Problems pumping up tyres!

... (stupid O key nt always wrking nw) ...

OOOoooohhhhh!!

OOOoooohhhhh!!

Gleefully rubbing it in ... ;)

^ where's your gleeful use of 'o's?

Jenne - here you go ... some for you to copy/paste ...
o o o o o o o o o O O O O O O O O O O O o o o o o o o o o

^ where's your gleeful use of 'o's?

The clue was in 'glee'. ;)

I cannot wait fr a phne I can post frm!! I am thisclose t having a bank account and when I do, next stop is Vodafone (I think I have finally chsen which carrier t g with)!

G Jayl G .

Very gd, GrwUp.

I was laying n the handle, man! Track pump. Seriously. Supporting my weight n the pump. C0uld n0t get any m0re air in!

Yay, I am not alone!!!!

Yay, I am not alone!!!! [in being too light to pump up tires]

Yet again the answer to the problem is this:

LH, I hope you were successful?
I haven't tried again since yesterday. Will let you know though!

Presuming that you aren't a small, weak child, have a decent pump and the valves aren't knackered, particularly if your boyfriend can pump up your tires without difficulty, there is the matter of technique.

Some people, men and women, have difficulty getting the pump head on right and this will vary from pump to pump. I'd like to shed some light on this but I haven't experienced this problem myself, although have been bemused by some people's inability with my track pump. Next is the actual pumping technique. Make sure you aren't trying to pump with your back as this really doesn't work. For the best bet, put one foot on the pump to steady it, keep your other foot back to steady you, lean over the pump to get your shoulders above the handle and low enough that your outstreched arms will be able to push the pump all the way down. Lock your back and then do the pumping with your arms. This way you will be pumping with your full weight and the muscle power in your arms. Once you get started, try and maintain a steady, smooth pace.

So not true! I'm 120 lbs and can not for the life of me get certain pumps to go up t 120 psi! I do 120 b/c I kn0w I'll l0se (stupid O key nt always wrking nw) abut 10 psi when i take 0ut the pump. plus, I've laid n the ne at my mom's and can't get it t g past 100 psi. I used ne at a stre and culd just barely get up t 110, had t have the guy d0 the back wheel, felt a right idi0t!

If you're only 120 lb you don't need anywhere near 120 psi, even if you are loosing 10 psi (seems a bit much to loose 10 psi) by removing the pump which is hell of a lot you would be fine with 100 psi. I'm a simg over 11 stone and have never had any problems with 90 - 100 psi on 23 mm tyres over 1000's of miles and on 28 mm tyres my pressure is lower still.

^thisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

@ tommy but 120psi is a better ride!

Can't for the life of me remember what model track pump Dammit bought when we moved but it's the one whose design hasn't changed for something like 40 years, every part is fully serviceable, has folding feet/ stabiliser bits (and the orange matches his custom paint job), presta converter it comes with can be a bit tricky, foreign sounding name, like! Hippy/ BMMF - does that description mean anything to you?

Anyway, I stopped having to try and balance all of my weight on the track pump to get to 120psi when he got this one. I suppose I do also now weigh 52kg since moving, instead of 49.5kg (that's what stress will do to you) maybe that was the crucial 2.5kg...

@ tommy but 120psi is a bumpier, more unconformable ride which results in higher rolling resistance away from the perfectly smooth boards of a velodrome, however it dose feels faster. .
.

No, 120psi isn't a better ride. All you are doing is removing the shock absorbing and cornering characteristics from your tyres. Harsh, less grip = fail.
I'm 93kg and run 100-110 on the race bike, less on the commuter. The TT bike is the only one that gets more and that's because the tyres are rated for it and it still handles ok.

Silca?
Rennkompressor?

I like to inflate my tyres to approximately one hundred and ten psi.

Theres a PSI thread????

That sounds like a fucking hoot!

OK people, enlighten me on tyre pressure. My new rear tyre has a min/max of 85-120 psi. I've pumped it to 115. The front tyre is 115/125 but I run that at 120. I have a rack and have loaded panniers on it most days. Is it better to have the back wheel pumped close to the max psi because of the extra weight? Generally speaking.

My track pump is a Joe Blow one bought in Halfords a year ago.

Rider weight? Luggage weight? Tyre width? Type of roads/riding? Need to know.

But generally yes, rear tyre would be pumped up ~5% more than the front (due to rider weight distribution), so extra luggage might make that differential ~10%.

First it was tight chains, then it was overinflated tyres.
One by one we took them outside and kicked their arses.
LFGSS, coming to a cinema near you soon.

At 63kg I rode 23mm tyres at 95psi front and 100psi rear; 5-10 psi less in very slippery conditions; equal pressures for hillclimbs; maybe 100f/105r for TTing & RRing on reasonable roads. Clinchers, BTW.

At 70kg, I've generally gone to 98psi front and 103psi rear, or thereabouts, for general riding; and 110psi front and rear for Herne Hill.

Only had a snakebite puncture once, at 110psi, and I think it would've happened with <120psi due to the 'emergency' nature of the impact.

I have been known to ride very fast, but what mattered more to me, was being very comfortable the whole time.

Rider weight? Luggage weight? Tyre width? Type of roads/riding? Need to know.

But generally yes, rear tyre would be pumped up ~5% more than the front (due to rider weight distribution), so extra luggage might make that differential ~10%.

8 and a half stones. Luggage weight? Not a clue, but heavy. London roads. Hybrid powered by a shrimp of a woman.

@ tommy but 120psi is a better ride!

Can't for the life of me remember what model track pump Dammit bought when we moved but it's the one whose design hasn't changed for something like 40 years, every part is fully serviceable, has folding feet/ stabiliser bits (and the orange matches his custom paint job), presta converter it comes with can be a bit tricky, foreign sounding name, like! Hippy/ BMMF - does that description mean anything to you?

Anyway, I stopped having to try and balance all of my weight on the track pump to get to 120psi when he got this one. I suppose I do also now weigh 52kg since moving, instead of 49.5kg (that's what stress will do to you) maybe that was the crucial 2.5kg...

No, 120psi isn't a better ride. All you are doing is removing the shock absorbing and cornering characteristics from your tyres. Harsh, less grip = fail.
I'm 93kg and run 100-110 on the race bike, less on the commuter. The TT bike is the only one that gets more and that's because the tyres are rated for it and it still handles ok.

Silca?
Rennkompressor?

Rennkompressor FTW. If you're going to get a track pump, it's worth investing in a decent one. There are now several good models on the market, but I do like my Rennkompressor. When the adaptable valve initially supplied with it failed, they sent me their new double-head valve free of charge, which was excellent customer service. The new valve is awesome, too. I don't work for them, BTW.

(I've seen Rennkompressor pumps sold in shops over here which were fitted with old-fashioned Presta-only valves--those aren't the ones I mean. I bought my pump in Germany.)

I have an app for correct tyre pressure. It's admittedly a bit of an ask when daily weight fluctuations result in fractional values, but you have to be precise about these things. Stop after each sip from the bidon, re-calculate. Take bike and pump into the toilets at the cafe stop and adjust. That ineffably pleasing extra precision when cornering and a jolly good feeling all round of doing the right thing make the small bit of additional effort involved well worth doing it.