In alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent wrote:
Andre Jute wrote:
Maybe those recumbent riders with fairings aren't doing their brakes
much good either.

Tires generally lift off while rotating under load because it requires
flexing of the tire bead o the rim to creep off.. Unless a tire is
already well on its way to blow off when the bicycle stops, the tire
doesn't come off.

On a recent ride in Sonoma County, California recently I experienced two blowoffs
that occurred on steep downgrades when I stopped to take photos. The first on my
front tire occurred after I had stopped about 2/3 of the way down a short but
steep downhill on Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Rd. between Tin Barn and Annapolis
Rds. for the express purpose of letting my rims cool, and the other on the rear
tire was near the bottom of Meyers Grade where I had stopped to take photos. In
the latter case the blowoff occurred shortly after I had resumed the descent
following a photo stop; in the former case, I had come to a complete stop before
the tire blew.

http://tinyurl.com/q889to

I also suffered a third blowoff earlier that day while I was dragging my rear
brake holding a camera in my free hand to record a video clip.

To Mr. Jute's point, aerodynamic fairings allow less aerodynamic braking,
requiring the brakes to be used more, resulting in hotter rims. My experiences
are not too unlike those of a moderately heavy tandem pair. Although I probably
end up replacing my pads and rims slightly more often than an upright bike rider
of similar weight, wear is not the main issue. Rim heating causing tire blowoff
is. Finding the right tire, tire pressure, and rim is the key to avoiding
blowoffs.

--
Bill Bushnell
http://pobox.com/~bushnell/