single ply tires and freeride? good mix?

[Dr. Ill]

So can I run single ply tires for freeriden? mainly like 10 footer and stuff. Anyone do this without gettin a flat every ride?
thanks

[Sir_Crackien]

with 10 foot stick to you dual+ ply tires. you could use single ply but you will run into problems with tire pressure and tire stability

[spacemanspiff06]

the size of the drops you're going off have nothing to do with single/dual ply tires. are the trails you ride rocky? do you have to pedal up them? are you a sucker for low PSI?
i ride singles dispite rocky trails. gotta keep the pressure a little on the high side, but not so much that i'm bouncing all over the place. works just fine.
depending on size, going single will drop about a pound, and thats rolling and un-sprung weight. big diff. i'll only run dubs if i've got a ride back up the hill.

[Sir_Crackien]

ammmm yeah.

actually the size of the drops that he is doing is going to factor in. the higher the drop the more the tire has to deform on the impact upon the ground. yes you are right you are able to take big drops on single ply tires but you have to run higher pressure, too the point at which most of the time its to high to run the rest of the trail without sliding all over the place.

it actually has alot more to do with rider size and ridding style. a small smooth rider will be able to get away with single ply tires in a situation in which some heavy/plowing person will not be able to

[Dr. Ill]

Well i'm 130 lbs and ride in the pnw where the terrain is mostly dirt. I like to jump and i'm more of a freerider than downhiller. From what you guys have said I would think I could get away with running single ply tires. I just gotta be smoother and not case stuff like I normally do. I'm going with some maxxis high roller 2.35 FTW. Thanks guys

[spacemanspiff06]

actually the size of the drops that he is doing is going to factor in. the higher the drop the more the tire has to deform on the impact upon the ground. yes you are right you are able to take big drops on single ply tires but you have to run higher pressure, too the point at which most of the time its to high to run the rest of the trail without sliding all over the place.

when you land a drop, the impact is spread over the full contact patch of the tire. (about 8 square inches for a 2.5 tire.) when you run into a sharp rock the impact is concentrated to the area of the point of that rock, sometimes less then a square inch. so that's up to X8 the force per square inch, assuming that you will hit the rock at the same speed as your downward velocity off a 10 foot drop, which is less then 10 MPH.
sorry, i'm a nerd, i tend to go off on stuff like this...
i'm 200 with shoes on, i ride 2.35 single plys off 7 ft drops and have no issues slidding out on the rest of the trail.

[mandown]

single ply sux :( nothing but flats.