Gammerus

I am used to riding cheap walmart ligh weight bikes so I don't know if this is common or not.
Is it normal for air to escape from the tires when you are not riding them? I left my bike alone for a little over a week because it was stormy outside... within that time the tubes went from 55psi to 25psi. I don't think it is flat since I bought thorn resistant inner tubes and I have only ridden it a few times since then.

My bike is a 1972 steal 24 inch, and I was wondering if the weight of the bike was causing this or if it was just a slow flat.

cudak888 

#1: All tubes will lose air over the course of a certain amount of time. 55psi to 25psi in a week is slightly fast, but not uncommon. What tires are you using that prevent you from exceeding 55 pounds though? Even cheap 27" will usually go up to 80 PSI on steel rims with no hooked beads.

#2: Ditch the thorn resistant nonsense. You're only contributing to your wheel's rotational weight (forgot the 'offical' term for this) - right where the least amount of weight counts the most.

#3: Weight of your bike is not important to tire pressure loss.

#4: Check your tire pressure always before heading out. It is not unusual for a tire at 120PSI to have deflated to 110 or 100 over the course of a day or two. 95% of the time, you will have to give the tires a bit more pressure before heading out.

#5: You do have a tire PSI gauge, correct?

-Kurt

Gammerus

I'm not sure what kind of tires they are... they look like normal 24 skinny touring tires.

Are you sure? There are a lot of thorny plants in AZ, and when I rode my mountain bike with normal tubes I usually had a couple flats a month because of the long thorns. I am told it isn't as big of a problem with cruisers but I don't know that I trust regular tubes.

The only pump I have right now is an electric car pump, but it does have a PSI gauge. I plan on getting a portable pump soon tho... I just didn't expect the tubes to lose air this quickly.

Kommisar89

The heavy Walmart stuff usually holds air pretty well but I'd have to agree with what Kurt says except maybe for #2. I don't mind fixing a flat and prefer the lighter weight but if you really don't want to have to fix a flat on the side of the road and aren't going anywhere in a hurry then it might be worthwhile. Some ultra-light tubes can loose air in a hurry but you won't find those at Walmart. Get yourself a good floor pump, a frame pump, and a patch kit. They're worth every penny.

Old Fat Guy

Check your pressure before every ride. It just takes a minute. I'm in AZ for the Winter, and have not had a flat in two Winters. I ride fairly lightweight tires/tubes. This year I'm riding Veloflex/latex, so far so good.
When you say you are riding 24", do you mean the tires, or the frame size?

Is this a road or mtn bike?

Gammerus

24" tires. I certainly don't want to have to fix a flat, The reason I got my bicycle was because I don't want to wander around certain areas alone. I don't live in the safest areas, and with a few sex predators living pretty close by I don't want to be stranded anywhere.

USAZorro

I rode a MTB less than 3 miles in Arizona (not far from Sedona) and had two flats. If you've never ridden there, you have no idea how pervasive and nasty goathead thorns are. Gammerus, do what you have to to keep from getting flats. With skinny 24" tires, it doesn't take a lot of air to result in that kind of a pressure drop. If they were leaking from a hole in those tubes, you'd be able to see it.

wahoonc

Yes you will need to add air before every ride...most of the time. I have some bikes that the tubes seep air faster than others. Not sure why. Also if I am not positive but if you ride every day they seem to hold their pressure a bit longer than if only ridden occasionally, or maybe it just seems that way.

Aaron

Stacey

Arizona is a shall issue state. Why not pack a piece?

Gammerus

A piece? Are you refering to a gun? I am against the idea of hand guns.. I don't care for them at all

hobiedan

Get a good hand pump with a gauge, pump up tires to recommended pressure every time you ride

Charles Wahl

Nobody has offered the advice to dip the wheels (fully inflated) in water, such as a bathtub or kiddie pool, to check for a slow leak. Sometimes the valve cores of Schrader valves (the kind that look like those on an auto) leak because they're not screwed in tight enough. So you should check the valves too -- but that can be done with spittle.

You may be able to get tires with kevlar belts built-in -- dunno much about 24 inchers though -- and those will help prevent goathead flats, in my experience. The problem with tires is that light weight and flat-resistance are pretty much mutually exclusive.

roccobike

Yes, it's normal to lose air in tubes over time, although 30PSI over one week seems sort of high.
Here's a tip to save some air pressure loss when using Schrader valves like yours. Go to an auto parts store. Purchase the chrome/alloy metal tire valve stem covers designed to be used for mag wheels then replace the black plastic covers the tubes came with. These chrome/alloy tire valve covers have a small gasket that seals the Schrader valve and prevents small leaks from the valve. I tried this on my mountain bikes and found pressure loss over time was cut by one third.
Keep in mind, the pump you are using reduces the tire pressure when you place the pump head on the tire to inflate it. Try pumping up the tire pressure to 55PSI. Disengage the pump from the tire. Now re-engage the pump and read the pressure shown on the guage. You probably lost 5-10PSI. I use the same type of auto pump and found it takes a few PSI to fill the tube from the pump to the guage. Auto tires have much larger volume, that's why the small amount of air loss does not affect them. So I don't think you actually lossed 30 PSI, more like 20 to 25.

J T CUNNINGHAM

'Ideas', (de)cease.

'Reguards',
J T

Charles Wahl

The concept of gun control in the USA (apparently): prying the "piece" out of the cold, dead hands of the wacko who just snapped, slaughtering [pick some number] innocent people, including children. Individual freedom carried to its illogical, anti-socialist conclusion.

ken cummings

Personally, if I have to add air to my tires more then once a week before I pedal to work, I check the tube for leaks.

werewolf

30 lbs./week = leak. Take off the wheel and the tyre. Inflate the tube. Look for the leak. If you can't find it, do like the man said, put it in water, like your bathtub or a bucket, and see where the bubbles are coming from, and then patch it up. Carefully (!) run your fingers around the inside of the tyre to feel for anything sharp that may have caused the puncture. Cactus thorns flatten my pickup truck tyres, too. Don't be afraid of guns. They are an invaluable tool and they have saved countless lives.