00:15 Tire Pressure
01:00 Valve Position
03:00 Attaching the pump head
03:57 Removing the chuck
04:32 How often to pump the tires
We show you tips and hacks to best inflate a bicycle tire using a bike floor pump. How to inflate a Presta valve or Schrader valve is key to preventing flat tires out on the road.
1. Check the psi of the tire so you don't under inflate resulting in pinch flats or over inflate leading to a very hard ride or even a blow out on a bumpy road. Range is usually written on sidewall. My rule of thumb - heavier toward the upper part of the range and for a lighter rider, toward the lower part of the range. See our pinned comment on best tire pressure.
2. Where should the valve be when you use a bicycle pump?
12 o'clock position: Placing the Presta valve at 12 o'clock allows me to remove the chuck by pushing straight down without the chance of bending the valve. But there's also a danger when you push the chuck off the valve at the 12 o'clock position - your hand may clip the cassette or disc brake in the back resulting in a nasty cut (I've had it happen). Also, the pump hose may not be long enough to reach the 12 o'clock valve position. If here's sealant in the tire, it may clog the valve core.
6 o'clock: A clinchers with Schrader valves but not for tubeless tires or you'll get sealant spattering all over the place - regardless of the type of valve. Also, with the thinner Presta valves, you may bend the knob head of the valve core when removing the pump chuck.
So, what's the best valve position to attach and remove the chuck from the tire? I use the 3 or 9 o'clock on all my bikes although I could use the 12 o'clock position0 (none drive side) for older rim brake bikes (to stay clear of the teeth of the cassette). What do you think?
3. When dealing with Presta valves, give the valve a quick tape (you should hear a bit of air escape). Presta valves are known to often stick blocking air flow. If you start pumping and the pump dial goes way high, take the pump head off and give the valve another tap.
4. When pumping bicycle tyres, use of long even strokes without banging the pump plunger against the bottom of the cylinder (which can damage the pump).
5. Whatever position you decide to place the valve to fill the tire, when finished, be sure to pull the chuck straight off (especially for Presta valves, so as not to bend the head of the valve). The hissing you hear when you pull off the chuck is usually air released from the pump and its tubing. If you hear hissing while pumping, you may have a poor seal of the chuck and valve. See our video in the upper right for a quick fix.
6. How often should you inflate bicycle tire? Clinchers with butyl tubes will lose about 1 psi a day, so you'll need to pump them at least weekly. With light ultra-thin tubes, daily. For tubeless tires, every 2 to 4 weeks but I check mine with a good quality gauge (such the Jaco Calibrate Gauge 0-60 psi) before each ride so I can tweak it for the trail conditions to give a better ride (a little higher for flat rail to trails) (As we know high pressure, faster speed and narrower tires mean both faster wear and tear and more air pressure loss).
27 июл 2024
