Originally Posted by
DoubleDiamonDog
I second Mr. Thompson's suggestion to use the Brompton recommended pressure rather than going by what it says on the tire sidewall. We also ride Schwalbe Marathons. If we are near a place where it is convenient to inflate with a built-in gauge, I air up to 75 front / 85 back (70/80 for the wife), then do it again the next day. If we are on the move, I just fill them all to 85 and check in a week to 10 days.
The Brompton pump isn't bad - I like the way it comes off the tire w/o loosing any pressure - but takes a lot of work to get up to 85 and it has no gauge. I have carried a good dial gauge in the past but don't like the hassle of pumping, checking pressure then maybe pumping some more so I now i do more of a "that should be good enough" squeeze test. Don't really want to buy a compact pump w/ gauge.
I have a nice stand up tire pump with gauge, and as a rule I check the pressure every other day (ride). I haven't used the on board pump as yet, but I would imagine it being a bit of a chore to get the tires up to 70+psi. At least its available in a pinch. I will definitely stick to the chart rather than go by what's marked on the tire. Good thing I haven't blown the tires then.
I'm a little leery about using pumps like at a service center for example. The last time I used one of those air pumps I ended up blowing a tube. They fill so fast and if you're not careful like I wasn't -- well its a walk home or a phone call to a friend
.