mudskipper99

If anyone can help me with this...ive been trying to get the air pressure on my tires. Ive been using my gauge for my car tires, and I always get about 16-18psi. I dont know how this can be, when if anything, I would be over inflating my tires. It says its supposed to be 40-60psi on the tires, but I cant get anywhere near that. Cant fit any more air in the tires.

Recently I bought an air pressure gauge for bikes, thinking maybe big car tires need different gauges than small bike tires, but still I get 16-18psi. Is there something im doing wrong or not getting?

Thanks, if anyone can help.

Rincewind8

If you really have 16-18 PSi in your bicycle tires, than your tires look probably flat when you sit on the bike.

mudskipper99

The tires are not flat at all. When I sit on the bike, or squeeze the tire with my hand, the tires are very firm, not squishy. They are filled with as much air as can fit in them. Thats why I dont understand why it says such a low pressure, for two different pressure gauges.

Rincewind8

If your tires are rated 40-60 PSI, then you probably over-inflated the tires. Tires inflated to 60 PSI are not squishy, but are by far not "filled with as much air as can fit in them". Be careful! Over-inflated tires can damage the rim, but even more important you can have a sudden blowout, that can cause serious injury, especially if it happens while you are biking.

Back to the pressure gauge problem:
Do your tubes have the valves that the pessure gauges are made for?
https://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_u-v.html#valve
The automotive pressure gauge should only work on the Schrader valve.
Do you have some kind of a sealant in the tire (like slime,...)?
Did you try the pressure gauge on a car tire and confirm that it works properly?

mudskipper99

My tubes look like they have the Schrader valve, and I just checked the box of the new bike pressure gauge I bought, and it says its for Schrader valve, and it says "right angle chuck", whatever that means. My car tire gauge doesnt say what valve its for, but it works correctly for my car.

My bike tires and tubes are all the original that came with the bike (I bought it in 2000 I think). Never had a flat. I have a mountain bike. I dont think there is any sealant in the tires.

Soon im going to be picking up a trailer I ordered at my local bike shop, maybe I should just ask them while im there. I bought my bike there, and they have all my records on my bike.

I will let some air out of the tires. Sometimes I wonder if there is too much air in them. They probebly are over inflated.

demoncyclist

If the gauge is accurate, and it is reading 16-18 psi, then either your tires are under-inflated, or the gauge isn't seating correctly. What are you using to pump them up? A good pump (with gauge attached) should be able to hit 60psi with very little difficulty.

Rincewind8

Car tires are in almost every case Schrader valves.

Sorry I couldn't help.

When you go to the LBS, maybe you could take the pressure gauge along and have them check it...?!

mudskipper99

The pump I am using may not be that great. It has no gauge on it, its just some cheap thing I bought at Meijers (a Walmart type store, if you never heard of it). Im going to pick up a new and better pump soon.

Rincewind8 - I will bring my air pressure gauges when I go to my bike store, good idea.

maximusvt

Get a pump with a gauge on it! They are the best.

operator

You're probably not seating the guage properly, 16-18psi or the same measurment in bars makes no sense at all for an inflated tire of your description.

mactheknife68

...Or his tubes are iflated with cheap air too, which would give a lower reading than better quality O2.

Sorry, been diggin holes for fenceposts all day instead of riding on my day off... Need some good beer.

AGuinness

Get a better pump! The thing should have a little lever to tighten on the valve. And make sure your tubes and tires are in good shape! Good luck!

laterider

+1 get a good pump w/guage..

mudskipper99

Well, I couldnt stand it anymore, trying to figure out why my gauges dont seem to work, so just now I brought my bike to my LBS, and explained about the wierd air pressure readings. The guy checked the pressure with my gauges and got that 18psi, then he tried a bike shop one, and same thing. Then he said he was going to try pumping it up to 50psi. I thought for sure the tire was going to explode, but he put over 30psi in the tires. The tires really did have that low of a pressure. They looked very full to me. They didnt give hardly at all when I squeezed them or sat on my bike, and I pumped as much air as I could get in them. How embarrassing.

After he pumped the tires up to 50psi, and I said I pumped as much air in as I could with my pump, before I could even say how I got my cheap pump at Meijers, he started to tell me how he tried using somebody elses cheap Meijer pump once, and couldnt get enough air in the tire either. I said, "Hey! I got that cheap Meijer pump too!". It feels like I have a whole new bike now. I cant wait to ride up a steep hill with the correct air pressure.

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

Oh yeah, and I did buy a new $40 pump with a gauge.