tarwheel 

1. How often do you pump up your tires? Every day that I ride.
2. What size tires do you have? 700 x 25 on three bikes, 32s on one, 23s on one
3. How many miles per week do you ride? 150-200 most weeks

You can go much longer without pumping larger tires, due the higher volume and lower pressure. Narrow tires lose air very fast. My 23s and 25s generally drop 10-15 PSI overnight. My 32s will hold their pressure for several days.

smasha

check (with my thumb) before most rides. pump up about once a week, even if it only needs 2-3psi.

i've noticed a huge difference between generic tubes and schwalbe tubes. with the generic tubes i was losing almost 2-3 psi/day, and pumped up every other day. with the schwalbe tubes i lose that in about a week, and pump up about once a week.

that's on the commuter with 700x35.

sauerwald

1: About once a week
2: 700C28
3: 75

jdswitters

1. How often do you pump up your tires? Cruiser bike-never, torker 5-speed commuter- twice a week, fargo-once a week, I know who needs air and when.
2. What size tires do you have? Cruiser- 26"thick bricks, Torker 700x 32, fargo 29 x 2.2
3. How many miles per week do you ride? 50 but the mix between the three bikes varies,

my commute to work\office is slightly less than half a mile one way, my trip out to my shop is 20 miles round trip, which I do about twice a week, and all three bikes make that trip at least once a month.


The take way is that there is no specific formula and you need to check air pressure regularly until you find your own groove for your own tire/tube/comfort.

Notso_fastLane

My commuter gets checked 2/week. The rear is a 26 x 3/4, the front is a 20 x 3/4. Sometimes, I only do 1/week, but since I usually have to recharge the Airzound sometime around midweek, I check the tires as well.

hubcap

Some bikes I check before each ride, but my regular commuters really only get air every few weeks.
Currently on my bikes I have tires ranging from 700C x 32mm to 26" x 2.35".
In a normal week, I average around 180 miles.

fietsbob

Thorn resistant/heavy duty tubes are $15 per,more butyl rubber so air retained longer.

heavier, but in my Bike Friday a 406 20" is not a huge weight penalty..

a month .. and still adequate pressure.

ilynne

1. I *check* the pressure before leaving the house with the bike. If the tires need air, they get it.
2. Does not matter. I notice that my Fat Franks really don't lose much air.
3. Does not matter.

modernjess

Sometimes take air out. In winter I vary the studded tire's pressure depending on the conditions for the day.

On the commuter bike in 3 seasons - in general once a week is more than enough. All my other bikes get checked before each ride. They get ridden less so I want tire pressures to be spot on.

Transmogrifier

1. Once a week during spring/summer/fall, biweekly in the winter
2. 700x28c
3. 65 miles

wphamilton

1. every week to two weeks
2. 700x28
3. 150-200 miles per week

When I have smaller tires on I pump them more frequently because a) at the higher pressures they lose pressure more quickly, particularly if you get smaller and lighter tubes for them, and b) they are less forgiving of lower pressures.

dwinks

1. Not very often at all, maybe once a month.
2. 559x47 (26x1.85")
3. 100+ miles per week

Note that I maintain only about 20-25PSI in my tires, as a slightly higher rolling resistance from the lower PSI is more than made up for in the dramatic reduction in suspension losses that a large, soft, supple tire provides. My commutes average 18-21mph, on a bike that weighs over 40lbs, with a large, bulky pannier or two, with another 10+ lbs in it (them), on relatively poorly maintained roads. I like riding fast, so thin, hard tires are definitely out. Plus, the lower the PSI, the less pressure there is to push air out of the tire, thus a low pressure tire maintains its pressure much much better.

PaulH

1 About monthly
2 622 X 35
3 100 miles per week

The studded winter tires seem to hold air better than the summer tires, or perhaps tires and tubes are less permeable in the summer.

buzzbee

I have slime in the tubes
and extra thick thorn resistant tubes.

I fill them about once every few months to 65 PSI
1.95" x 26" mtn bike
150 to 200 miles per week, half is on dirt/gravel roads and trails

furballi

1. Once per week.
2. 28c F, 32c R.
4. ~120.

jputnam

Every few months, 26x1.50 @90psi, typically 100-140 miles/week commuting.

sbslider

Beast!!

Rear tire daily or every other day, Front once or twice a week. It seems to hold air much better
85 - 95 psi in 700x25s
100 - 130 miles a week

GeraldF

dwinks, would you mind sharing what bike you ride?

1. I pump up about once per month
2. 2.15"x26" mountain bike tires
3. 70 miles per week

I inflate to 40 psi. After four weeks, with cheap tubes and cheap tires, the tire still feels relatively firm when I pinch it and reads 20 psi. When I inflate back up to 40 psi I notice a small difference in speed, but not much.

I'm considering switching to thinner tires to gain a little speed and make hills easier to climb, but I've become accustomed to only inflating once a month, which is a major plus in my book.

On a side note, I've biked over 1,000 miles in Washington, DC with ZERO flat tires. I'm very curious to know how often people get flats. This could also impact my decision of whether or not to switch to thinner tires. I've started another thread asking about flat tire frequency, in case you're interested. Thanks for the input.

Miles2go

I'm surprised you ride a bike if not pumping up tires is a "major plus" for you. If pumping your tires up kills you, maybe you need another pump.

WMcCready

1. Usually squeeze test them, ride to end of drive, while looking, then fill if needed.
2, Have 11 bikes, store some in bsmt. for winter, keep few in garage, these I use thru winter( about now I am waiting for weather to break)
3. 40 mi.

PatrickGSR94

Road bike - every ride, as those 700x25 tires lose at least 10-15% pressure between every ride.

MTB - Probably every other ride.

Atvar

1: About once a week, usually on Monday
2: 700*35
3: about 45 miles (commuting miles)

InTheRain

At least once per week
700c x 28
40 - 100 miles per week

DJ Shaun

1. How often do you pump up your tires?
I check the tire pressure (and brakes) before every ride.
S/S/F: once or twice a week as needed
Winter: every couple weeks as needed
I find Presta valves loose air pressure faster then Schrader valves.

2. What size tires do you have?
S/S/F: 700x25 (Vittoria Randonneur - front / Continental Gatorskin - rear)
Winter: 26x2 (Schwalbe Marathon Winters)

3. How many miles per week do you ride?
S/S/F: 125-175km (80-110 miles)
Winter: 70-90km (45-60 miles)

kookaburra1701

1. Once every 1-2 weeks. When I first started riding, the bike shop didn't sell me a pump, and I rode all over the green earth for several months before a more cycling savvy friend said my tires looked a little saggy, and how much psi was I putting into them? How often was I pumping them up? and I answered, "Pump?"

2. Schwinn '87 Tempo: 700cx28 Specialized Armadillos (these are the ones that I rode happily for months without pumping them up)
Windsor Kensington 8: 700cx32 Schwalbe Marathon Plus

3. My commute has shortened considerably, so only about 20 miles a week this last winter. Most things are within walking distance, so I've been doing a lot of that instead of cycling since I moved.