Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Performance oriented road bikes sometimes include a pair of aerodynamic wheels. These wheels feature a deep, narrow rim that allows the wheels to slice through wind more effectively. The rim includes a small opening through which the tire valve passes. Unfortunately, the deep rim can obscure the valve, making inflation of the tire all but impossible. A valve extender attaches to the end of the valve, allowing for unimpeded access to the valve.
Like other vehicles using traditional pneumatic tires, bicycle tires feature a valve that is used to introduce air into the tire. The valve is part of the inner tube, the rubber diaphragm inside the tire that gives the tire its shape. After a new inner tube or tire is installed, some caution should be used when introducing air into the valve. An inner tube that becomes pinched between the tire and the rim will puncture either during the inflation process or later when the bicycle is on the road. Inflating the tire properly helps prevent these punctures.
Presta valve stems are typically found on high-pressure road bike tire tubes. They are different from the more traditional Schrader stem in size and length. Additionally, Presta valves are threaded and have a lock nut that tightens the stem against the wheel frame. Because of these differences, Presta valves require a pump specially designed for such valves. There are, however, small brass adapters that can be placed on a Presta valve for use on a traditional bike pump.
Bike tires are inflated to their correct PSI, or pounds of air per square inch, by inflating the tube seated inside the tire. The only exception to this involves the tubeless tires sometimes used by professional cyclists, particularly mountain bike racers. All other bikes use tubes with either Presta valves or Schraeder valves. Woods valves, the predecessors of today’s modern Presta and Schraeder valves, are still in rare use today.
Before you can remove a tire from its rim, you have to let the air out of the tire. This can take several minutes if you do it by pressing on the valve stem, but it takes only a few seconds if you remove the valve stem entirely.
When changing a bicycle flat tire, expert cyclist offers tips and advice on how to seat the tire and tire valve, when changing a bike tire tube in this free bicycle repair video.
