CycleryNorth81

Do you use an external pressure gauge for your tires? If you do, what do you use and what brand?

Doctor Morbius

I only use whatever came with the pump and hope that it's accurate.

pvillemasher

Same here

GlennR

Accurate doesn't matter, it needs to be consistent.

Does it really matter if you have 90psi or 92psi or 87psi?

You should experiment and find what works with your weight tires and road conditions.

A few days ago I stopped by the LBS to have fresh sealant added to my tubeless tires. the use a compressor and I told them to put 60 front and 65 rear. I rode another 30 miles and felt the entire time the tires were hard. When i got home I took some air out and pumped them with my pump to 60/65 and went for a 5 mile ride. They then felt normal.

Not sure which was the more accurate pressure, but my pump is consistent with what I normally use.

TakingMyTime

"A man with 2 watches never knows what time it is"

My interpretation... "A man with 2 pumps never knows the exact pressure"

GlennR

Both the time on my cell and in my car are exactly the same. They both get the time from the cell towers. I used to hate when the car clock and the time from the radio weren't the same.... those days are over.

Trevtassie

Schwalbe. was about $5 thrown in with another order from Germany...

Metieval

this,

and I suppose It doesn't matter if it is accurate or not. I figured out what works, and that is where my tires get pumped to. I have used other pumps, and they may be different than mine, but it's close enough.

Metieval

no

CycleryNorth81

I would think accurate tire pressure is important. IF the recommended tire pressure from the manufacturer is 100 psi and your pump is consistently low, you are not riding the tire like the manufacturer intended. Wouldn't the lower tire pressure effect the handling and the ride? Comments?

bogydave

devianb

I have that one too and like it a lot. I installed an external 1/8 npt air gauge to my floor pump so I don't use it that often.

JonathanGennick 

I prefer a reasonable accuracy in my gauges, because I don't want to worry that my psi w/one pump needs to be different than with another pump. And can you imagine a tire pressure discussion amongst cyclists if my 100 psi were your 120p psi were someone else's 80 psi?

noimagination

Yep, my right forefinger and thumb. I can use my left in a pinch (ha ha).

This ain't rocket science, folks.

Retro Grouch 

"Seems accurate".

Phil_gretz

Tire manufacturers do not recommend the specific tire pressure that a rider should select. Typically, they recommend a range of pressures, and have a maximum pressure that has some margin of safety built in. The correct pressure will be a function of the tire volume, the rider weight, and the rider preference for feel. Pumping to the maximum pressure isn't what the manufacturer "intends" for the average rider.

Phil_gretz

I have several tire pressure gauges, including the digital Topeak shown above. None are accurate. The best gauge I've found came mounted to the Joe Blow Sport 3 floor pump. Of the several floor pumps with gauges that I've had over 40 years, few have been as accurate as this latest one (JBS3). Not that accuracy matters, as folks have said above.

Nachoman

What led you to the conclusion that the Joe Blow 3 was accurate and the others were not?

CycleryNorth81

If accuracy is not important and the gauges are in-accurate, why have gauges at all? Just pump the tire until firm.

p.s. How did you determine "None" of the gauges were accurate? You must have some reference gauge to compare the readings to.

@Nachoman beat me to the question

CycleryNorth81

Totally agree. It would be chaos if my 100psi was yours 120psi and another cyclist's 80psi.

veloz

Meiser makes great dial gauges, guaranteed to be +/- 2%. Inexpensive, no batteries and a bleeder valve. Just a couple psi makes a difference in CX and I’ve used their 60# model for years. For road or general use, I just use a gauge on a good floor pump.

Flip Flop Rider

good floor pump with gauge is not that expensive, and of course the pinch/feel test

Litespud

Not really - manufacturers don't give a recommended pressure because optimal pressure is dependent on rider/bike weight and surface conditions - factors over which the manufacturer has no control. They do, however, quote maximum and sometimes minimum pressures. Max pressure is the highest pressure that the manufacturer is comfortable with, but it's still far short of what the tire will withstand. A tire pumped to max pressure is like a brick, but if you like your tires like that, your pressure gauge would have to be miles off for a "max pressure" reading to be anywhere near that which would compromise the tire - more likely you'll shake the fillings from your teeth before you risk over-pressuring the tire. Minimum pressure is also dependent on weight and conditions - essentially enough pressure to prevent the tire from pinch flatting. That being said, I have no experience with tubeless, so there might be some set minimum necessary to keep the tire bead engaged with the rim.
As others have said, consistency is more important than accuracy. I pump my tires to 100 psi, according to the gauge on my old Silca floor pump. It is truly 100 psi? Don't know, but it works for me - not teeth-rattlingly hard, but have never had a pinch flat. If I ever replace the pump, I'll titrate the pressure again to achieve this optimal (for me) pressure. It might not be 100 psi according to the new gauge, but the actual numerical value won't matter.

GlennR

^^^^^^^^^^
This

I really doubt you'll find a 20PSI difference between pumps. I bet 5psi is at the outer limits.

And unless you're in the TDF, Its not going to make a huge difference for a single ride.

BTW, I like pumps that have the gauge at the top of the pump and not at the bottom. They are easier to see where the needle is.

rumrunn6

after confirming the gauge on my pump matches my patented pencil style gauge, I no longer use the hand held gauge at home. but I do carry it on the road but rarely use it even when fixing a flat