Easily Achieving 125 PSI - My Approach/Experience
 

As I get older achieving 125psi with my old trusty Specialized floor pump got impossible and even 100psi was a bit of a struggle - my solution and the tools -

• 1 1/2 gallon Craftsman compressor ( max psi is 125 )
• old gas station brass schrader ball chuck
• 25 foot rubber hose ( 3/8 inch )
• brass presta to schrader screw on adapter
• hand held pressure gauge

First tried the Park inflator , too heavy and other inflators just didn't hold the seal for my Presta valve - my Craftsman has a max of 125psi but there are others available from different companies including Craftsman that can achieve higher pressures - through the years I've picked up many adapters - hard to find brass ones these days , mostly cheap plastic - and have also collected a few hand held hand pressure gauges , mostly analog but one digital .

I'm sure this approach is used by many on this forum but wanted to get it out there for others that may be struggling with their high pressure needs - for on the road I have a very small inflator head by Silca and use screw on CO2 cartridges but the max pressure I get is about 80psi , which is enough to get me home most of the time .

:popcorn

Why would you want 125 psi :eek:

My 10 dollar Zefal that is over a dozen years old gets me to 125 psi easily if I want to go that high. I can probably get it to over 150 if I tried. If your pump gives you issues then probably it's bore is too large. Maybe it was made for a larger CFM air flow which from what I read is helpful for mounting tubeless tires.

The thing that occasionally gives me issues pumping up tires to any pressure is a presta valve core sticking and not opening at times when I unscrew it but forget to push on it briefly to loosen the sometimes sticky valve.

Another thing I've seen noobs with a floor pump do is stop when the air in the pump gets compressed but hasn't matched the pressure on the other side of the valve. It's that last little inch or so of pump travel that is left that will push the air into the tire. And the average persons body weight should overcome that easily.

What size CO2 cartridge are you using and what tire size are you filling with it. 80PSI might well be enough if you are running tires with an appropriate volume. But I wonder if you're not getting the entire CO2 in the tire. Have you tried a second cartridge to further top off the pressures? Remember that CO2 will bleed out of a tire much quicker that atmospheric air does. So an after the ride is over pressure check might reflect some bleed off

Pump/inflator head gromets do wear over time, as do pump pistons (be they leather or "O" rings) and most will see improvement with periodic cylinder lubing with a thick lube. The check valve, in most floor pump bases, can become clogged with crap and inhibit pressured air flow. Hose connections to the pump or to the chuck can leak. Back in the day all these were serviceable (and liked periodic servicing) but with today's pump designs and the lack of fixing stuff as a prime design goal most pumps are considered disposable by most riders once the pump become sup par.

To repeat Gabe's comment- what are the factors that lead you to "need" 125psi? Andy

I lent my Zefal HP to a skinny middle aged roadie 45 years ago so he could pump his sewups up to 120 for the club TT. He did it easily. I doubt that would be harder with a modern HPX. I've never even wanted to ride that much pressure. But I've used those pumps to get 110- 115 psi many times. It isn't remotely a challenge.

Now if this is for seating tubeless, can't help you. Never tried and never ridden them.

Came here to say exactly that.

Pressure
 

This talk about pressure. Brings me back to the mid 80s. When we had sew-ups. We'd pump them up to over 120 psi, for the club rides when we were trying to be racers 😄😆. What were we 🤔 thinking..
Nowadays I switched over to touring bikes, old mountain bikes with fat tires, and I have 1 "fast" bike a Basso titanium that's enough...
I have a Park pump that can easily pump that kind of pressure if I should need it...

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dc5c4208e.jpeg
I have two Silca floor pumps - one with Hiro chuck/head update - they work great and will pump a skinny clincher to 120 psi

also have a 30 gallon air compressor with chuck

but most times when I inflate a tire I use a portable DeWalt inflator ; the DeWalt inflator maxes at 160 psi I believe

quick and easy

they cost around $100 - might be up to $110-120 now (?)

During the 70s and 80s, I seem to recall I ran 300g road tubulars at around 90psi in the rear and 80ish in the front.

These days I stay off the roads and run clincher 32s at about 55 psi on crushed stone trails.

Otto

Thanks everyone for your time and input - I set the compressor at its' upper limit of 125 psi for the test run - my tires are 700x25C and 90-100psi is more than enough for me but I know there is someone who likes 140psi and I've heard of someone who can muscle out those pressures with a frame pump - my Specialized floor pump is probably 15-20 years old and has been left in the garage through extreme Summer heat and Winter cold - it's never been refurbished or lubricated and that could account for it not performing well.

I know there are floor pumps now that are geared to high volume and others to high pressure - Topeak , Park , Specialized , Silca , Lezyne are names among many that make floor pumps - can anyone recommend a floor pump with flip lock preferred that will handle 90-110 psi pretty well ?

I pump my Veloflex 700 x 23C tires to 140 psi. Before I came to this site, I did it because for me, the ride at that pressure feels awesome, but people here believe they know better. Now it’s fun to watch them spin their wheels and tell me I’m wrong to like what I like.

Anyway, sounds like the compressor idea is working for you. I use a Silca Pista Plus with the aforementioned Hiro chuck. The pump and chuck are expensive but worth it.

All of the pumps at the link below will go up to at least 120 with some claiming 200+. Naturally, the force required to pump is going to increase as you go higher in pressure. Not much you can do about that. Personally, I can't imagine running a pressure over 100 except for a very heavy rider or heavy load on skinny tires.

https://www.twowheelingtots.com/best...nd-adult-bike/

If you ride exclusively on velodromes, yeah, it'll be awesome. Anywhere else, 140 psi will be slower, harsher-riding, and more puncture-prone. But it's your call.

^ and it begins again :popcorn

It began with the first post. :lol:

Your pinion is 'they feel awesome'. Our collective opinion is 'you're crazy'. All good.

Just can’t help yourself, can you?

By “pinion,” I assume you mean “opinion.”

Went riding this afternoon with my son. He was riding his 29-er with 65 psi. He kicked my butt! But then I deflated my tires completely and smoked him.

The first time I patched a sew-up, I wanted to check my work so I pressed it up to 150 with no rim. I could feel the energy in that thing, and then it exploded in my hands. The patch held but the stitching didn't.

I used a compressor for the longest time, but finally last year bought one of these. It easily hits 125 PSI, which is what I run in my Continental GP5000 700x25C. The double-sided flip lock works very well, and it works equally as well on my Schrader and Presta wheels. No adapters or any fiddling around at all. I never turn the compressor on any more - this is just so much quicker and easier. The positive reviews are accurate - this is a great pump at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended.

Topeak Joe Blow Sport III High Pressure Floor Pump

Bingo! Just because somebody wants 140 psi there's no reason that their friends should let them do that unless they are racing on the track.

Why on earth would you run 125 psi? That is ridiculous.

(And yes, this is how I will reply each time I see a post from someone bragging about running absurdly high psi.)

Ever heard of falling on your sword. Just do it with the pump and as long as you weigh over 100lbs you should be good for inflation.

Considering that 123 psi is printed right on the side of the tire, I would hardly call it "ridiculous". By the time I top them off again (couple of weeks), they're usually down around 95-100 psi. I prefer the ride and handling when they're closer to the maximum recommend pressure, and that's true on all of my bikes.

The OP was asking which pumps can handle that pressure, not whether anyone approves of his choice of tire or tire pressure.