ive been noticing that my tires are low and today when i went to pump them up i ran into some problems. as soon as i started pumping them up the pressure guage went way above 160 psi and coudlnt pump the tires anymore even though they felt really low still. the problem happened on both wheels. i assume that i just need new tubes but i could be wrong. any suggestions?

the gauge is reading the pressure in the pump's hose, air is not getting into your tube.

happens to me when the nozzle isn't pressed all the way onto the valve. i spose it's also possible that your pump or tube is clogged.

Make sure the little nib (that keeps air from coming out) is unscrewed. I get crazy readings when I forget to unscrew it.

Unscrew the presta, push it in (yes, I'm saying to let air out!!1), then put the pump back on and pump away.

Next question.

As mentioned, make sure the valve is unscrewed all the way. Even if the tires are low I always deflate them until the pressure is really low and then inflate to the correct pressure. I have a crappy pump and sometimes it seems easier to do it this way because I was having the same problems that you are describing.

burp your valves