How to Use Bicycle Pumps

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Will from the Outspokin Bicycle and Sports shop located in Newbury, New Hampshire. Today, we're going to learn how to use a bicycle pump. First of all, you need to find the valve on your bicycle, in this case it's a Schrader valve, otherwise known as an American valve, looks like your car tire valve, very simple. Take your cap off, put it somewhere where you can find it, we lose a lot of those. Most pumps today will come with a gage, and what we call a duel head, so it'll accommodate either this type of valve, or the European Presta valve. Just want to make sure we put the head on properly, you might hear a little air escape. Have to flip the lever to lock it on, and we just take our pump, put our foot on it to steady it, and push down. You'll feel the resistance on the pump. Now, tire pressure is important, and tire pressure is written on the side wall of your tire, so in this case we're going to put about fifty pounds in to this bike, because it takes forty-five to sixty pounds in the tire. So we're just going to pump until we hit fifty pounds, which is right there. Now we have to take the pump off, going to unlock it, you might hear a little air escape, no need to worry, that's just the air that's in the hose. There you go. Wiggle it off gently, make sure you get your cap, screw it on, just finger tight. And that's how you use a bicycle pump."