have never pumped a tire properly. HELP

[robinmarylong]

I just bought an air support mini pump. I can't find any instructions on how to mount it or a picture. Is it suppose to go on the water bottle cage? I would appreciate any help.

Thanks
Robin

[Grog]

I just bought an air support mini pump. I can't find any instructions on how to mount it or a picture. Is it suppose to go on the water bottle cage? I would appreciate any help.

Thanks
Robin

I'd suggest starting a different thread with your question, with some more information about your pump. And welcome to TE! Please think about introducing yourself in the "Getting to know you" thread.

[lunacycles]

I'm 130 lbs and pump my road tires to 100 psi, max. 90 or 80 would be fine as long as I am paying attention to the crud on the road and my tires are in good shape. No need to go super high with psi if you are fairly light. That is for the big boys, or if you are trying to get the ultimate advantage in a race. A slightly softer tire makes a big difference in the comfort of your ride, and no damage results as long as you check the tire's psi frequently (i.e., don't let it get low).

The advice to press on the valve and let the valve open and a bit of air escape before pumping them up is very good. Also, orienting the valve so it is at 7 to 11 o-clock makes the pump happier and more likely to "seal." That is, the head of the pump shouldn't be at an awkward angle or be fighting the resistance of the hose when you attach it. This has all been said... And I find keeping my arms straight and using my whole upper body instead of just my arms to pump up tires really makes it quite do-able. I pump up a lot of tires and my pump ain't fancy...it costs about $40 retail.

[Mr. Bloom]

OK, what role does stem length have?

• I find that shorter stems are much easier to attach and remove the pump from
• But the LBS says "no, no no....long stems are best!"

Why? do they enjoy:

• The bloody knuckles that result from getting banged on the cassette or sharp aero spokes as you struggle to pull the pump off the longer stem?
• Selling more tubes because of the inevitable leaks that result from pulling so hard on the stems to extract the pump (and most of my flats come from slow leaks immediately around the stems...)?

They never have the short stems in stock...

Am I alone in this observation on stem size????

[OakLeaf]

That's weird, the smaller LBS's in my area normally stock only the 48 mm stems, the larger ones have all lengths in stock. I've never had them push me toward a longer stem. I agree that 38 mm stems are getting harder to find, but that's only because the shallowest rims are getting harder to find!

I'm guessing that your LBS has had experiences where people have bought tubes with stems that were too short for their rims, then blamed the LBS when they got stuck with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. If they sell everyone 60 mm stems, then at least everyone will be able to use the tubes they bought.

I've been on a ride with someone who forgot to swap his spare tube out after switching to deep aero rims - and just the other day someone here posted that her DH had stocked her seat pack with the wrong tube.

I'm with you that it's best to use the shortest stem length that will work with your rim and pump head (different pumps grab different lengths of valve stem). Lighter, less angular torque on the valve stem if you aren't completely smooth with the pump. But if someone doesn't know what stem length she needs, I can definitely see the bike shop just selling them 60 mm and being done with it.

[tantrumbean]

Another observation, do road bikes lose pressure in the tyres faster than mtb? Both my bikes have presta valves, the mtb gets a top up every couple of weeks (and is used regularly during the week for communting), the road bike seems to lose about 20-30 psi in a week, even when not used. They are the stock tubes it came with and it did this before I even went on my first ride, so definitely no punctures...

[Biciclista]

the more pressure you put into a tube, the faster it's going to figure out how to get out.
If your MTB tire is at 50psi and your Road bike tire is at 150psi, there will be a dramatic diff. as to how much air is lost in time.

That's part of why i think you gals should check to see if you aren't overinflating the tires for your weight specs.

and my DH taught me a cool trick. make sure the valve is at the TOP of the wheel when you attach it to the pump. SO when you are ready to stop and pull it off you are pulling/pushing DOWN; so it's easier.

[sundial]

Another observation, do road bikes lose pressure in the tyres faster than mtb?

Mtb tubes are usually heavier and hold air longer.

Oh the joys of pumping up the volume. I once sat alongside a trail trying to use my Blackburn pump on my mtb tire and broke the presta valve clean off. It continued to hold air but I learned to rethink hand pumps on the trail.

Then there are those darn floor pumps that don't want to latch on correctly. Or leak air. Or don't pump easily.

I use a Specialized floor pump that automatically fits both presta and schrader valves. I also have a small air compressor to air up my tires and that's the easiest and quickest method. I use it to air up my tubeless tires when I am converting them to Stan's.