How to Use a Wrench Force Bike Pump – Introduction
Biking is a fun experience, but it can turn dangerous if you ride on a flat tire. Although it may look fine to you if you have a flat tire, but can lead to a severe accident even when you are careful.
This is among the reasons why you must maintain your bike. It is best to have a bike pump handy in case you have an emergency flat tire situation while riding.
Types of Valves and Pump Heads
One of the first things that will come to mind when you want to get a bike pump is the type of inner tubes that your bike uses. There are two standard valve types for bikes, namely Schrader and Presta.
The Schrader valves are similar to the valves on car tires, and they are commonly found on hybrid and children’s bikes. Presta valves are usually longer and thinner with a threaded tip that you will need to open before you can inflate your tire. Presta valves are commonly found on the road and off-road bikes.
If your bike uses both valve types, you will need to look for a floor pump that will fit both. If you want to buy a frame pump, ensure you get one that will match your bike’s valve type. However, you will easily find pumps that have both heads and will work with the two types of valves.
Types of Bike Pumps
Floor Pumps
The fastest and most efficient way that you can pump your tires is by using a floor pump. The floor pump helps to reduce the stress of using a mini or frame pump to gauge the pressure of your tires before rides. It will also not wear out your quickly.
Most floor pumps can fit the two valve types and can easily inflate tires even to the highest tire pressures. Floor pumps also have accurate pressure gauges that are easy to read with long hoses to make inflating tires very easy.
Mini & Frame Pumps
The frame and mini pumps are manufactured mainly to help bikers get home in case you get a flat tire on a ride. The frame pumps are usually longer than mini pumps, and it needs some open space on the bike before it can fit.
Some types of frame pumps are spring-loaded and will fit between frame tubes while mini pumps are made with brackets that are mounted on the frame to carry the pump.
Although it will take more strokes and effort to inflate a tire with a mini-pump than the frame pump, it is popular because it is small enough to fit any bike.
CO2 Inflators
This is a simple and efficient way that you can inflate your bike’s tires on rides. This type of pump makes use of CO2 cartridges that are filled with compressed CO2 gas.
The benefit of these pumps is that they weigh less than other types of pumps, and they will fit inside your pocket or bike bag. They also offer bikers the chance to make instant inflation of their tire to the optimal pressure.
The major disadvantage is that they offer limited opportunities to fill your tires before you get a new CO2 cartridge.
How to Use a Bike Pump
All the types of bike pumps comprise of similar steps when it comes to inflating tires.
Some of the steps that you can follow are listed below.
- Remove the cover of the valve
- Check the sidewall of your tire to determine the air pressure required
- Attach the pump head to the valve
- Pump the tire to the required pressure level by checking your pressure gauge.
- Remove the pump head from the valve
- Attach back the cover of the valve.
Here is a video that shows how to use a floor pump, such as those by Wrench Force (credit to MadeGood Bikes):
Summary
We hope you’ve found this information useful- make sure to keep your tires inflated for a safe and enjoyable ride!