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CAUTION: Pencil type automotive tire gauges can be inaccurate and should not be relied upon for consistent, accurate
pressure readings. Instead, use a high quality dial gauge.
Ask your dealer to recommend the best tire pressure for the kind of riding you will most often do, and have the dealer inflate your
tires to that pressure. Then, check inflation as described in Section 1.C so you’ll know how correctly inflated tires should look and feel
when you don’t have access to a gauge. Some tires may need to be brought up to pressure every week or two, so it is important to
check your tire pressures before every ride.
Some special high-performance tires have unidirectional treads: their tread pattern is designed to work better in one direction than in
the other. The sidewall marking of a unidirectional tire will have an arrow showing the correct rotation direction. If your bike has
unidirectional tires, be sure that they are mounted to rotate in the correct direction.
2. Tire Valves
There are primarily two kinds of bicycle tire valves: The Schraeder Valve and the Presta Valve. The bicycle pump you use must have
the fitting appropriate to the valve stems on your bicycle.
The Schraeder valve (fig. 18a) is like the valve on a car tire. To inflate a Schraeder valve tire, remove the valve cap and clamp the
pump fitting onto the end of the valve stem. To let air out of a Schraeder valve, depress the pin in the end of the valve stem with the end
of a key or other appropriate object.
The Presta valve (fig. 18b) has a narrower diameter and is only found on bicycle tires. To inflate a Presta valve tire using a Presta
headed bicycle pump, remove the valve cap; unscrew (counterclockwise) the valve stem lock nut; and push down on the valve stem to
free it up. Then push the pump head on to the valve head, and inflate. To inflate a Presta valve with a Schraeder pump fitting, you’ll
need a Presta adapter (available at your bike shop) which screws on to the valve stem once you’ve freed up the valve. The adapter fits
into the Schraeder pump fitting. Close the valve after inflation. To let air out of a Presta valve, open up the valve stem lock nut and
depress the valve stem.
WARNING: We highly recommend that you carry a spare inner tube when you ride your bike, unless the bike is fitted
with tubeless tires. Patching a tube is an emergency repair. If you do not apply the patch correctly or apply several patches,
the tube can fail, resulting in possible tube failure, which could cause you to loose control and fall. Replace a patched tube as
soon as possible.
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