As a biker/cyclist, one of the things you can’t ever rule out is a deflated tire. Trust us, that can be very frustrating especially when you have no mini pump on you to inflate the tire. If you’re on the road, you don’t have to push your bike all the way home when you could just pull up in a gas station. Yes, you can put air in you bike tires at a gas station. It is not ideal, but it’s not impossible.
If you’re left with no other option than to patronize the gas station, then it’s in your best interest to know all about how to put air in bike tires at a gas station. As we mentioned earlier, this is not the best idea because gas stations’ air compressors are not regulated. But don’t fret as we’re here to help you do it safely and properly. Moreover, this article will tell you everything you need to know about inflating bike tires at a gas station without incident.
We can’t say this enough; air pumping your bike tire at a gas station is not the ideal solution. Therefore, it should only be your last resort. If you have to inflate your bike tire at a gas station, there are a few safety instructions you must follow.
Gas station air pumps work for bikes, but, as we said earlier, the air compressors at the gas station are not regulated. Hence, your delicate bike inner tube could be overinflated, getting popped in the process. So, how do you avoid that? We’ll provide you with simple safety tips below.
Now that you’re aware of the precautions you must take before and when air pumping your bike tire at a gas station, let’s get started on how to pump up a bike tire with a Schrader valve and how to pump up a bike tire with a Presta valve. Yes, most bikes come in these two valves so you’ll need to determine your bike tire’s type of valve before pumping air into it at a gas station.
A Schrader valve on a bike tire is the easier one to pump because it is similar to the valve of a car tire. Without the need for an attachment, you can use the gas station’s air compressor to inflate your bike tire. Typically, the air hose’s nozzle will fit your bike tire’s valve straightaway. To have a hitch-free exercise, below are the steps you must follow to pump air through a Schrader valve:
Inflating a bike tire with a Presta valve is the more complicated one because the gas station’s hose doesn’t fit it. But there’s no impossibility here. An adapter can still help you out. Just stick it between the gas station’s air nozzle and your bike tire’s Presta valve. You’ll get a very tight seal, good enough to inflate your tire.
Besides, Presta valve adapters are available in stores for purchase so you can buy one and keep it in case of an unforeseen circumstance. Once you have the Presta valve adapter with you, you should follow these steps:
As we’ve hinted several times in this article, there are better means to inflate your bike tire without trouble. You can decide to inflate your tire while on the road using a CO2 inflator or better still a portable pump that is quite handy. Let’s discuss how to use the two options below:
CO2 inflators use compressed carbon dioxide housed in a small cartridge to inflate your bike tire quickly. They’re not exactly great for the environment but you should keep one around for unforeseen situations. The Pro Bike Tool CO2 Inflator looks like one you’ll want to keep around.
According to most reviews, it inflates a tire in seconds with its 1-Turn Value System. That’s on top of the inflator’s twin valve head that threads onto both Schrader and Presta valves.
Let’s get into how to inflate bike tires with a CO2 inflator:
Portable pumps, also known as mini pumps, are pretty popular thanks to their compact and lightweight design.
Although this type of pump tends to be stressful to use, going for one with a hose can make your job much easier and prevent potential damage to the tire’s valve.
It makes sense to consider the Topeak Road Morph G Mini Pump thanks to its flexible air hose that works with tight valve placements. Besides that, this pump boasts a high-quality construction, an inline gauge, a head that fits Schrader and Presta valves, and many other exciting features.
Let’s discuss the steps involved in using portable pumps to inflate bike tires:
There are several places where you can inflate your bike tires:
It’s quite easy. Here are the steps you need to take:
If you’ve had your doubts before, you now know that you can indeed put air in bike tires at a gas station even though it’s better avoided. Notwithstanding, you shouldn’t run into any trouble as long as you follow our safety advice and do it right. Moreover, there’s not much to worry about if your bike tires have Schrader valves. Even if they have Presta valves, an adapter can help out.
Besides learning how to put air in bike tires at gas station, you can go for other options such as CO2 inflators and portable pumps because they’re easy to carry and they allow you to inflate your tire while on the road. Hence, you won’t need to worry about the troubles of pumping at the gas station.