Hi,
What do you folks use to gauge tire pressure when touring?
I have this pump by Lezyne(which is ok – kind of fiddly to screw on requiring three hands sometimes to prevent twisting of the hose- not sure how accurate the manometer is..) Do you think that I can count on the built in manometer to judge tire pressure? Or do I need to buy another gadget?
Thx
by Draw_everything
5 Comments
i use the same pump, and the question here is why would you care if its accurate to 0.1 bar? its lightweight and moves a lot of air on relation to size and weight
A squeeze, sit on the bike and see how much the tire collapses
Squeeze tire. If it feels too squishy, add air.
I carry the version of that pump without the gauge. Generally speaking, I give my tires a squeeze, and when they feel solid, I’m good. That works better for wider, lower pressure tires. I’ve found that higher pressure tires are going to feel solid long before they are sufficiently inflated. Also, when you think it’s enough pressure, get on the bike and ride. Look that the tires. Are they deforming to the point where handling suffers or tot he point where you can get a rim strike? Add more air. Also there’s a presta-to-schrader adapter in my tool kit. If I’m really worried about it, I top off the air at a gas station what an air pump with built-in gauge. I don’t generally bother, though.
Check the difference between the gauge on the pump and an accurate gauge. Then adjust the reading accordingly and don’t bother with the accurate gauge anymore… On mine, I have to add 4 psi. And then 4 psi is not much of a difference for riding (for me anyway).