For " General Cyclists" (Road Cyclists tent to be anal):

Do you pinch tire or use a gauge to check air pressure prior to a ride?

Gauge. And there's nothin' up my anus.

I pump them up every time with a pump that has a gauge right on it. The pinch method will often net you just that, a pinch flat, because you are not riding at the right tire pressure which is usually too low.

Pump has a gauge on it. I pump them up before every ride. They always need it.

Pump with gauge.

If the tubes are butyl and I pumped them within the last few days and they don't look flat, I'll often not bother checking.

I also use a pump with a gauge to top off before a ride.

I use a gauge and pinch the tire.

Link to the "Road Cyclists" tent?

Sounds like some kind of new age sphincter tent thing. Messy?

At higher pressures pinching is not accurate. At lower pressures (under 40 on high volume, low pressure MTB tires) if you have experience, a pinch is just fine.

I am NOT anal!

Lol

Neither, I pump up before almost every ride to avoid pinch flats.

I pinch mine but only about once per week.

When I used to think that I needed 120 psi in my tires I topped them up before every single ride. I'm using significantly fatter tires now so, once a week or so, I pump them back up to 70 psi.

My pump has a gage, but I have a pretty good sense of how much my tires pooch out from my weight when they have enough pressure. Reading BF has helped me be less anal about keeping every tire at max pressure all the time.

I always top off the tires before each ride and use the mostly accurate gauge on my pump to get to the correct pressure.

Pump with gauge once a week. Stupidity pinch check before/after every ride .

Perhaps after a couple beers & a back massage you could be persuaded.

At home I use a floor pump with a gauge. But I ride tubulars, and pump daily even when away from home, ie. on a multi-day tour, and (obviously) when I flat on the road. Out on the road I use a hand pump, and check pressure with my calibrated fingers.

In any case, I don't live by numbers. I care about how the bike rides, and whether filled by gauge or not, if the bike doesn't feel right out on the road, I correct that.

yes

When I daily check the tire surface for cuts, nicks, embedded crap, I also pinch it. To make sure it's not in the process of flatting. Plus use a gauge at least a couple of times weekly. Plus, I pinch the pump.

Kick the tires and light the fires.


What I really do is bounce it.

Pump with gauge. Tubeless throws the pinch test right out the window. Sidewalls feel the same for like a +/-20psi range.

Pinch if I'm in a hurry, including during rides. Air pump and gauge a couplafew times a week.

I'm riding moderate pressure tires with stiff sidewalls at lower pressure. Not that critical. I can feel the difference between the 50-55 psi I use on the front and 60-65 on the rear.

Short answer is gauge and thump with my finger. I work with each set of tires to find what pressure "feels" the best for that set of tires on the roads I ride. I then make a mental note of that pressure and pump to that pressure for each ride.

Thump a tire? More like a strong finger flick. Yeah, it's a habit I got in to years ago. After a while I could tell within a few PSI what a tire was at just by the sound that thump made. I still do it each time.

That goes double if you have latex tubes. But even with buty, I always pump them before every ride.

Pump with a gauge. Check before every ride. As a clide its a very important check

Like most here, I always connect my pump with a gauge and top them off. The main reason is to check that the pressure is only down a few pounds. Any more might indicate a puncture.

Pinching a tire is like not using the proper tool or torquing bolts by "feel"!!!!!

Fatter tires. Lower pressure. Better ride. Air 'em up about once a week. Pump has the gauge built in. Pinching doesn't tell me anything.

-Kedosto