I’ve had my new C Line about a week and I’m a total noob to bicycles let alone Brompton’s. I decided to swap the Marathon Racer tyres to the Conti Urban’s as they seem well rated and I like the look of the tan side walls against the green frame.
Unfortunately I was completely unaware that actually having the correct tyre pressure matters and just pumping them up till they feel hard isn’t the way to go lol.
What are people using as a “track pump” to insure the correct pressure. As a temp measure I resorted to using my car tyre compressor but I’m a bit uneasy over how accurate this is at such a high PSI.
by bluemonkey1983
14 Comments
I’m using the xiaomi portable air pump. It charges via usb c, and is pretty small. Perfect pairing, no effort at all to use and I don’t have to store a big pump somewhere.
Get an electric pump like the gputek bl01. That will store the configured pressure and pumps until it reaches it.
Makes keeping tire pressure a breeze
My choice is the cycplus pro as2, you can set the pressure and hit go and it stops when reached, but they are probably all pretty much the same
For a trial, inflate the Brompton tyre psi to one half of your weight in units pounds (2.2 pounds per 1 Kg — ie 150 pound rider weight – then 75 psi each tyre). It is reasonable to be plus or minus 10 psi from this approximation, in order to accommodate conditions, such as pavement roughness, wetness, tyre shock absorption desired (comfort) and cornering handling assured feeling. Part of the concept is to use a tyre inflation pressure that reduces bouncing and harsh vibrations, when riding the Brompton through roughish pavement surface.
When riding the Brompton, the tyres’ sidewalls should bulged out a little bit, 1 to 2 mm, indicative of a reasonable air pressure that provides some suspension effect for pavement surface variations.
Big fan of crank brother’s pumps personally they’re excellent, Lezyne also make excellent pumps.
A lot of people are recommending electric pumps, but here’s a different take –
Any quality floor pump will do a great job of quickly and accurately inflating tyres at home. I like the Lezyne pumps, but the brand is unimportant, even a $20 plastic floor pump will do the job.
It’s worth having a portable option too – low cost, lightweight compact options exist, about the size of your average hotdog. Brompton sell an overpriced rebranded Lezyne, but there are many other brands. Pressure gauge not necessary in this context imo.
A quality pump will outlast the battery powered version by decades and never needs anything from you. With a floor pump, inflating a tyre is not a physically demanding task either.
Floor:
https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/bike-floor-pumps/products/steel-hv-floor-drive-high-volume-bike-floor-pump
Portable:
https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/hand-pumps-road-bikes/products/pocket-drive-compact-road-bike-and-gravel-bike-hand-pump
Lovely looking bike, even more interesting looking backdrop. What are we looking at here, OP?
If you want a heritage quality pump or want to support a company that supports repairability, get a floor pump from Silca.
I thought Tom Scott had joined the sub for a sec: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omYfLDlt-MA
No one else is going to comment on the amazing signal box?
Seems that esthetically a Silca is most appropriate for a Brompton. A Silca with Columbus tubing.
BTW, whatever you do, do *not* pull that red lever 🙂
Get a floor pump with a built in scale. You can fill up the tire to around 100psi with minimal effort. Maybe 60 seconds at most from 70 psi. I enjoy how riding feels at a lower psi . Easier to feel the road. So I often let my tires naturally deflate to about 60 or 70 before refilling them with air. Takes about two weeks for me
Here’s what I use at home before almost every ride!
* https://a.co/d/0dTXxybM
The Chuck (scroll through the Amazon, pictures, and video ) that goes on to the Schrader or presta valve is great because you screw it on I’ve always had trouble with the ones that you clamp on because you have to push them on so tightly and the Brompton wheels are so small. This type of pump was a lifesaver.
Called “
LEZYNE Sport Floor Drive 3.5 High Pressure Bicycle Floor Pump with 3.5″ Analog Gauge – Durable 220 PSI Tire Air Pump for Road/Track Bikes – Fits Presta/Schrader Valve”
On the bike, I have the silica electric pump, their highest end model, and I carry a Brompton LEZYNE custom pump that attaches to the frame as a backup.
* https://us.brompton.com/p/597/pump-with-mounting-brackets?Colour=Black
Anyone will do. It’s just air pressure, not rocket science
Chinley box, I was there when it set on fire, has it fallen down the side of the embankment yet. Too many hills around there for a Brompton. EDIT Actually, I’m thinking of a different box, off Marsh lane. New Mills South