tyres

[rose]

Hi,
What sort of bike pumps do people use? I have presta valves on my road bike. I was looking for something to attach onto my bike just in case I get a flat while out and about. Any suggestions? Also, what pressure do you pump your tyres up to?
Thanks!

[westtexas]

There are lots of styles of pumps that you can carry along with you that attach to the frame of your bike so you can air up a flat after patching/changing the tube in the tire. The only problem with those being 1) they add weight to your bike (not important to all people) and 2) it takes FOREVER to fill a tire up to proper pressure because the pump is so small. And it gets really difficult to use at high pressures.

I use CO2 cartridges out on the road. I got a kit that included a dispenser that uses both threaded and threadless cartridges, 3 cartridges and a set of a tire wrenches for about $23. It's simple enough to use although it does create waste when you use up the CO2 cartridge. However, you can easily fit two catridges and a tube or two in most saddle bags so it's simple enough to tote around.

As far as tire pressure goes - on the sidewall of your tire it should say what the max pressure is for that tire. Some can only go as high as 100 psi (usually bigger tires), but many can get more than that. The Vredesteins that I have have a max of about 145 and I ride them around 120-130 - but I like high pressure tires and the way they ride. A lot of people say you don't need to inflate above 110/120 because the more you inflate the rougher the ride, but really I think it's personal preference. You just have to look on your tire and see what it can handle. Properly inflated tires go a long way in making sure you have a decreased amount of flats and that you roll nicely down the road.

[rose]

Thanks for your reply

I agree with you with the adding weight onto the bike by clipping the pump on is probably not the best. Plus it will get in the way and could fly off and cause problems if I hit a big enough bump or something lol who knows what could happen out there. I guess the hand pumps are good to have at home to top up the tyres before a ride.

What brand CO2 cartridge do you use? Would you recommend it? $23 sounds quite reasonable. If you have the cartridge sitting there for a long time, say a year, does it effect it? I bought a saddle bag the other day so I could get a cartridge to put in there. I hadn't really thought of that.

It says to inflate to between 100 and 145psi. Also, my tyres say 700x23c. Is there much difference between that and 700x23? What does the c stand for? I bought some tubes the other day for 700x23 because I didn't see the c. Will this be a problem?

[westtexas]

700x23c is the standard size for a road tire. I have no idea what the c stands for, but the tubes you bought should fit. 700x23c is just the size of tire (I think the 23 is the width?) and the psi is how much air pressure you can put into it. Any good floor pump should have a pressure gauge on it to let you know how inflated your tires are. Definitely need one of those for home use as you should be airing up your tires (or at least checking the pressure) before you head out on every ride. Properly inflated tires make a world of difference! I would recommend starting at 110 or 120 psi as most people seem to prefer those pressures.

I actually thought about you today because one of the fellows I was riding with this afternoon had one of those pumps meant to attach to the bike, but he carried it in his jersey back pocket. You could always try that.

The CO2 I use is Genuine Innovations 16 gram cartridges. I don't think the brand really matters. All that matters is that you get the right kind of cartridge to fit the CO2 dispenser. My dispenser fits both threaded and threadless cartridges. Typically one thing of CO2 is enough to air up your tire sufficiently to get you home safe. Makes your valve stem get all frosty which is kind of neat too. I don't think they expire - it's just compressed gas and I don't think the cartridges should leak or lose pressure over time either, but I could be wrong on that.

Hope that helps!

[azfiddle]

I think the refers to the width of the tire in cm (23 cm, 25 cm, 28 cm etc).

We buy CO2 cartridges in bulk from a sporting goods store. They are not exactly the right size but much cheaper and we can get them to work for us.

[pll]

I think the refers to the width of the tire in cm (23 cm, 25 cm, 28 cm etc).

We buy CO2 cartridges in bulk from a sporting goods store. They are not exactly the right size but much cheaper and we can get them to work for us.

23, 25 and 28 are the widths in millimeters. (23 cm would be more than 9 inches...). The "c" really should be next to the rim size (700c), as it refers to the French nomenclature for sizing tires. See Sheldon Brown: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

[rose]

I actually thought about you today because one of the fellows I was riding with this afternoon had one of those pumps meant to attach to the bike, but he carried it in his jersey back pocket. You could always try that.

Makes your valve stem get all frosty which is kind of neat too.

lol that is a good a effort carrying in the back of his jersey. I would lose the pump so quickly haha its funny that you thought of me

and the frosty thing is very cool. I think I'll get one just to try that out haha.

Thanks for your replies! I might have a look around and see if I can get some for a good price. I think it wouldn't be smart getting stranded out somewhere because of a flat.

[OakLeaf]

Lots of people carry their mini-pumps in their jersey pocket. I prefer to keep mine frame-mounted (partly because women's jersey pockets tend to be smaller, partly just so I don't forget it).

However you carry it, I strongly recommend that you carry some kind of mechanical pump as a backup or a full-sized frame pump as your primary. CO2 is fine, there's no room on my bike for a full-sized frame pump, and it takes a very long time and some muscular endurance to air a tire with a mini-pump. But CO2 cartridges are single-use. Once you've used the one or two that you can carry, then what?

Same with tubes. Carry a spare. But carry a patch kit, too.

The other thing to remember is that CO2 escapes from tubes much quicker than room air. So the day after you've aired a tire with CO2, it will be nearly flat again. Some people let all the CO2 out of a tire as soon as they get home and pump it back up with air - I just keep it in mind so I don't assume I've had another flat when the tire is extra low the next time.