There are hundreds of different types and designs of bike tires available, from all-terrain tires to racing tires to stunt tires. Regardless of the design, nearly all tires share the common need for inflation and have the same mechanism and process for carrying this out. This means that once you have mastered inflating one form of tire, you should be able to inflate all types of tires.
Step 1
Look up the right tire pressure for the tire that you are going to be inflating; you can often find this on the wall of the tire or by contacting the manufacturer. Inflating tires to recommended pressures is crucial to achieving correct tire function.
Step 2
Locate the inflation valve on the tire. This will protrude from the rim of the tire, usually through a specially designed gap in the tire rim. Remove the dust cap from the tip of the tire valve and place this safely to one side.
Step 3
Take the end of the pump and firmly press it onto the valve of the tire to create a seal between the two. You may need to depress a lever on the pump in order to create this seal depending on the design of the pump.
Step 4
Inflate the tire by pumping with your arm or foot. Watch the tire carefully to ensure that it is inflating correctly and listen for any air leaking out which may indicate that the seal between pump and valve has not been made correctly.
Step 5
Use the pressure gauge on the pump to inflate the tire to the correct pressure level. If your pump doesn't have a built-in gauge, remove your pump at regular intervals and press an external pressure gauge onto the valve to measure the tire pressure.
Step 6
Remove the pump from the valve once the tire reaches the correct pressure. Replace the dust cap. Take a test ride to ensure that the wheel and tire perform correctly.
Things You'll Need
- Foot or hand pump
- Tire gauge
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