Hi everyone!!!

Maybe this is a newbie question, but i need your help!!!

I just purchased an old road bike that has 700x25c tires with presta valves.

I have a mini pump that can inflate both presta and schrader valves but it has no PSI gauge to measure how much air i put in, basically i have no way of knowing how much air i'm pumping into my tires.

My question is, is there a "feel" by touching and pinching with my fingers that's somewhat acurate??? i know that there is supposed to be virtually no "squishiness" but i also don't know if the tires are supposed to feel rock solid, i don't want them to blow up wen i'm riding!!! :S

The tires are prety old and the side walls look dry, i can't read the max PSI because the letters are worn off and I WILL be buying a pair on new tires next week, but for now i would like to ride my bike just to get the feel of it.

Also, my mini pump says 80 psi max, and i think that road tires require at least 100 psi, do you think that the mini pump can get them to 100 psi??? or a decent amount of air to actually use the bike??? the "cilinder" (part of the mini pump that holds the air inside) is not plastic, it's aluminium so i think it's a bit stronger that a normal plastic pump.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Cheers!!!

Most road bike riders use a floor pump with a guage and pump the tires up before each ride.

Guess you need a floor pump with a guage.

My mini pump can reach 100 psi on 700 X 25 tires.

The Feel thing doesn't work for me.

Floor pumps aren't that expensive, and my floor pump is one of my most-used cycling accessories (probably second only to water bottles/cages).

There's really no reason not to invest in a decent floor pump in this sport, you can get a decent one at your LBS today for ~$30, or splurge and still spend <$100 on one that will last you a lifetime.

You need a floor pump with a gauge. By the time you buy a pressure gauge that goes up to 120-140 psi (not particularly cheap by itself), you will have spent nearly as much as a bike pump, plus you will be wasting your time trying to use the mini pump when you could be done in 1/10 the time with a floor pump.

You do need a better pump, but I'd say to buy a separate gauge when you can afford it. Gauges on the pump tend to be less accurate, and they also get banged around more than something small you can take care of. I've seen name-brand pumps with gauges that were off by 20 percent.
I rode for 30 years thinking I could tell my pressures by feel, and I never had a tire failure related to being wrong. But when I DID get a gauge, with a gift cert I had no other use for, I found that my experienced and educated thumb was often off by 10 pounds or more.
Same for a torque wrench, by the way. I built a couple of bikes and maintained dozens without a way to measure torque, but when I finally got one, I realized I hadn't even been close.
As for minipumps, I haven't tried a new one in a few years, but prior to that I never had one I liked. One took more than 600 strokes to get my 700x35 tires to 75psi. A good frame-fit pump will do it in about 100, a floor pump in 50 or so.
Tire gauge first, though.

It's not that big a difference riding at 80 psi pressure unless you're pretty heavy. Try to avoid potholes and curbs.

Mostly pumps won't even get to their max so I wouldn't worry about over-inflating it. While all "real" cyclists seem to like floor pumps, I've gotten by very well with a cigarette lighter pump from Auto Zone. It was less than $30, has an accurate gauge and works well enough with one of those presta-shraeder adapters.

Don't go by feel. You can get fooled easily.

Get a floor pump with a gauge, you can get a cheap one for about 25 bucks....or a "good" one for about 50.

I highly suspect you will do best with approx 90-100PSI, depending on your weight. 80 is probably passable but you will risk pinch flats.

Pump up at least once/week. Most folks lose about 10PSI/week, YMMV.

Cool, looks like i definitely need to buy a floor pump.

To be honest, i wanted to ride today, i bought my bike last saturday and because of work i haven't been able to ride it, that and also the bike came with a slight wobble on the rear wheel, i took the rim to the LBS yesterday and they told me that the bearings needed ajusting and they fixed it for like 3 dlls!!!

Oh and yeah, i know that i should have bougth the floor pump right there and then, but since i alrredy had a mini pump i thought that it would be enough, hahaha

BTW i'm not a professional rider and don't intend to be one, i just ride with mi wife for fun and excersice, that's why i was asking about the "feel" thing, i thought that only pro riders were concerned with the correct and exact psi's to ride more efficiently, thats also why i didn't consider the floor pump, but i guess it's easier and it's really not that expensive.

Cheers!!!

Wut?

Not sure if anything has mentioned it, but you should get a floorpump with a gauge.

It is important to to have the correct pressure in your tires. Among other reasons are things called pinch flats. AKA "snake bites". Its when you hit a pot hole or an object the pushes the tire and tube against the rim causing the rim to make holes in the tube. Your weight will determine just how critical your tire pressure is. In other words if you weight 80 lbs and have a 14 lb. bike, it won't be as important as it you were 300 lbs. and rode a 40 lb. bike.

Floor pump. When fixing a flat on the road with a mini pump, you can use pinching to compare the tire you're inflating with one that's already properly inflated to get an idea if you're close enough in pressure. As soon as is reasonable, inflate the tire properly with a pump with a gauge.

Question?

shouldn't he just get a floor pump instead???

Just bite the bullet and get a $30 floor pump. There really isn't an accurate way to gauge pressure by hand. Once the tire is up around 80psi, the thing is rock hard...but you need about 100-120. 80-120 feels about the same by hand.

Polite way of saying BS.

Easier, faster with a motor and lasts longer for lower cost. Plus you can air up car tires, and you don't have to lend it out to the neighbors' kids (who always ask for a floor pump). Either one works of course, but sometimes thinking outside the LBS box is simply better.

I'm wondering if it's the tubes I'm using, but my tires feel nowhere near hard at 80psi. Either that or I have incredible hand strength (highly unlikely).

I seem to remember reading somewhere that when your tyre is at optimum pressure (ie. least rolling resistance, good grip and a degree of comfort) the tyre should squash by 15% of it's height when viewed from the side and you have your full weight on it. This is of course a difficult thing to check, requiring you to hold onto a wall or such whilst an assistant lays on the ground to see how much the tyre squashes.

Or you could just get a Track pump with a guage.

DO not get a joe blow 2 max by topeak or any pump with a large barrel, or you will be dangling your body over the pump to get the air in the tire, get a high pressure pump with a narrow barrel.

some of my tires feel harder than others at the same psi, now we start getting into tire ride quality and compliance aka not all tires are made equal and may have different optimum pressures.

I've got an air compressor in the garage, 6.5hp Belt Drive 60gal upright... I use my floor pump anyway...

OK OK!!! i get it!!! GET A FLOOR PUMP!!! hahahaha

this is true. except i just bought a $30 dollar one that i am hoping lasts a lifetime. then again i'm older. i'd say if you are less than 40 get a 60 dollar one. if 20 get a 100 dollar one and if....

but in all cases get one with a guage and one that is mounted at the handle not the bottom.

Before a ride I'll check for minimum tire pressure by feel. Add air with a gauge to prevent over inflation.

why is that??