An important ongoing activity is to insure that you maintain the correct pressure in your bicycle tires. This is easy to do with a quality floor pump that has an accurate and easy to read pressure gauge.
Outdoor Gear Lab has an excellent comparison review of popular floor pumps here.
Their "Editors' Choice" Topeak JoeBlow Sport II pump is $40 to $50, and their "Best Buy" Serfas TCPG pump is about $35. These two pumps are also the top sellers on Amazon and are both highly rated by customers.
I use and like an earlier version of the Lezyne Steel Floor Drive pump which is similar to the Lezyne Sport Drive in the article. The Lezyne pumps have a screw-on chuck which takes a little longer to use but always provides a positive seal with the valve. I changed to Lezyne pumps after ruining a couple of Presta valves removing a push-on air chuck. This was due to user error and won't be an issue at all with Schrader valves. For the difference between Presta and Schrader valves go here.
The recommended tire pressure will be on the sidewall of the tire and will say something like "Inflate 50 to 65 PSI", or "Inflate to 90 PSI", or "Max Pressure 100 PSI". Maintaining the proper tire pressure will give a more comfortable ride and will help to prevent flats and tire, tube and rim damage.
I have a tire pressure gauge which will work for both Presta and Schrader valves, but it is fiddly to use and I lose air while checking. It is easier to just attach the pump and top off the tires every few rides. If you only ride once a week, it would be a good idea to check before each ride.
The conventional wisdom that narrower and higher pressure tires have lower rolling resistance has been successfully challenged by the editors of Bicycle Quarterly. See a summary of the test findings here, and go here(PDF) for a recommended pressure chart. (Generally, you can run lower pressures than you might think and because there is more weight on the rear wheel, you can run the front a little lower than the back.)
If you have a flat tire while out on a ride you have a few options. You can walk home, call for a ride, or fix the flat and continue your ride. Walking home is almost never a good choice and calling for help can also have problems. You will need to fit your bike into the vehicle; and if you are riding a trail you may not be close to a road and will have to walk anyway. The best option is to repair the flat and continue to enjoy your ride.
Being able to change a tire is a skill that all cyclists should have and is required to earn the Boy Scout Cycling merit badge. As they say, "Be Prepared." This YouTube video from Trek will show you how to change a tube and what is required to do the job. It is easier and faster to replace a tube than to try to find and patch a leak on the road. Keep the old tube, repair it when you get home and return it to your bag for the next outing.
The only thing I would add is that it is a good idea to partially inflate the tire and check that the bead is properly seated on the rim before fully inflating.
As you can see in the video, you will need a spare tube that fits your tires, a pair of tire levers and an inflation device. The size is on the side of the tire and will be something like "26 x 2.0" or "700 x 28." A tube will run between $5 and $10, depending on type. Tire levers are available from several brands and are about $5 per pair. I prefer a frame pump over a CO2 inflater which is kind of a one shot deal; and if you misfire, you're kind of screwed. A pump takes up a little more space and is a lot more work, but it will always work. Another alternative is something like the Topeak HybridRocket combination, but it will be close to $60 plus the cost of CO2 cartridges. Whatever you choose, practice using it at home. You don't want to be out on the trail with a flat and realize you don't know how to use the device.
Outdoor Gear Lab also has a comparison review of some of the more popular frame pumps here. Their "Best Buy" pump is the Topeak Pocket Rocket which will cost between $10 and $20. If you have a mountain or comfort bike with wider tires you probably what a frame pump designed for high volume rather than high pressure. The Topeak Peakini II (about $15) is included in the review.
I have an older Blackburn Mountain Pump on the hybrid bike and the Outdoor Gear Lab "Editors Choice" Lezyne Pressure Drive ($40 to $45) on the road bike.
In addition to the small size and cool colors, the Lezyne has a short hose and screw-on chuck to make it easier to use without damaging the valve.
As you can see in the picture above, frame pumps come with a mounting bracket which goes under a water bottle cage and keeps the pump handy but out of the way. You can keep a spare tube, tire levers and a CO2 inflator in your jersey pockets, but it is more convenient to use a seat bag. Bags start around $10 and go up depending on size and mounting method. We seem to have gravitated to the Topeak Aero Wedge packs. Even the small size will easily hold a road tube, tire levers, patch kit and a multi-tool.
As mentioned above, after you replace the tube, put the damaged one in your bag so that you can repair it when you get home.
Self-adhesive patches may work to get you home, but vulcanized patches are recommended for long term durability. Two good choices are the Rema Tip Top and Park Tool VP-1 kits. Patch kits are about $4.
You can ride for a long time without a flat (we went several years and hundreds of miles), but eventually it will happen (we had two flats in two days on two different bikes) so it's better to be prepared. To me that means at least one tube per bike (my skinny 700c tube won't work with your fat 26" mountain bike tire and wheel), and a pair of tire levers and a pump for the group. A patch kit is small and nice to have if you have more flats than spare tubes. If you ride alone, you will need to carry everything to be safe.
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| Roadside tube change in the Voler "Coltrane" jersey. |
For a modest investment you can provide a level of assurance that your cycling outings will be fun rather than frustrating, and you will have more time to ride if you are not walking your bike or making an unplanned trip to the bike shop.
- Floor Pump - $40
- Frame Pump - 15
- Saddle Bag - 15
- Spare Tube - 6
- Tire Levers - 5
- Patch Kit - 4
- Total $85
Most of these expenses(~$65) are for a household or group, though each rider should probably have a bag and a spare tube(~$20). Depending on size, the bag can also be used to hold some combination of a multi-tool, snacks, wallet, cell phone, etc.
Keep those tires aired up and Keep Moving.
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