Maintaining proper air pressure in your bicycle tires is essential to ensuring your safety as well as maximum performance from your bicycle. By connecting a bicycle air pump to the valves on your tires, you can add or remove air as needed. You can use an air pump to inflate your bicycle tires in just a few short steps.
Step 1
Determine the type of valve connection on your bicycle. There are three main types of air valve on bicycle tires: Schrader, Presta and Woods/Dunlop. The Schrader valve looks like the valve on a car tire, the Presta valve is long and skinny and the Woods/Dunlop valve is short with a nut halfway down the valve.
Step 2
Unscrew the cap from the air valve on your bicycle tire. Schrader and Woods/Dunlop valves usually do not have a cap, but Presta valves almost always have caps.
Step 3
Connect your air pump to the valve. Most bicycle air pumps have built-in adapters that allow use on any type of valve, but if your pump does not fit the Presta or Woods/Dunlop valve on your tire, you can buy an adapter at major retailers of hardware or sporting goods. Place the nozzle of the pump over the valve and push down the nozzle's locking lever until it clicks into place. You will know that the locking lever is in place when it is at a 90-degree angle to the valve.
Step 4
Begin pumping air into the tire. If you have a manual pump, place one foot over each metal wing at the base of the pump and work the handle up and down until you have added the desired amount of air to the tire. If you have an electric pump, plug in the pump, turn the power switch to the "on" position until you have added the desired amount of air and return the switch to the "off" position as soon as you reach the desired level.
Step 5
Remove the pump nozzle from the tire valve. Move the locking lever back to its original position and immediately pull the nozzle off the valve.
Step 6
Check the air pressure in your tire to make sure it is sufficient. If your pump has a built-in gauge, you can do this before removing the nozzle from the valve. If not, place a standard tire-pressure gauge onto the valve after removing the pump nozzle and note the reading. Proper tire pressure varies depending on the type of bicycle and tires you have; refer to your manufacturer's manual for appropriate inflation pressures.
Step 7
If necessary, add more air by repeating steps 3-5. To remove air, attach the nozzle to the valve and push the nozzle downward at a slight angle without closing the locking lever.
Step 8
Replace the cap on the valve, if necessary.
Tips and Warnings
- A pump or adapter that fits a Presta valve will also fit a Woods/Dunlop valve.
References
- Sheldon Brown: Bicycle Tires and Tubes
- "The Complete Do-It-Yourself Bike Book: Everything You Need to Know to Fix, Maintain and Get the Most Out of Your Bike"; Melanie Allwood; 2007.
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