Tire Pressure versus Flat Tire

Series Summary

Whether riding on the road or on the trail, getting a flat tire on your bicycle just isn't any fun. Even if you discover the flat tire in your garage, a flat tire on your bike is a hassle. However, the better you are at repairing a bicycle tire the less frustrating a flat tire will be. If you would like to learn how to fix a flat tire on your bike, you can learn for free online from one of our experts.

In this free bicycle repair video series, learn how to repair a bicycle tire from bike expert Parker Ramspott. Parker will show you how to tell the difference between low tire pressure and a flat tire on your bicycle, how to check bicycle tire pressure, and how to use a presta valve adapter. He will demonstrate how to loosen bicycle brakes to take off the bicycle wheel, how to remove the front and rear bicycle wheel, how to remove the tube of a bike tire, how to check a bicycle tire tube for a puncture, how to repair a punctured bike tire. In this series, learn also how to change a bicycle tire rim, and how to reinstall a bike tube.

Video Transcript

"So, you need to check your bicycle's tire pressure. Is it really flat. Did you go for a ride yesterday and get home feeling extra tired, it may be because the tire was flat at the end of the ride. This is an example of a flat tire, there is no air in here. You can pull the tire away from the bead easily. This rear tire has some pressure in it, it doesn't pull away quite as easily but also, is in dire need of pressure. This bike, check the pressure by pushing down hard with the ball of your hand. Don't just squeeze it. Squeezing a tire will only tell you that it has ten, fifteen pounds of air in. Putting your weight in it, your shoulder down, seeing the tire deflect just a little bit, means that it probably has enough pressure to ride. However, it may not have enough pressure, if it's a road bike, or a bike that you tend to ride all day long. So, there's no substitute for using a pump with a gauge to check the pressure. If you haven't pumped up your tires on a hybrid or a road bike in two or three days it probably would pay to check with a gauge. The first step would be to remove the valve cap, this type of valve is a schrader valve. Most pumps are equipped with a chuck to pump."