Tire Inflation Issue

Forgive me in advance, I know I've read about this somewhere on here, but I guess I"m not typing the right words into the Search box.

Tomorrow, I'm doing a group ride & went to air up my tires for the first time. I have Presta valves &quickly figured I had to unscrew the little bolt thingie, but nothing happens except I'm letting air out. I even have a converter thingie to take the bike to a gas station air pump, but I can't even check tire pressure correctly!!!

What in the world am I doing wrong??

P.S. I'm going to continue to search the boards in hopes of finding the answer.

Are you fully inserting the valve into the pump? It sounds like you might not have it fully pushed in.

Do you pump your tires before each ride? That should be something you do before you head out each and every ride.

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Originally Posted by Pedal Wench

Do you pump your tires before each ride? That should be something you do before you head out each and every ride.

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:( I haven't been, but since reading these forums, I know I should. Which is why I went out and bought a tire pressure gauge. Kirk & I finally figured how to inflate the tire--you were right, I didn;t have the valve pushed in enough, but we still can't get the pressure gauge to work, so I still don't know if I have enough air in the tires.

First thing, tomorrow morning, go to your LBS and buy a floor pump. Look for models that have a built-in pressure gauge - these make it super-easy (and kinda fun, actually!) to pump up your tires before every ride. I have two - I keep one in my car, so if I'm driving to a ride I can pump up before we start.

Look at the max PSI listed on the sidewalls of your tires. Basically, they should be pretty hard. At about 100 psi, mine have just a teensy bit of give if I push hard on them.

Presta valves are tricky. You might be doing something not quite right - but I've had that problem when it was far from my first time. ONe thing I learned was to move the valve so it was at about 1:00 - though I would have thought having hte tire pump thingy pointing down woudl have worked better. I can't fill the tire with the pump thingy on the bottom half. (On the other hand, a friend's tire can only be filled on that half.)
It's only a mild "rookie" thing to throw yourself at the mercy of the group for helphing you manage filling the tires. (We had a lady once say "I don't know what is wrong with this tire guage, it says my pressure is 25 psi!" on her third ride, where she'd been riding a good 15 mph on her hybrid with us... oh, yes, she *was* doing that on 25 psi!! When her tires got inflated she said, "I don't even have to pedal!" So... be new! Watch how people react... you'll be able to tell who the newbie-friendly folks are and who you'll want to ride with :-)

Some of the problems can be pump specific (and hard to explain in words).

I have a topeak floor pump that has a schrader valve and a presta valve. When you put it on you have the lever pointing towards the valve you are using, then you flick it to the other side to secure it.

On the weekend I didn't push it all the way to the other side (probably more like 3/4) and the gauge didn't work properly. I managed to wreck two tubes by blowing them out before I figured this out (and so had to take the risk of riding on Sunday without a spare - although I did have a patch kit - which must have been enough to keep the cycling gods onside because I didn't get a flat)

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Originally Posted by pikato

:( I haven't been, but since reading these forums, I know I should. Which is why I went out and bought a tire pressure gauge. Kirk & I finally figured how to inflate the tire--you were right, I didn;t have the valve pushed in enough, but we still can't get the pressure gauge to work, so I still don't know if I have enough air in the tires.

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I had the EXACT same issue two nights ago. I have a floor pump with built-in pressure gauge. Ended up figuring out how to inflate but I couldn't get the gauge to work properly!

I ended up taking the advice of of a site I found through google: Flick the tire - when it's close to being properly inflated, it should sound like a "ping" and not a "thump".

Don't know if that will cause any problems with overinflation, but my ride went fine the next morning. I need to practice on getting the gauge to work!

Ok toss the ping/thump theory out the window! I finally picked up a pump that worked and omigosh - my tires should be inflated to 100psi. The front was at 60 and the rear at 40!

http://www.tinklebelle.com/Smilies/images/yikes.gif

OK, I was going to make a crack about thumping watermelons, but I guess I'll pass.

More seriously, and in the same hard-to-explain vein, when my tires are inflated correctly they "click" going over sidewalk-type cracks. If they "thump" I need to pump them up.

"If you thump, time to pump!"

I rely on the guage, myself, and try to remember to pump 'em up every time.

I got a pump with gauge on it & it is a breeze to use. Now I only need to figure how to hook up my computer & I should be set!!

Presta valves - not all that hard..

Take of cap, unscrew release bolt, press down valve - hear "ssssss" you are good to go, secure pump nozzle and pump. If you don't hear "ssss" keep unloosening the bolt.

If you don't know what the release bolt is - picture this - there is a male part to the valve and a female part . The male part attaches to the pump. The female part is a small round washer at the base of the male part. You have to lossen that otherwise no air in. Now remember to tighten it when you are finish or air goes out.

If you can't get it figured out, go to the LBS and ask them to show you. Don't be embarrassed. Trust me, people have brought in worse questions.

Here's something you may have happen: sticky valves. Maybe it's the Florida heat or the Florida humidity, or maybe it's just the brand of tubes I've been getting lately, but my valves have tended to be sticky this summer. That is, I unscrew the valve, press down to be sure I've got it fully open, then attach the pump head, and...the tire doesn't fill with air. In fact, the air that I'm pumping must stay only in the pump hose, because I see the gauge being pegged to the right.

In these cases, usually I can flip the lever on the pumphead a couple of times and the stubborn valve will then open. I mention this because it may be happening to you or someone else. Weird, but manageable.

I got this "Joe Blow" by Topeak:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ance&n=3375251

Just used it tonight. My husband hooked up the valves and I pumped -- it was fast and easy.

Plus -- this is the first time our tires have been properly inflated. (Or at least according to the guy at REI.)

Since the tires said min: 50 - max 85, my husband figured somewhere in the middle was best. Around 60. Well, the guy at REI said max for pavement, and minimum for dirt. So I inflated mine to 80 pounds, took a spin around the block and yippee! It is so much easier to ride!

So when I place the air nozzle/hose/whatever on the tire valve, the lever on the pump is straight then when I want to lock it on to start pumping air I flip it down to 45degrees?

I have mastered the letting air out skill.