Topic: Why are my tires flat?

[Klark Kent]

no i havent been sleeping with another man's wife.  also pretty sure no one has slashed em for other reasons.  As you lose about one psi per week I have found my tiny air compressor to be very useful in bringing me back up to 26 up front and 28 in the back.  I let it go a while and noticed a little handling loss on wednesday so before i went out (or didnt) this morning, I decided to up the pressure.  i hooked up the front and tire gauged the back while i was inflating the front.  i got a reading of 23 on the back which is about what i expected but when i went to check the front after compressing it for about a minute with the tiny compressor i got a reading of 5 psi.  i know it wasnt like that when i rolled it out to beside the car where the lighter adapted compressor could reach it.  puzzled i hoked the copressor back up but found that it was not taking any new air.  was gonna roll it back in front of the house when i decided, i might as well get the rear up to snuff (from a previously read 23 psi) but when i tried to do that the same thing happened to the rear, after a small amount of compressing i found it to be flat???

the front tire and tube are new, the rear a couple years old.  i have used this very compressor to top off the tires on my bike (and my car) many many times in the same way to no ill effect.  what the hell happened?

-KK

[supersport_CB400F]

I had Michelin tubes fitted you get what you pay for, I could have had cheaper tubes and valves, your valves must be loose, nip them up! I’ve not had a problem with air loss..

[ProTeal55]

Cold weather playing a part maybe ?

[OldSchool_IsCool]

I'd say try adding a few pounds to your car tire.  If you loose some there, I'd look seriously at the compressor.

[csendker]

I have a similar tiny compressor somewhere ro other around the homestead.  I recall that if you don't seat the valve properly, you actually let the air out of the tire/pool float/ball/whatever even though the compressor is running...

I use a Bell bicycle hand pump for top-off's.

[kghost]

Sure sounds like the tiny compressor went to heaven.

[Klark Kent]

yeah, thats what i am thinking.  the fact that it happened to both tires and that i have been using this compressor for a couple of years and have never failed to apply 'tiny' in a way other than one that leads to the slow noisy inflation of whatever rubber vessel i choose.  it is much more likely that it has reached the end of its productive life.

me and the bike pump are about to find out ...

-KK

[nickjtc]

I too have a 'tiny' air compressor. It seemed like a good deal at the time (came in a kit with another one for blowing up air beds etc from Crappy Tire) but after a few uses its reliability has been suspect. Sometimes it seals well, sometimes it lets out more air than it puts in. The batteries included don't hold a charge either.

It just reinforces the old 'you get what you pay for' saying!

[Klark Kent]

yeah, i took out the 8" bike pump (actually talking about a bike pump here) and with much effort, got the front tire to hold 13 psi, so it is definately tiny that bit it.  his life was a short one, but he always sealed well and never complained.  the worst part was having to tell my girlfriend, "baby, your compressor is dead" to which she says, "what compressor"  to which i have to say, "the one i took out of your roadside emergency kit two years ago."

thanks to everyone who ventured a guess or otherwise conspired to get to the bottom of my flatness.  the sun came out again today and i need some air in me wheels.  see you all a little bit later.
-KK