Maintaining the proper pressure in your bike's tire tubes is one of the easiest ways to prevent flats when you are out on the road. Bikes tend to have more air pressure in their tires than in the tires of automobiles because the air volume is significantly lower. The air pressure of your bike tires should be checked every couple of hundred miles to make sure there are no slow leaks or other potentially damaging changes in air pressure. Pencil tire gauges are the cheapest form of tire gauge and they are also effective, but you should get one that can measure up to 120 PSI to accommodate the potential pressure needs of your bike.
Step 1
Unscrew the cap from the tire tube's valve. This is set in the rim's interior.
Step 2
Screw on a Presta-to-Schrader valve adapter, if needed. Most pencil tire gauges can easily accommodate the more common Schrader valves, but if the bike has a Presta valve, an adapter is needed to help it fit on the tire pressure gauge.
Step 3
Press the face of the pencil tire gauge's head directly onto the valve. You will hear some air escape the tire, but a seal on the gauge will stop the leaking and cause the gauge to jut out from its housing. The length of the gauge will feature incremental measurements, and where these measurements meet the housing of the pressure gauge is the air pressure found in your tire.
Step 4
Make any adjustments to your tire pressure with a pump or air compressor, if necessary. If no adjustments are needed, remove any valve adapters you have added and screw the cap back on over the valve.
Things You'll Need
- Pencil tire gauge
- Valve adapter for Presta valves
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