Quote Originally Posted by roguedog View Post
Then I went on a Melo Velo ride and talked to the girls there and told 'em my woes. I knew I wouldn't be the only one seeing as I'm not the only one on this board. Well, one of the ladies said that she'd heard it was easier when the tire valve was at the top of the wheel instead of the bottom and to kinda "open up the valve" by hitting it a couple times to hear some air escape.

Also.. I think I've read that some of you pump up your front tire to a diff pressure than the rear. Any reason why? I just pump 'em both up to bout 120.
Congrats! I hope you enjoyed the ride, RD. I actually teach that in my bike maintenance classes -- valve up. Two reasons. One, why should you have to bend over/squat when you pump up your tires. Second, with the valve up, you can use your hand the tire to seat the pump (can't do that when the tire is on the ground because the valve is at the bottom). This gives you a better seal and also helps stabilize the valve stem (with is a fragile part of the tube).

I run 105 in the front and 110 in the rear (and I weigh almost 160 pounds). More weight is on the back of the bike which is why we run a higher pressure there. 120 is super-high, especially for most women who don't weigh much. Try dropping your pressure a little bit and I bet you'll get a more comfortable, responsive ride. For most smaller women, I'll recommend 95 in the front and 100 in the rear (or even 90 and 95).