Hitting lumps

[Okeydokey]

I've had a few pinch punctures, I wonder what is the best way to hit something bigger than you would normally want to ride over? Fore instance a pot hole, I would normally lift my glutes off the saddle in an act of sympathy. I know the secret is not to hit the lump btw! I tend to lean forward and get out of the saddle, is that a Darwinian instinct?

 

[gaijintendo]

Out of the saddle will help, but largely it will be absorbing your shock. The weight on the tyres will be the same.
The standard manoeuvre is a bunny hop, even if you barely leave the ground... If you are coming out of the saddle, you might be instinctively getting that effect.

 

[Ian H]

A bit more pressure in your tyres might stop pinch punctures.

 

[Red17]

Learn to bunny hop?

 

[gaijintendo]

Oh, here's a weird suggestion that I find works:
Report bad potholes to your local authority.

Our council has a site to report it. I often have to flag it as potentially dangerous on account of cyclists having to swerve to avoid in a manner that drivers would not be able to predict.they usually get filled within a week.

I either have had good luck or have a good council, but generally the road surfaces are bobbins.

 

[mjr]

I prefer www.fixmystreet.com to council websites because I don't have to know which council it is and they can't hide the report from any later road user hurt by the defect.

If you can't avoid it, either bunny hop or slow right down.

 

[Vantage]

I tend to 'unweight' the bike.
Pull up on the handlebars to help the front tyre 'float' across the pothole/small furry mammal and do the same with the back tyre by either pulling up on the spd's or pushing back on the pedal if on platforms.
My bike is too heavy a brute for me to attempt a bunny hop.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

If time allows, lift off the saddle slightly so the weight is on your pedals, try to get the cranks in 9/3 o'clock, and try to shift / lean forward slightly so you're 50/50 on weight distribution. And yes, if you can, bunny hop, even if it's not a proper one. All of these things lessen the load, particularly on the rear tyre which normally bears the brunt in a pothole pinch flat.

It sounds complicated but it's just basic bike handling... a bit of off road riding on an MTB or hybrid will really help make it second nature as it's how off road riders naturally handle tree roots, holes in the track, big stones etc.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

As the others said: start bunny hopping. I can do small ones with my commuter bike, and it weighs about 16.5kg with the usual things attached to it. I can even ride over a kerb from a road up to a pavement using a small front wheel bunny hop. The trick with those is to slow down just as the rear wheel meets the kerb, and so it doesn't hit the kerb too hard.

 

[si_c]

Riding around it is the best way, bunny hops are a good alternative.

The nice thing about a bunny hop is you can use it to go over speed bumps without slowing down.

As for pinch flats, moar pressure.

 

[jefmcg]

Be aware of target fixing; if you focus on a hole or lump (or bollard), you are much more likely to hit it than if you focus on the path you want to take.

 

[cubey]

https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/