Bicycle Tire Pumps

So the tires of your bicycle are flabby and squishy. Bicycling with flat-ish tires can ruin your rims! Drop by one of these locations
so that your bicycle can inhale some much-needed air. If you've a flat, learn how to fix it, or enlist the help of a Bicycle Shop. This Google Map shows the location of most of these pumps.

When pumping up at gas stations, you typically face a 50-75 cent fee. California law states that air is free for cars purchasing gas, which is irrelevant in a bicycle's case, but you can often just go inside and ask them to turn on the air without being questioned. You might not want to go this route, however, because gas station air compressors will often blow bike tires up.

Sign for the Tercero Location

Note: pictures of the harder-to-find locations would be helpful ...

Most of the pumps listed below are for tires with Schrader valves (the type you'd see on car tires). If you have a higher end bike, you'll probably have Presta valves on your tires, which won't work with these pumps! There is hope, however. Most bike shops carry Schrader to Presta adaptors for about $1.

View of the Regan bike pump, with Regan Main in the background

Tercero

• Bike Barn - only during bike barn hours (10am-4pm weekdays), otherwise they bring it in
  

• Bike Forth has a selection of pumps available during its normal hours for both Schrader and Presta valves.
  

• Castilian South — on the wall of the building facing the bike parking below the roof
  

• Fire Dept/Police Station in a courtyard behind the fire department, on the south side of the police station (not accessible from Kleiber Hall Drive). Enter from the alleyway that runs along the north side of the West Entry Parking Structure.
  

• Memorial Union — on the west side of the Catering trailer near the bike racks. This pump has a pressure gauge, but unfortunately only goes up to 45 PSI.
  

• Regan Main — near the bike circle outside of the main complex, available all the time. This pump only fills up to 95 PSI; most road bikes need more pressure than that, but it's a useful temporary solution for a flat tire.
  

• Segundo North — on the eastern-most side
  

• Solano Park — corner of the 3800 building
  

• Tercero J Building — off Bioletti Drive
  

• Thoreau Hall — in the underground parking structure, near the maintenance room
  

• Webster Hall — behind the building, on the Russell Boulevard side

• B&L Bike Shop
  

• Hoffmann 76

• George's Auto Repair — Mechanics who work here are friendly, just ask, it's free.

• Anderson Road Chevron — charges $0.75
  

• Davis Shell

• Circle K

• pxl always brings a pump with him on his orange fishbike. If you see the fish and need a pump, just ask.

The Oakshade pump has a fancy plaque above it

• On the wall near Davis Creamery in the Oakshade Town Center

The first thing you'll need to know is what type of valve you have on your bike. Most valves are either Schrader (common on mountain bikes and cruisers) or Presta (common on road bikes). Most pumps around town are for Schrader valves (which are also used for cars), so you may need to purchase a Presta-to-Schrader adapter (about $5 or less at any bike shop) to use these pumps around town.

Next you'll need to see how much pressure your tire can take. For some pumps you can just inflate your tire until it stops inflating, but beware — there are many pumps that will pop your tube if you over-inflate (especially at places like gas stations)! Your tire will likely have a maximum amount of pressure it can take written on the side of the tire. Look at that figure and inflate no more than that point. It's usually around 40 psi for mountain bikes, 80 psi for hybrids, and 120 psi for road bikes — but make sure you check yourself. If you have a mountain bike or hybrid, you'll probably want to run the pressure at or close to the max rating when on pavement. If you're going off road, run the pressure a bit lower for more shock absorption.

Bike tires can lose up to 10 psi per week, whether you're riding or not, so regularly checking your tires is a good idea.

Comments:

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2007-08-12 00:54:41   Does anyone know who maintains the "public" pumps (e.g., the Oakshade one)? I've gone there and it's been out of air, and the people in the nearby businesses don't know whom to contact. —KevinChin

2008-09-21 15:41:18   Which of these have pressure gauges on them? The picture of the Oakshade one shows that it clearly does not. —RobertM525

• Very few of them, if any. I've never even seen one with a gauge on them. Your best bet is to buy a cheap gauge from any of the bike stores around town, or better yet, buy your own hand pump with a built in gauge. —AlexanderHo