How to Pump Up a Bike Tire: PSI, Valve Types and a Quick How-To

Bike tires lose air faster than car tires. A tire that felt fine last month can be soft enough today to make every ride slower and every pothole riskier. Pumping it back up takes a couple of minutes once you know three things: your PSI, your valve type, and how to attach the pump.

1. Find the right PSI for your bike

Look at the sidewall of the tire. Most bike tires have a recommended range printed on them, for example "40–65 PSI". Stay inside that range. As a rough guide:

• Road bikes: high pressure, often around 80 to 110 PSI or more.
• Hybrid and city bikes: often around 50 to 70 PSI.
• Mountain bikes: low pressure, often around 25 to 35 PSI, depending on the terrain and the rider.
• Kids' bikes: usually lower. Check the sidewall.

Heavier riders and smoother roads usually go toward the top of the range. Rough trails and wet roads go toward the bottom for more grip. The range on your tire always wins over any general guide.

2. Check your valve type

• Schrader: the same wide valve as on a car tire. A spring-loaded pin sits in the middle. Common on kids', city and many mountain bikes.
• Presta: thinner, with a small lock nut at the tip. Common on road bikes. You have to unscrew that little nut before air can go in, and screw it back down after.
• Dunlop (Woods): less common in the US. Usually needs an adapter.

Make sure your pump or adapter matches your valve. Many pumps come with a small adapter for Presta valves.

3. Pump it up, step by step

1. Remove the valve cap. On a Presta valve, unscrew the lock nut at the tip and press it briefly to free it.
2. Attach the pump head or hose firmly onto the valve, with the right adapter if you need one.
3. Inflate to a number inside the range on the sidewall.
4. Remove the pump, close the Presta lock nut if you have one, and put the cap back on.
5. Squeeze the tire. It should feel firm, and it shouldn't flatten much when you sit on the bike.

Using a cordless inflator

A hand pump works, but high road-bike pressures take a lot of strokes. A cordless inflator with a bike mode does the work for you. With BARIO ProPump you pick the bicycle mode, set your PSI, and press start. It stops when it reaches that number. It goes up to 150 PSI and comes with nozzle adapters for bikes, motorcycles and sports balls. Before you buy any inflator, check that it has the right adapter for your valve type.

How often should you pump bike tires?

More often than you think. High-pressure road tires can lose noticeable pressure within a week or two. A quick squeeze test before every ride, and a proper top-up every week or two for road bikes and every few weeks for others, keeps you rolling.

Still going flat?

If a tire is soft again the next day, you probably have a puncture or a leaking valve. Look for thorns or glass in the tread, check the rim tape, and patch or replace the tube. No pump can fix a hole.

Looking after your car tires too? Read what PSI your car tires should be.