Track pump revelation.

[Cyclopathic]

Having used track pumps before that weren't in very good nick I had written them off choosing to stick to hand held pumps. They may be more work but I found them more reliable. Pah. I've recently had the opportunity to use a decent one and was well impressed. So much so that I've bought one and pumped up every tyre I could find.
My day to day bike has tyres rated for 60 to 80 psi. I had pumped them up with the hand pump and they seemed pretty darned hard so I thought that they must be up to the 80 mk at least. When I put on the track pump dodad it showed they were only up to 60 so god knows how hard you have to go at it with a conventional pump to get up to 80. I did them up to 80 with the track pump and they are well hard. I must have been riding on under inflated tyres for ages.
The track pump claims to be rated for a maximum of 160 psi. I've never seen a bike tyre that was rated this high, The highest I've seen have been about 110 psi which, now seems like a hell of a lot. Even with the track pump getting up to 80 was beginning to feel quite hard.
There's no real point to this other than to share with you all my moment of revalation and disbelief that I must have been running my tyres under pressured for ages.
Also why does this forum thingumy inform me that I am spelling "tyre" incorrectly?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Also why does this forum thingumy inform me that I am spelling "tyre" incorrectly?

Is your browser's language set to US English?

 

[Cyclopathic]

Is your browser's language set to US English?

I'm on Google chrome and it seems to make no difference what I set it to. I've tried setting it to Great British Queens Proper English and None Of That Foreign Muck setting but it doesn't seem to listen, or if it does I think it has to be reset every time I turn on. Or summat like that.
So it's my browser and not this site that's doing it then?

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I'm on Google chrome and it seems to make no difference what I set it to. I've tried setting it to Great British Queens Proper English and None Of That Foreign Muck setting but it doesn't seem to listen, or if it does I think it has to be reset every time I turn on. Or summat like that.
So it's my browser and not this site that's doing it then?

I'm not an expert but I think it's the browser - can you drag UK English to the top on this page - chrome://settings/languages

 

[Poacher]

The track pump claims to be rated for a maximum of 160 psi. I've never seen a bike tyre that was rated this high, The highest I've seen have been about 110 psi which, now seems like a hell of a lot.

Probably not many clinchers rated higher than ~115psi, but some tubulars, e.g. Vittoria Corsa are rated up to 200psi.
Wouldn't want to be near one of those when it blows out!

 

[karl61]

what is the make of track pump you are using? as I am in the market for one now. thanks.

 

[Cyclopathic]

what is the make of track pump you are using? as I am in the market for one now. thanks.

It's a Serfas pump. Not sure what model exactly. It has a single adapter that is good for both Shrader and Presta valves and a nice bighttps://www.serfas.com/uploads/ProductLineItemImage/cache/800x800_4f2333f4565f0.jpg round
pressure gauge.

 

[TheJDog]

I think a track pump is the best thing I have ever bought. It (nearly)makes pumping up the tyres a pleasure. I have one of the Joe Blow pumps and it seems like pretty good quality for the price.

 

[Hip Priest]

When I got my first road bike, I pumped the tyres up with a hand pump which had a gauge on it. I couldn't get it anywhere near the suggested pressure, but being an idiot with no mechanical sympathy, I just kept pumping and pumping in vain.

I ended up with a burn on my hand from gripping the pump, and a rash of burst blood vessels in my bicep.

I too was pleased to get a good track pump!

 

[Globalti]

Don't buy a track pump for mountain bike tyres; they are fatter for large volume and low pressure.

 

[Cyclopathic]

Don't buy a track pump for mountain bike tyres; they are fatter for large volume and low pressure.

But the track pump is still quicker on mtb tyres and although you can get high pressure from a track pump one can still stop at the 30psi mark. I am converted. I'm sorry but there it is. Track pumps for everything from now on.

 

[Cyclopathic]

When I got my first road bike, I pumped the tyres up with a hand pump which had a gauge on it. I couldn't get it anywhere near the suggested pressure, but being an idiot with no mechanical sympathy, I just kept pumping and pumping in vain.

I ended up with a burn on my hand from gripping the pump, and a rash of burst blood vessels in my bicep.

I too was pleased to get a good track pump!

As I said I just do not see how one can get those higher pressures of 90+psi with a hand held pump. By 60 or 70 I'm using just about all my strength on each stroke. In the past this lead me to believe that I must have the pressure up to at least 1000psi but I was very much mistaken. Turns out air is a lot harder than I thought.

 

[Globalti]

But the track pump is still quicker on mtb tyres and although you can get high pressure from a track pump one can still stop at the 30psi mark. I am converted. I'm sorry but there it is. Track pumps for everything from now on.

Not sure, but I think you may have misunderstood me. Track pumps sold for mountain bikes have fatter barrels so as to pump bigger volumes at lower pressures so they are a real struggle when trying to achieve 100 psi on a road tyre. For road bikes you need a thinner barrel or muscles like a gorilla.

 

[PeteXXX]

I'm on Google chrome and it seems to make no difference what I set it to. I've tried setting it to Great British Queens Proper English and None Of That Foreign Muck setting but it doesn't seem to listen, or if it does I think it has to be reset every time I turn on. Or summat like that.
So it's my browser and not this site that's doing it then?

Are you clearing cookies every time you exit the site? That'd revert it from your 'Great British Queens Proper English and None Of That Foreign Muck' setting to the site default.

Whenever a bunch of us go out away a ride we always take a track pump in the van/car. It's so much easier for a pressure check. We also take a micro/standard pump in case of problems en route.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

As I said I just do not see how one can get those higher pressures of 90+psi with a hand held pump. By 60 or 70 I'm using just about all my strength on each stroke. In the past this lead me to believe that I must have the pressure up to at least 1000psi but I was very much mistaken. Turns out air is a lot harder than I thought.

You can get pressures up over 100psi on the road with a road morph type pump, with which you use your weight to press down against the ground, like a track pump. A bit too big for sticking in your jersey pocket though.