Five flats in 4 months on new Giant Contend3 (XL)? All my life I have bought used speed bikes.  I finally sprung for a new bike which I use to commute to work (6 miles each way).  It's a Giant Contend3 (XL).



I keep getting "pinch flats".

The bike store experts tell me it's because I'm not pumping enough air into my tires.  I have a pump.  I am now pumping twice a week.  (It is baffling to me that skipping pumping for a week would result in a flat, as I have always just pumped my tires once in the spring and left it at that).

I got another flat yesterday, despite my regular pumping.

I'm ready to write off the new bike and go buy another used bike.

Is there something else I should be considering?



In response to the comments below, I weigh 220 lb (100kg) and I target 100 psi (6.9 bar) on the gauge.
For road bike tyres you need a pressure gauge -- pumped up so they feel hard to the touch, the tyres could well be at their lower pressure limit. You say it's an XL frame; guessing that you're normally proportioned that could be a fair bit of weight on the back in particular (I'm at the big end for XL bikes, so I don't mean anything negative).  That makes it more important to pump the tyres up properly than for a lighter rider (the ideal pressure is higher and therefore air is lost faster).  It also makes it more important to look after the bike over potholes etc., by standing up on the pedals if you can't avoid the hit. 

That bike ships with 25mm tyres. Running just a touch bigger (28mm) can make a big difference to how long the tyres hold pressure (as can thicker tubes or butyl instead of latex).  Depending on the rim width you might win in other ways on a bigger tyre too (absorbing shocks). What width tyres did your old bikes have? If not all of your punctures are pinch flats, tougher tyres would be worth it too.