying to inflate their tires on race morning when they are excited and/or nervous than I have ever seen with flats caused purely by temperature.
In this video I will share my experiences at multiple Ironman races and why I believe you should not follow this advice at all.
If you are running latex tubes then you need to inflate them on race morning anyway as they will likely lose some pressure overnight. But for most triathletes using butyl tubes, this video is relevant.
For long course triathlon such as Ironman and 70.3 races you will check your bike in to transition the day before the race. A helpful official will advise you to take some air pressure out of your tires so that your tubes do not burst before race morning.
Are they correct? Should you follow this advice?
Good quality tubes fitted correctly with no pinch points and supported by properly fitted rim tape are unlikely to burst solely due to an increase in atmospheric temperature.
Reducing the pressure in your tires means you will need to pump them back up again on race morning, in the dark, and at the same time as everybody else. I have seen more problems with people trying to inflate their tires on race morning when they are excited and/or nervous than I have ever seen with flats caused purely by temperature.
In this video I will share my experiences at multiple Ironman races and why I believe you should not follow this advice at all.
If you are running latex tubes then you need to inflate them on race morning anyway as they will likely lose some pressure overnight. But for most triathletes using butyl tubes, this video is relevant.
