How much air for my bike tires?

1. So I need a new bike pump and a tire gauge

2. There is an awful lot that I don't know.


Bicycle tires have a pressure rating stamped right on the wall. Look for the words: "INFLATE TO 90 PSI MAX"

Some tires indicate a minimum and a maximum tire pressure. They will say: "OFF ROAD 45 PSI ON ROAD 65 PSI"

Commuters have a good reason to keep tires hard. A soft tire picks up little bits of gravel and glass off the road, these get imbedded into the tire, and chew away at the inner tube. Sooner or later the tire goes flat....

If you have a skinny (narrow) tire, say 1.5" (or less), you have to be really careful with the pressure. Its possible to run a fat 2.5" tire at 40 lbs but if you run the skinny ones at low pressure you'll destroy the rims.

You often see people squeeze the tire. Squeezing can tell you if the tire is too soft, not if its hard enough. You need a proper air gauge to check the tire pressure. You can't use a run of the mill air pressure gauge on your bicycle unless you operate in the 45 - 60 PSI range. Buy a gauge that will read to 120 PSI..

Get a good pump

Most compressors won't give you the 80 or 90 PSI you need, in fact, you're lucky if you get more than 35 PSI from a gas bar compressor. If you don't have a source of high pressure in your neighborhood you must buy a high pressure hand pump. There are several models available, ask for a demo and make sure it can stand the pressure.

By the way, frame mounted pumps are choice items for stealing. Make sure you take it with you when you park your bike.