Properly inflating your bike tires (electric or mechanical) is not very difficult, provided you know how to handle it. We explain it to you in this tutorial in a few simple steps, with Schrader valves, Presta valves and hand and foot pumps.
Inflating bicycle tires is a straightforward task. And yet, this basic maintenance work on a bicycle is often poorly done, little done, or done with difficulty. Our tutorial explains step by step how to properly inflate your bicycle tires, with a hand pump, a foot pump and Presta or Schrader valves.
Inflating a bicycle tire with a Presta valve: the tutorial with a foot pump
The so-called Presta valve is probably the one you will find on an electric bike. They are fitted to all the bikes we have tested on Vroom so far. They are used by manufacturers because they have a very good resistance to pressure and can support large tires full of air. They can also be mounted on mechanical bicycles.
How to inflate a tire equipped with an inner tube with Presta valve? It’s simple.
- Unscrew the protective cap from the Presta valve
- Unscrew the tip of the Presta valve. If you press on it, you should feel air passing through. This is how you can deflate your tire.
- Put the handle of your foot pump in open mode (this can be with the lever in a vertical or horizontal position depending on the model, refer to the user manual).
- Push the pump hole dedicated to Presta valves on the valve and close the handle to block the valve. Make sure the pump head does not move.
- Locate the recommended pressure and the maximum pressure of your tire (usually on the side of the tire, in black on black, written in Bar and PSI)
- Inflate by pushing the air through the pump to the desired pressure (a little higher to compensate for the loss of air when you remove the pump from the valve).
- Put the pump head handle in the open position and remove the pump head by pulling gently.
- Screw the valve on and put the cap back on.
Inflate a bicycle tire with Schrader valve: the tutorial with a hand pump
Schrader valves are probably the first you’ve seen on your kids’ bikes. They have a tip directly accessible under the cap, with no mechanical part to unscrew. If you have a foot pump, refer to the previous section: the procedure is the same as with a Presta valve.
- Unscrew the valve cap.
- Screw on the Schrader fitting of your hand pump. Wait to hear air passing then continue to screw in order to lock the pump.
- Locate the recommended pressure and the maximum pressure of your tire (usually on the side of the tire, in black on black, written in Bar and in PSI). If your hand pump does not have a pressure gauge, this information will not be of any interest: you will have to gauge the pressure by hand, by feeling your tire.
- Inflate by pushing the air through the pump to the desired pressure (a little higher to compensate for the loss of air when you remove the pump from the valve).
- Unscrew the nozzle of the pump when you have reached the desired pressure.
Which bicycle pump to choose?
We advise you to have a floor pump with pressure gauge for the maintenance of your bike, which you will keep at home or take on multi-day trips. It has the advantage of being efficient, practical and of having a good indication of the pressure of a tire (in Bar and in PSI). Prefer a pump with Schrader and Presta tips.
You should also have a hand pump on you at all times. It can save you from a puncture, for example by allowing you to go to the nearest bike shop.