How to put air in bike tires in 4 Easy Steps 

 

Maybe your bike or ebike tires have deflated because they’ve been in storage for awhile. Or possibly you have a flat because the tube has been punctured or broken. We will show you how to put air in bike tires in 4 easy steps. 

If your tube is punctured or split, check out this blog on how to easily replace your bike tire tube. 

It can be confusing to know all the different types of tires, pressures, and valves. 

But don’t worry, we will provide you with a few tips to get you back on your bike in a hurry. 

The key of how to put air in bike tires is to have the right equipment. 

We don’t recommend filling your bike tire at the gas station compressor pump. 

These compressor machines can be very powerful and possibly lead to a tire burst. 

 

Instead you should use a standard size bike floor pump or travel bike pump. 

-a floor pump is that It’s quicker to inflate bike tires.

This pump head fits both Shrader and Presta valves. 

 

– a travel pump can conveniently be taken with you in an emergency bike tire kit. 

This pump will inflate tires with either Presta or Schrader valves.

Step 1 How do I know which type of valve my bike has?

 

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Presta valves are typically found on higher-end bikes and are narrower in diameter than Schrader valves.

These valves have a lock ring at the top that closes the valve.

To open a Presta valve, unscrew the top dust cap and place it where it won’t be lost.

Then, loosen the lock ring on the valve stem using your finger as shown in the photo below. The lock ring won’t come off completely. 

Once you’ve fully loosened the lock ring, press on the valve stem.

If you hear air escaping, the tire the valve is ready to receive air.  Read more about adding air to tire below. 

Once you have finished adding air to the tire, remember to screw the lock ring back into place to prevent air from escaping. 

 You don’t need any tools to tighten the lock ring. Simply tighten by hand and then press to top and listen to make sure no air escapes. 

 

How to put air in bike tires Schrader Valves 

The Schrader valve is the traditional bike tire valve that is wider than the Presta Valve.

To operate this valve, unscrew the top dust cap and place it somewhere safe. 

If you over inflate your tires beyond optimal psi, you can release air. 

To let air out of this valve, we used a metal hex key to press the stem in the valve.  

Remember to replace the top dust cap after you’ve finished filling your tires. 

 

Step 2 How do I know what pressure (PSI) to pump my tires to?

To find recommended PSI for your tires, search on the tire rubber tread. A PSI number is located on the side wall, near the rubber tread of your bike tire. This number will consist of a range. 

 (Example 35-55 PSI. This means that you will inflate your tire between 35 and 55 lbs. )

When inflating your tires, keep the PSI between the Min an Max PSI.

It’s typically recommended that you should choose a PSI on the lower end if your terrain consists of bumps, jumps, and obstacles.

A PSI in max range usually is best suited for smooth paved road travel. 

 

Wider fat tires typically have a lower range of PSI 

whereas

narrower road tires have a higher PSI. 

 

This tire gauge is a very useful tool check the PSI of your tire. Without a gauge it is difficult to know if your bike tire is inflated to the correct pressure. 

 

Step 3 How to use a  pump to inflate a bicycle tire

 

Once you’ve figured out which type of valve your tire has you are ready to add air. If you’re using a floor pump, these pumps typically have two valves: 

  a wider (Schrader) valve

 and narrower (Presta) valve to pump air. 

Best floor pump for bike tires

 

If you’re using a hand pump like the one below, the pump comes with an attachment to operate as a Schrader or Presta pump. 

The most common mistake when pumping tires is making a weak connection between valve and bike pump. 

How to put air in bike tires pumps

First you’ll need to know which way your pump is open or closed.

For the floor pump in the example, the lever is pressed down when the pump delivers air. 

For the hand pump in the example the lever is lifted up when the pump delivers air. 

To check if you’ve got your pump secured to the valve stem, gently pull up on pump to make sure it does not release from stem. 

 

Still pumping but no air is going into tire? 

• Have you checked to make sure that your tire tube is not fully burst?
• Try disconnecting the pump from the valve and reconnecting. Sometime bike pumps can be very touchy and require the connection to the valve to be completely level before air will be transferred.
• Does the valve need to be inserted further into the pump for a connection to be made?

 

To inflate the tires in the example, the floor pump took about 30 seconds to fully inflate.

The hand pump took about 3 minutes to inflate the tire. 

If you are riding often it can be very convenient to own both types of pumps. 

 

Now you’ve put air  into your tires, but exactly how much air? 

In order to check the exact PSI you will want a pressure reading gauge. 

The hand pump does not have a gauge.

The floor pump has a gauge, and is fairly accurate.

In order to get an exact reading on your bike tire PSI you will need a tire gauge. 

 

Step 4 How to use a bike tire gauge. 

 

If you’d like a more in depth look at a how to use a tire gauge, check out this blog. 

Most gauges will simply operate by being pressed firmly onto the bike tire valve. 

Make sure the tire gauge is set to a PSI setting before adding or releasing air. 

 

Find the PSI number that best suits your style of riding. If you can’t decide, try the number in the middle of the recommended PSI range. 

 

You can adjust your tire pressure later depending on the terrain that you will be riding. 

For optimal bicycle performance the front and back tires should be even in pressure. 

We recommend checking your tire pressure on a daily or weekly basis for serious riders.

Casual riders should check their tires bi weekly. 

 

Here is the gauge we used for making this video and blog. It works well, is inexpensive, and provides an accurate reading. This tire gauge does not work with Presta Valves. 

 

Here is a highly recommended tire gauge that works with both Presta and Schrader valves. 

How to put air in bike tires getting back on your bike

 

You’ve gained the knowledge of how to put air in bike tires. Once you own a pump and gauge, it’s typically easy to inflate your tires.   You now know enough about tires, pressures, and valves to even help your neighbor! 

Let us know in the comments if these tips helped you.

Make it a habit to regularly check the PSI of your tires for best bike performance.