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Following on from this, why are manufacturers still making track pumps with gauges that go to 160 - or even 220 - psi? Now we are using wider tyres and tubeless even on road bikes, I never need to get more than 75psi into a tyre, so a gauge that only went to 100 would make it much easier to be precise with the pressure.
It probably helps stop you breaking the gauge when the valve's closed.
Track bikes
Track bikes
Then sell a specialised pump for the 0.1% of us who have a track bike, and let everyone else have one which actually suits the use to which it is put.
Think the clue is in the name - Track pump for Track bikes.
It just happens to be able to pump up any tyre you desire - I use mine on my car - faster than my foot pump.
tubeless inflators
In general all measurement devices are most accurate in the middle of their range, hence for road bike tyres inflated to 80-90psi a range up to 160psi is appropriate (assuming the gauge is of sufficient quality to read correctly). For lower tyre pressures a pump with an appropriate range should be used. I seem to recall Silca had an aftermarket low pressure gauge available for this very reason.
Track pump for Track bikes
Many sellers now call them floor pumps. Same argument applies - it isn't like Floor pumps are low pressure and Track pumps are high pressure. They are all high pressure, a feature that is now irrelevant for the majority of users.
good info neila
I use mine for the tyres on my son's wheelchair- they need to be inflated to 150-160psi.
For lower tyre pressures a pump with an appropriate range should be used
Absolutely agree. The whole point of this thread is that although I'd like to do this, I am unable to buy such a pump - no-one makes one!
If you're using the track pumps pressure display to set your tyre pressures, it's not the track pump that is wrong.
Pump up tyre to about what you want (slightly above). Check and adjust pressure with an actual pressure gauge than can display 1psi increments.
The normal pressure gauge on a track pump, from 4ft away covers about 5-10psi so there's no way I'd trust it unless you just want a rough pressure.
no-one makes one!
https://www.topeak.com/us/en/products/floor-pumps/753-joeblow--fat
There are other lower pressure track pumps out there too.
They are all high pressure, a feature that is now irrelevant for the majority of users.
Are they? I would have assumed that even before the boom in road cycling a decade ago that it was at least 50/50 roadies Vs MTB's among the vaguely enthusiastic cyclists?
Then assume that people always like n+1 so MTB'ers would have a road bike as well.
I'd have thought most people would want/need a pump that can go to 100psi+.
And you don't really want a gauge you can max out, it'd get damaged.
And you don't really want a huge diameter barrel to shift more air, because the valve will always be the limiting factor.
The fact that only a few ~mtb specific track pumps exist probably says something about the size of the market. I used to have an SKS "29er" track pump, it was utterly useless.
Most of the gauges are just industrial screw in ones, even if there's a rubber cover over the top.
Check the thread then buy one with an appropriate range and units for your use from Machine Mart / popular auction sites, screw in with a bit of PTFE tape and pump away to your heart's content.
If you're using such low pressures that your track is now irrelevant, just put some weight on and you'll need higher pressures!!
I bought a 160psi one for my track bike and it came in handy when pumping up my airshot that I use on my gnarly rad hardcore cool MTBs.