What kind of tire guage?

In rec.bicycles.tech, on Wed, 19 May 2021 02:01:39 -0000 (UTC), bob
prohaska wrote:

micky wrote:

Of course both gauges were about as cheap as they come. So I thought
I'd treat myself to a good tire gauge, and I thought I'd get one that
would work for the bicycle too. I've never used a tire gauge with a
bicycle. I've just pumped it up pretty much as firm as it would go, and
since my pumps are no more expensive than my gauges, I'm sure I never
over-infalted. But I'm figuring you guys would recommend using a gauge.
So for a bike and car gauge, I can use advice.


For a bicycle, I'd skip the gauge. If I can squeeze the tread with
my fingers, the tire's soft. When my arms start to give out on the
hand pump the tire is hard. A couple of the pumps I use have gauges,
but they're so coarsely-graduated fingers are more sensitive.

Okay.

For any use, the key is knowing the gauge. Check it against one you
trust and note the offset. If you can't find a gauge you trust, check
a bunch and pray to the god of averages 8-). Pencil gauges are hard
to use on a bike, they spill too much air. I'd look for a screw-on
gauge with a short hose that seals before it depresses the valve pin.
If you're being precise that leads to a uniform air loss at each test
which can be taken into account.

Okay.

I must respectfully disagree with amuzi. Max pressures molded into
the sidewall offer the lowest rolling resistance and wear. Hence
the minimum stress on the tire. No excess stress is imposed on the
tire. You may, however, notice that dental fillings tend to loosen.

hth,

bob prohaska

I think you and Iwould get along really well.

Thanks all.

In rec.bicycles.tech, on Tue, 18 May 2021 07:43:33 -0500, AMuzi
wrote:

On 5/17/2021 9:50 PM, micky wrote:
Hi. Newbie to the ng here.

I'm not what anyone would call a serious bike rider anymore, maybe ever,
but I lived 2 years in Chicago and 11 years in NYC where I got around
mostly by bike, commuted to work from Brooklyn to NY over the Brooklyn
Bridge for a few months, and took a couple multi-day trips. That's the
most I can brag about.

Today I was checking the tire pressure on my car (yes, I admit I have a
car. :-( ) and I found one gauge said 42 for 3 of the 4 tires and the
other gauge said about 28!!! That doesn't seem good. (The 4th tire
had a similar discrepancy.)

Of course both gauges were about as cheap as they come. So I thought
I'd treat myself to a good tire gauge, and I thought I'd get one that
would work for the bicycle too. I've never used a tire gauge with a
bicycle. I've just pumped it up pretty much as firm as it would go, and
since my pumps are no more expensive than my gauges, I'm sure I never
over-infalted. But I'm figuring you guys would recommend using a gauge.
So for a bike and car gauge, I can use advice.

a) I don't want electronic. It would interfere with my image as an old
fogie. And my self-image as one. Unless there is some clear advantage
to electronic.

I think any that I would want will work fine for the car, but I wonder
if they would would work just as well for bicycles, if for example,
could some models let too much air escape from the smaller bicycle tire,
enough to lower its pressure??

BTW, I might take a pump and a patch kit or spare tube, but I'm not
going to take the gauge with me on the bicycle.

b) I'm inclined to get one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Vondior-Tire-...LN/ref=sr_1_12

https://www.amazon.com/Tire-Gauge-Pr...ef=sr_1_1_sspa


I have a 26" road bike that's been my main bike for decades, and I have
what I think is 27", labeled "Mountain" as part of the name on the frame
(with wider tires that have deeper block-like tread, but the bike frame
is the same as a road bike. Is it still a mountain bike?)

How high in psi does the gauge need to read? Same for each bike?
Let's assume I weigh 240 pounds.

Any personal likes and dislikes you folks have for these designs or
other styles would interest me too.

Thanks for any advice you can give.


(I also have a 27" light-weight bike I've used for long rides, and a
3-speed Schwinn that I hate to part with though I haven't ridden it for
30+ years. It was my daily bike in Chicago, with saddle baskets big
enough for groceries. These two are not going to be ridden any time
soon.)


Inflation pressure is molded into your bicycle tires'
sidewalls. Auto pressures are not (the 'maximum' number on
the tire should be ignored); look for a tire label in the
doorwell or on older cars inside the glovebox lid.

You need two gauges. A bicycle gauge commonly scales to 120
or 150psi which makes the distinction between 28 and 30
difficult at best for your auto tires.

That would make things simpler, especially deciding what to buy for the
car. ;-)