How To Add Air To Road Bike Tires

How to Inflate your Wheel Tires

The easiest way to continue your cycle running well and preventing flat tires is to keep your tires properly inflated. Properly inflated tires ride best, final longer, and resist punctures.

You should check your tires earlier every ride. Why? Your tires lose air over fourth dimension, even overnight. How does this happen? The little molecules of air jerk their fashion out between the molecules of rubber in the inner tubes and tires. The aforementioned thing happnes to your car tires, but it's not as critical because the amount of air lost is then small compared to the large volume of air in a automobile's tire. But with cycle tires, a little bit of air makes a big divergence. A wheel tire can lose equally much equally ten% to 20% of its air in one mean solar day.

What happens when at that place's not enough air in your tires? Besides making your bike not as efficient as it should be, the biggest danger is what'due south called a "pinch flat." Suppose y'all run over a pothole, adjourn, stone, stick, or other sharp obstable. If the air pressure in your tires is too low, the inner tube gets pinched betwixt the tire and the rim, and the edges of the rim cut 2 side-by-side holes into the inner tube, which is called a "ophidian bite."

For fatter rubber, such as what's on most off-route bikes, once a week is most right. But DON'T caput to a service station and use the car-tire compressor! (They tin can explode a bike tire in seconds.) Practice it with your "floor" (habitation) pump. Hither'southward how.

Get a "floor" pump with born gauge for checking inflation.
Deport a portable pump for fixing flats on rides.

Step 1. Know your valve type

Presta valve and Schrader valve You need to know your tube's valve type to ensure that you purchase the correct tubes as replacements. And, then you know how to fix your pump, how to attach the pump to the valve and inflate the tire.

To add or permit air out of Presta valves, you lot must get-go unscrew the tip by turning it counterclockwise. To permit air out, press down on the tip, which opens the valve. Also, before inflation, press downwards to make certain the valve is open.

For Schrader valves, to release air, press something into the valve to depress the valve core (the little pivot inside the valve). To inflate, only attach the pump and get to work.

Tips

Presta valves are likewise called "French," "racing," and "needle" valves.
Not all Presta valves take threaded shafts every bit shown; some are smooth metal or rubber.
Presta valves come up in dissimilar lengths. Match the length of the valves that came on your wheels. The deeper your rims are, the longer the valves need to be.
Schrader valves are the same every bit car valves, and are sometimes chosen "American" valves.
Valves usually come up with plastic caps. These provide a piffling protection and a "finished" look. Merely, many cyclists choose non to ride with them because it's easier to inflate tires when the caps are already removed.

Stride 2. Attach the pump

Attaching a bicycle pump to the tire There are many dissimilar types of pumps and the all-time fashion to guarantee using yours correctly is carefully reading the directions. Many modern pumps feature a caput that fits both valve types. Yous simply use the hole that fits on the valve (skinny one for Presta and larger for Schrader).

Some pumps take convertible heads on which you must reassemble the parts when yous want to pump up a different valve. If you take this blazon, set it upwards for the valves on your cycle and keep the directions handy so you'll remember how to adapt it when necessary.

Information technology'southward like shooting fish in a barrel enough to adhere the pump to the valve. Be sure to open a Presta valve first past unscrewing and briefly pressing on the tip. And, press the pump head on far enough (embrace about ane to ii thirds of the valve).

If the pump caput has a "lever lock," flip it to adhere the caput to the valve and start pumping (photograph).

Tip: Don't pump too vigorously. Slow and steady gets the task done quickly and prevents pump harm (it's possible to harm the gauge by pumping likewise quickly).

Step 3. Inflate the tire

How much tire force per unit area should yous run? A applied arroyo is to use the manufacturer'south recommended pressure, which you'll notice printed on the tire sidewall (it's often on a small label but information technology might be molded into the casing, too, and then wait closely). This suggested inflation range is a good starting signal. If it'southward a wide range, for instance forty to lx psi, experiment to find which pressure level works and feels best.

How the tires feel depends on passenger weight, too. Check our chart for recommended pressures.

Tips

Many cyclists put likewise little air in road tires, which makes it harder to pedal, wears the tires prematurely and causes more flats.
As well, many riders use too much air in off-route tires, which reduces traction and control, and creates a harsh ride.