How Often Should You Check Your Road Bike’s Tire Pressure?

If you’re a frequent road bike rider, a good general rule is that you should pump your tires at least once or twice a week. But if you don’t go out that often, before every ride is probably a good idea. Road bike tires will lose pressure relatively quickly (even after just four or five days of sitting), so it’s a good idea to check your bike tire pressure in Boca Raton, FL frequently and make the adjustments as needed. In most cases, road bike tires should fall somewhere between 80 and 130 psi.

But why is it that bike tire pressure can change so quickly? It doesn’t matter what kind of bike tire you have (tubed or tubeless)—the pressure will go down naturally over time, even if there’s not an air leak somewhere in the rubber. The higher the pressure, the more likely the air will force itself out. When you consider that road bike tires have a relatively low volume of air, even small amounts of air leaving the tire will result in a fairly sizable percentage of the total air leaving.

Temperature affects tire pressure in bikes just as it does in cars. Tire pressure will always increase and decrease with the outdoor temperature. If you fill up your tires in a cool garage but are out riding on hot pavement, the pressure of the tires will go up on your ride. While this increase won’t be extremely large, it’s still something you’re going to want to take into account when filling up your tires before a ride.

Checking tire pressure is important

It’s important that you have your tires set to the right pressure when riding your bike. Riding with a tire pressure outside the recommended range can cause damage to those tires. If your tire pressure gets low enough, it becomes more likely you’ll puncture the tube inside of it.

You don’t need a fancy bike pump—a cheap floor pump will do. Remember, though, that when pumping up your tires, you can pop the tire by over-pressurizing it. You don’t have to use a pump to check your tire—you can compress the tire by pressing down hard on it with your finger or by sitting on the bike. You shouldn’t be able to compress it very much with your finger, and when you sit on the bike, there shouldn’t be an extremely noticeable compression of the tire.

You can also use an actual tire pressure gauge, which you can find cheap at bike repair shops or online. Press the gauge into the valve and you’ll get a pressure reading. This is faster than having to pull out the whole pump. You can find both digital and analog pressure gauges.

These are just a few issues you’ll need to take into consideration as a road bike owner. It’s crucial that you do what you can to maintain your tires and the proper bike tire pressure in Boca Raton, FL. For more information, contact the team at Bicycle Doctor House Calls.

Categorised in: Bicycle Maintenance

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