My fiancée and I both just bought Trek 7000's with 700x35c tires (recommended 60-80psi according to the sidewall). I cannot for the life of me pump air into these things by hand.
I tried a $14 Schwinn frame pump, and with the tire already inflated to about 50psi, and I couldn't budge it; no air went into the tires. "Okay," I thought, "I must be a weakling."
Well tonight I returned the pump to Wal*Mart and bought an $8 Bell "The Judge" floor pump. Cheap, yes, but I figured it would get the job done. Well tonight I hooked it up to the tires and I can't get *any* air in. I've got the hose pressed onto the Schraeder valve almost down to the rubber of the tube, then I lock the hose on, and I lean on the pump with all my weight, and it's like I am just compressing air into the pump's hose rather than into the tire. The pump hose gets firmer and firmer, and by the time the pump handle is within 3" of the end of the available travel, I simply cannot budge it.
Now I'm 6'3" and about 250lbs and I'm putting most of my weight on the pump, and it's not moving. I'm no weakling, either.
I thought it might be a bad valve, but I tried it on multiple tires, and neither of them feels any better. I have a miniature electric emergency air compressor that plugs into my car's cigarette lighter, and that thing happily put air in them to 80psi and beyond. I should add that I have tried this on more than one tire, so I don't believe it's a valve problem. And the car pump worked, as did the bike shop's floor pump when they prepped the bike when I bought it.
So what is going on here? Am I doing something wrong, or are these pumps useless?
Last edited by sfontain; 10-22-05 at 07:53 PM.