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This is my tire valve: Valve

Tire Size: 27X1 3/8

These are my pump parts: Pump Parts https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B009VYEKSO?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title "Supports American, British, and French bulbs"

How do I use it correctly?

For over a decade, I have screwed the gold piece onto the valve and pumped. I never used the clamp thing. However, the air gauge needle would go up when air was being put in with each pump and then immediately drop down after. After chatting with AI, it assumed it was measuring the pump barrel pressure, not the tire pressure.

I found my tire completely deflated again tonight. Last time this happened I noticed the rubber piece on the valve had ripped, but this time I checked and it was okay. So, I pumped as usual then started to put the pump away and then the tire exploded, causing my neighbors to come out and find out what the heck happened. I guess because it was cold. Never happened before.

The tires say 300ksa, but If I do that it is very hard to pedal. If I go up to the beginning of the red-line, pedalling is a breeze and feels like I'm not using my muscles at all. Again, I'm just eyeing the needle as it goes up, since it immediately drops down if no air is being put in, unlike my motorcycle tire which the needle stays put. And again, perhaps the gauge was checking the barrel pressure. No idea.

I'm assuming I have been using this pump wrong all these years.

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  • 300 kpa is about 44 PSI, so depending on your mass that could be fine or quite low. Commented 9 hours ago
  • May I ask the width of your tyres? probably something in the range 20mm to 100mm or it might be in inches. Also, does the tyre have an ETRTO number on the sidewall, of the form XX-YYY or YYY-XX ? Commented 9 hours ago
  • Tire Size: 27X1 3/8 Commented 22 mins ago

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When the tire exploded, did it blow out the tube in a "starfish" pattern? That would indicate a hole in the tyre and the tube hearniated through the hole, and popped like a blister leaving radial fingers. That would be unrelated to your pumping technique and to be honest its really hard to explode a tube with pressure alone - normally there is another cause like a poor connection to the rim's bead-seat or a weak sidewall or a hole in the tyre.

That gold thread-on thing is a presta or woods/dunlop adapter to convert to Schrader/car tyre valve. This means your pump is for car-type valves and your bike has smaller valves. Dunlop/woods are more common in Asia and Europe, and almost unknown elsewhere. This is not a problem.

If it was me, I'd thread the gold adapter onto the tyre valve, and then push the pump head down on top of it, and rotate the lever till it clamps on - which direction is open and which is clamped I can't tell from the photo.

The big plastic clothespeg thing, I have no idea what that's for. Perhaps to get onto a valve on a small wheel like a golf trundler or a kid's bike wheel where space is tight. You won't need this on a normal adult bike.

Your gauge SHOULD show the current pressure in the tube/tyre which should be the same as in the hose. As you push the handle down, the pressure will spike and immediately settle to a slightly higher value.

When you achieve the target pressure, flipping the small lever should produce a brief "psssht" as the air in the hose equalises, but the air in the tyre should be stopped by your valve.

Your description of the gauge never getting off zero sounds like someone blowing up a party balloon by mouth, but never touching the nozzle to their lips and forming a seal, so the pressure outside remains normal and the only air inside the balloon(tyre) is what made it past the valve.

Upshot - patch or replace the tube. Check the inside of the tyre for sharp items (and remove) or holes (replace tyre) and refit.

Based on my track pumps, it should take around 10-20 full pumps to get your tyre up to 45 PSI.

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  • If it is the Dunlop valve the pump gauge will only show the pressure in the pump and not the tire as the valve will not allow air out to give the pressure. Commented 8 hours ago
  • The “clothespeg” is an alternative form of adapter, allowing you to use a Schrader pump to fill a Dunlop valve. I got one included with the pump I bought in Japan, and the OP’s link is to the Japanese Amazon site. Commented 40 mins ago
  • Are there any benefits to using the clothespeg? Is the gold piece the other adapter? Commented 19 mins ago
  • "When you achieve the target pressure, flipping the small lever should produce a brief "psssht" as the air in the hose equalises, but the air in the tyre should be stopped by your valve." I hear the air escaping a little after each pump. Also, even though the needle keeps dropping to zero, it does slightly go up a little after each pump. "When the tire exploded, did it blow out the tube in a "starfish" pattern?" I'm awaiting my new tube, after the explosion it wouldn't hold air anymore, so I assumed it was destroyed. Commented 18 mins ago

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