The new and the old.
Lezyne offers a digital pump gauge retrofit that I couldn’t resist. For $35 US one can pry out the old and thread in the new. The primary benefit for me was reading a digital scale rather than a needle on a gauge, way down there. Yes, I’m old. The new gauge reads out in single digits. The old needle gauge reads out depending on one’s eyesight and ability to see where the needle stops relative to the 2 psi marks. Houston, we have improvement.
The new Lezyne gauge also goes to 300 psi (20.6 bar)! FFS, who cares? This is a bike pump, who needs the 150 psi to 300 psi pressure? The Park and Silca both go up to 220 psi (15.2 bar) which is still 100 psi more than even track racers use. I dare a pump manufacturer to make a road pump that goes from 50 psi to 150 psi. Frank could use it as it still goes up to 150 psi and everyone else might have much more accuracy from the dial. I kid Frank.
The Lezyne digital gauge also claims a maximum 3% error which I assume means plus or minus 1.5 psi at 100 psi. Everything and I mean everything has an error associated with it and I appreciate knowing this error. Nothing is absolute, not even death. I’m not dead yet. The real question is what happens when one hooks all three of these pumps to one manifold. The Silca and the Lezyne were only off by 2 psi but I would not have been surprised to to see them off by 10. The Park and Leyzne were spot on which is reassuring because the Park gauge looks to be a very professional piece of work. Anything is accurate until one has two or more of them for comparison.
Yes, I know this last paragraph will be ignored and I should move it to the top. Should you care more about tire inflation? Yes, you should. Since not one person clicked on this link in my post about chains (yes I’m watching all of you, Google analytics knows everything), the take home message was this: Aero wheels do make a real difference in speed and tire pressure is the biggest (only?) influence on perceived “vertical compliance”/ride stiffness/road feel/comfort. With 25mm tires, one can experiment with lower pressure and not flirt too much with pinch flats. It’s just air; a very cheap way to dial in your ride.
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I seriously distrust anything requiring a battery.
Balderdash. I have run the exact set of wheels and tires at the exact same pressures on a 2000 Lemond Chambery (alumninium) and a 2000 Lemond Zurich (Reynolds 853). There is no way I would mistake the ride of the Chambery for the Zurich unless I were too drunk to ride my bicycle--theoretically of course--I have never not been able to ride my bicycle.
@Teocalli
My Bidon has the answer for you !
@SamV Haha, that shows my reading comprehension skills need serious work - I've always used the pressures for total weight, not per wheel! No wonder they seemed too high for me!
@Barracuda
I suspect some politicians have that written on their head somewhere (just with "bullshit" instead of "lead").
$35USD? I don't even want to think of what that would be in CAD.
Anyhoo, here's my recently built up track bike. I realise that I need a less-yellow saddle, but it was cheap.
@rfreese888
Yes but if I forget then I just push down on the pump and the air pressure forces the valve.
Tyres and pressure.
I had some wheels made up on Pacenti SL23 rims by Wheelworks. These rims are wider than "normal', same concept as the HED wheels. They sent out a chart with suggested pressures with this preamble:
"The wide-rim concept of the rims used in your wheelset is designed to increase ride comfort and traction.
Critical to achieving these riding qualities is correct tyre pressure. The wider rim opens the tyre's casing up increasing air volume inside the tyre. This increased volume allows the tyre can be run at a lower pressure without having an effect on rolling resistance or pinch-flat ability.
The lower tyre pressure and wider, rounder tyre improves the wheel's traction and road-feel, especially when rolling into corners."
According to the chart I should run 70psi rear and 65psi front. I'm 63kg and running Conti 25mm. I use these pressures and I have never had a pinch flat. Magic carpet ride.
@rfreese888
I found running my Conti 4 Seasons at 110 meant the would be more susceptible to splitting quicker. I run mine at 100psi and I'm a chunky 17 stone super clyde who rarely gets a snakebite puncture... (I've fucking kinxed myself there for tonights commute haven't I? Offers up a sacrificial inner tube to the tyre Gods).
@geoffrey
Yep, magic carpet riding with w/wider rim beds and higher volume/lower pressures indeed. I also believe in the aero benefits of the more continuous sidewall to rim profile and for no reason other than what I experience coasting down hills in groups. In my mind it is a concept proven.
I will say this however, and that is that I still enjoy running 23c's at higher pressures on the more narrow Dura Ace wheel sets. It's definitely not the same ride and kinda changes the character of the bike after I've grown a bit complacent with the ride/handling on HED+ wheels with larger volume tires. I'm guessing that maybe it's some gyroscopic kinda thing going on.
I've gone all the way up to 30c tires but at that size it feels to me that the tires are creating more work to get on down the road. Did I read that some teams were racing 30c at PR (?) and if so, I can't imagine racing on this size tire. Though I've been riding these on an I9 wheel set built up for CX and not the HEDs. So maybe its as much the wheels as the tires.