Free Air

[Ty0604]

The first, and only time, I ever used gas station air I blew my tire all to shreds  :'( Oops

Wow, I don't know how you did it if you were paying attention unless there was an existing issue with the tube you did not know about.  Not trying to sound rude (seriously, I am not) but I have used a mechanic, muffler, tire, etc. shop's air compressor for 45 years of touring and typically do not use a gauge and have never had an issue.  In fact, about 20 years ago, I intentionally pumped a 26" tire to the point of blowing and it was at around 115-120 psi when it blew.  Yep, it did fatally rip the sidewalls of the old worn out tire but I was 50% over stated recommended pressure. 

When I add air, I add it in 1 second or less increments and use the old thumb test unless I am wanting a specific PSI for gravel or something and again, have never had an issue.  Of course, I probably just seriously jinxed myself  .
Anyway, your tires, your choice.  Happy Trails, John

I was 16 and had just bought my first bike, a Trek I spent $300 on, which I thought was a lot for a bike! Really had no idea what I was doing I guess. I was so use to airing up the tractor tires on the farm I plugged the pump into the bike tire and watched as it exploded. Scared the crap outta me. Lesson learned!

Either way both my bikes now have presta valves. I do carry an adapter but with my pump I’ve never needed to use it. I’m happy to stop into an LBS and buy some Nuun tablets or something that I need in exchange for them topping off my tires.

[froze]

The first, and only time, I ever used gas station air I blew my tire all to shreds  :'( Oops

Wow, I don't know how you did it if you were paying attention unless there was an existing issue with the tube you did not know about.  Not trying to sound rude (seriously, I am not) but I have used a mechanic, muffler, tire, etc. shop's air compressor for 45 years of touring and typically do not use a gauge and have never had an issue.  In fact, about 20 years ago, I intentionally pumped a 26" tire to the point of blowing and it was at around 115-120 psi when it blew.  Yep, it did fatally rip the sidewalls of the old worn out tire but I was 50% over stated recommended pressure. 

When I add air, I add it in 1 second or less increments and use the old thumb test unless I am wanting a specific PSI for gravel or something and again, have never had an issue.  Of course, I probably just seriously jinxed myself  .
Anyway, your tires, your choice.  Happy Trails, John

I once put in 200 psi into a road tire to test a glueless patch, left that pressure in that tube for a week, nothing happened.  As a safety precaution I did put the wheel into a trash can before blowing that much psi into it, I was worried about the rim exploding, but the rim, tube, and tire survived unscathed.

[johnsondasw]

I always carry a mini-pump.  One advantage is that you get a great upper body workout using them, which helps to balance out all the legwork of cycling.  JK. I bring them but hate using them because I'm at the age (73) where I don't really want that extra workout in a crunched over position. Instant backache!

A great workout? Do you get a flat every day?  That's the only way it would be a "good" workout.  I average one flat every 6 months, so not much of a workout there going on.

Did you not see th JK part?  I get flats several times a year.  I don't seem to get them on days I don't ride, and there are months where I live when you can't ride due to snow and ice.  Then I hike, snowshoe, ski, etc.  I don't get flats on any of those, so I don't carry a pump and have to lift weights or go to a bouldering ym for the upper body workout