How to Pump a Bike Tire with a Hand Pump
Have you ever thought about how to pump a bike tire with a hand pump? You’ve probably experienced the anguish of a flat tire when you’re far from your pump if you’re a biker.
A pump will be brought by more prepared bikers, albeit a normal floor pump is tough to put into a backpack or pannier. However, there is another option: using a hand pump. But do you know how to pump a bike tire with a hand pump? Let’s explore!
How to Pump a Bike Tire with a Hand Pump?
We’ve all inflated a tire with a floor pump. It’s straightforward and quick, but it’s not really portable. If you are biking cross-country or have limited space in your panniers for a full-size pump, you may have purchased a hand pump. Following these procedures will let you fill your bike tires with a hand pump.
- Selecting the Correct Air Valve
- Figuring out how much pressure your tire needs
- Place the nozzle on the valve and turn it on.
- Getting the pump going
- Adding air to the tire
- Closing the valve and removing the cap
If you follow these instructions, you will be able to fill your tires without using a floor pump. Before you do any work on your bike, be sure it’s stable, and you’ve taken all necessary safety precautions!
Determine the Valve Type
Schrader and Presta’s valves are the two types of bike tire valves. The Schrader valve is significantly more common on the road, mountain, and cruiser bikes. Presta valves are typically found on sport or racing motorcycles and have a screw-on cap (due to its smaller size and thinner race tires).
Presta valves are screwed open and shut, and Schraders have a little cover. If you’re not sure which type you have, it’s probably a Schrader. Hand pumps normally feature two sides, one for Schrader and the other for Presta, so you may pump your tire in any direction!
Determine the Tire Pressure
When pumping a bike tire, it’s vital not to overfill or underfill it. You risk a tire rupture and rim damage in any case, and replacing a rim is much more expensive than maintaining your tires properly inflated.
Mountain bikes require 25-35 pounds of pressure, cruisers demand 40-170 pounds of pressure, and road cycles require 80-130 pounds of pressure. However, make sure to check what your tires require! The recommended pressure is marked on the side of your tires.
Related: How to Check Bike Tire Pressure: Step-by-Step Guide
Open the Valve and Fit the Nozzle
Once you’ve decided how much air to put in and which nozzle to use, you’re ready to start pumping. To open the valve, remove the cap (if it’s a Schrader) or screw it open (if it’s a Presta). Just keep track of where you put the cap–very it’s easy to misplace them!
Connect the nozzle of your hand pump to the open valve. Some air may escape as you pressure the valve, but this should stop after the pump is fully attached. It will come off while you’re pumping if you don’t put it on, letting air escape.
Pull Up Pump Lever
Your hand pump should come with a pump lever to tighten the nozzle onto the valve and prevent air from escaping. Make sure the lever is 90 degrees away from the valve and flush with it.
Once the pump lever is in place, your tire is ready to be inflated. Check for any air leaks at this point and adjust if necessary. It’s important not to run out of air when trying to fill it up!
Pump the Tire
It’s now time to get down to work. Start pumping while holding the pump in one hand and the nozzle in the other. It will take some time because hand pumps only provide a small amount of air, so be patient. The air pressure in your tire should be as high as feasible.
On most hand pumps, there is a pressure gauge. This indicator is required to determine how much air has been injected into the tire–eyeballing a tire is notoriously tough! The gauge will tell you how much air you need and when it’s time to stop pumping.
Also Read: How Does a Bike Pump Work? Bike Pump Mechanics
Remove Pump and Cap Nozzle
After you’ve pumped the tire to the right pressure level, remove the pump and close the nozzle. Although a tiny amount of air will escape, it will not be sufficient to reduce air pressure. Close the cap completely and store your hand pump until you need it again.
Use the hand pump to check your tire pressure a few hours after you’ve refilled it if you’re concerned about it lowering over time. To avoid blowouts on the road, your tire may need to be patched or replaced if it’s low again.
Conclusion
In only a few steps, you’ve learned how to pump a bike tire with a hand pump. It turns out that pumping a bike tire using a hand pump is actually quite simple–you’ll never have to worry about lugging around a full-size pump!
