Bike tires may break down and get punctured over time, making it difficult to balance the deterrent of their weight with safety. The bike’s tires will lose air pressure, an indicator you need to check for damage.
Tips for checking your bike’s tires include;
- Before you remove the tire from its rim, ensure you’ve removed all items on your tire stem that can be grabbed by hand and are present when the tire is inflated to maximum pressure.
- Use only a tube as a tire gauge; do not use the inner tube or the rim. Using the rim could cause damage to the inner tube and, in some cases, the rim. The correct gauge is long enough to reach the end of the valve without folding back onto itself. Keep it level at all times, and do not let it sag below horizontal when you measure the depth of your tire.
- Find the proper valve on your inner tube and keep it vertical while you measure the depth of the tire. Hold it at shoulder level and look down to read your measurement.
- To obtain a reading, inflate your tire to its maximum pressure as indicated on its sidewall if applicable. Place the end of your gauge over the stem hole, remove your hands from it, and hold it still for ten seconds to obtain an accurate reading.
- Knowing your bike’s size and tire size, you can determine if your fitting needs to be rotated. To do this, inflate the tire to its maximum pressure and then place the end of your gauge over the stem hole. Hold it still for ten seconds, rotate it a quarter turn, and inflate again. Mark this number with a marker. Using a calculator or phone app to convert your marking into degrees, as bicycle shop mechanics use, is also an option.
- If you are still getting familiar with your bike’s tire size, you can ask a shop mechanic to find out the size of your tire. Measure the center of the seat, where the tire’s sidewall meets the rim. This will be one inch lower on the smaller side and two inches higher on the larger side. Then, measure from that edge to find out how big your tire is by considering it’s been inflated to maximum pressure.
- When your tire is checked, put it back on its rim. Ensure it’s seated properly on the rim and is even across all six of its contacts with the rim. If it is not, you will need to remove it again to correct this issue.
