Keeping your tyres pumped up to the correct pressure will help you stave off punctures and premature tyre wear. Running your tyres under-inflated will wear out your tyres quicker and can cause the tyre walls to crack and split. Under-inflated tyres also make pedalling a lot harder and will slow you down. Flat tyres means lumps, bumps and potholes will be able to damage your tyres and wheel rims a lot easier too.



Owing to significant differences in volume, air pressure and tube/tyre thickness you will need to pump up your bike tyres a lot more often than your car tyres (although running both types at the correct pressure will save you money and help keep you safe).

You should be able to find the recommended pressures for your tyres on the side of the tyre. Typical pressures for mountain bikes would be 40 - 50 psi, 65 psi for hybrids, 100+ psi for racing bikes. Children's bikes are generally about 35 psi. But don't take my word for it look on the side of your tyres.



Other information you will find there is the size of your tyre and whether it has any puncture protection built-in by the manufacturer.

If you find you struggle to attain a high enough pressure with your hand pump you would do yourself a big favour by investing in a track pump (sometimes called a floor pump), which should not be confused with a foot pump.

Presta valves are becoming more common and do cause some confusion if you are not familiar with them. When you need to get air into a Presta valve follow these steps:

• Unscrew the dust cap (plastic cover on top).
• Unscrew the little brass bit on top of the valve, and tap the top of the valve to let a little bit of air out and break the valve seal so you can get some air in.

If you have a track pump, or you are borrowing the one in the shop, push the pump head onto the valve with the lever down, then lock it in place by flicking the lever up (this may seem unnatural but that’s how bike pumps work).

If you are still not sure, pop into the shop with your pump and we’ll sort you out.


The Schwalbe website has some very useful tyre advice and information in it's Tech Info section: www.schwalbe.co.uk/pdf/techinfo.pdf.