what tire pump would you recommend?

Do NOT go to a gas station as first answer recommended. Too much air pressure - too fast.

You NEED two pumps. Go to your local bike shop & see what they have in the way of a good floor pump. Next, you NEED a good frame pump (mini-pump) to carry on the bike. Amazon.com usually has the best price on a Topeak Road Morph G. http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Road-Morph-Bike-Gauge... This is without a shadow-of-a-doubt THE best frame pump on the market.

Certainly you shouldn't ride with the tires low. First look at the wall of the tires and find out what is the recommended pressure for those tires. Nowadays many tires require 80, 100, 150 or even 170 PSI. Depending on what tires you have, you will have to choose the pump. A pump that will be used to pump a tire at 100 for example would have to be capable to do 30% more so as to not be strained and fail. Second point is that today's tubes tend to be on the light side, meaning that they are very thin walled to save weight and require frequent pumping, once a week of even more often. So you need a floor pump with a built in gauge that exceeds your tire requirements by 30% or more if you want it to last.

For the road, you need a frame mounted pump that will pump just enough to get you home. It is also worth to invest in puncture resistant tires which use kevlar like in bullet proof vests. I have not had a flat in over 4,000 miles.

You really need 2 pumps, one for at home and one smaller one to take along for emergencies. Small frame pumps are really not suitable for daily use. You don't give any information about what sort of bike you have, this information is necessary in choosing a pump. Wider bike tires run at lower pressure and require a pump that moves larger volumes of air per stroke. Narrow road bike tires need a high pressure pump. You can pump wide tires up with a high pressure pump, however it will take more time, but you cannot pump high pressure tires with a pump designed for lower pressure tires.

You are right not to ride with under inflated tires, you can easily have a pinch flat if your tire isn't fully inflated, and hitting a big bump can also damage your rims. Look at your tires. Recommended tire pressures will be written somewhere on the tire sidewall. If max pressure is 80 psi or more you need a high pressure pump. If max pressure is 65 psi or less a high volume pump will do. Buy good pumps, they last for a very long time. I have a pump that has performed faithfully for over 20 years. Quality lasts

Most bicyclists have 2. One is a floor pump with a gauge. The Topeak Joe Blow is a good line, Park makes a good one. I prefer one with dual heads, one Schrader and one Presta. The trend now a days is a "smart" head, but I have found that those eventually wear out, especially if you pump both types of tubes. I also have a Performance Bike Brand one, and that is as good as my Topeak. I think I paid $29 for those, on sale.

And you need a frame or minipump for when you are riding. It just needs to work enough for emergency. Most clip on your water bottle rack. If you ride a MTB you want one that is larger capacity, if you ride road you want one that can get to higher pressures. Gauge is not so important. Smart head might work fine because you will only use it for this bike, or even one that has the convertible head.

Depends. If you have a road bike, then your tyre pressure is going to be about 100psi. So you need a road pump. However, if you are on a mountain bike, then you will need about 45 psi. Have a look online at cycle pumps. However, I use a powerstick for my mbt.

Luck

Lezyne Micro Floor Drive Pump, With Gauge [sorry about the spaces, computer time on Library is tight]

•The lightest portable track pump we've ever tested.

•3mm-diameter stainless steel wire foot.

•Inline 0-160psi pressure gauge.

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£41.99

In Stock (2 To 3 Days)

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Lezyne Micro Floor Drive Track Pump

The lightest portable track pump (with gauge) we've ever tested.

Another superb Lezyne creation, this pump's foldaway hose and foot delivers close-to track pump ease of use in a portable pump format, thanks to its ingenious foldaway foot constructed in 3mm-diameter stainless steel wire.

•CNC-machined aluminium construction.

•Ergonomic CNC-machined aluminium handle.

•Oversized piston.

•3mm-diameter stainless steel wire foot.

•Lezyne Flip-Thread Presta/Schraeder reversible chuck threads directly onto the valve.

•Inline 0-160psi pressure gauge.

•222g.

You want a good floor pump at home because a small hand pump is only for emergencies. If you have a road bike you want a pump that can handle 160 psi.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Zefal-Air-Max-Floor-Pump...

I use this frame pump on the road and it works fine for the price can be found at Kmart.

http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-SW75345-4PK-Aluminum...

You also want an under saddle bag for tools, patch kit, and spare tube.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=se...

get a pump

bike store

you prob need other stuff too

patch kit

tire levers [fixing flats]

wle

Better just take it to petrol pump and put $1 in their air compressor and pump your tires instead of having pump sitting around and loosing it just before you need it again . If tires are getting flat constantly than you should take cycle to where is bought and have them put new tires for you . Just be careful if you go to petrol station not to pump it for more than a second as those work very fast and you might explode your tire .