How hard or how soft your tire is has a major influence on the handling of your bike. You will loose speed on the road when it’s too soft, and you will loose grip off-road when it’s too hard. It is therefore good to regularly inflate (or deflate) the tires of your bike. But then you have to know which valves there are and how they work.
Do you want to use your equipment for a long time and ensure that it remains in good condition? Then it must be maintained. Among other things, an important focus of your bike are the tires. Too little or too much air in a tire can lead to dangerous situations. That's why we wrote a blog full of tips about valves and pumps to correctly inflate your tires.
Types of valves
There are a number of different valves. It is useful to know the difference between them. That way you know which bicycle pump is needed and how to inflate the tire. Here on Aruba, we see most of the time two types of valves:
Presta Valve
Schräder Valve
Presta Valve
This type of valve is common on sports bikes such as mountain bikes and road bikes. As can be seen in the photo, the Presta valve is narrow and has a screw cap.
In the first place you remove the valve cap. Although many cyclists will not have these on it… every gram helps! Then you open the small screw cap.
When inflating, watch out for the pin protruding from the top. This is very fragile. If you put on or take off the bicycle pump a little too hard, it may bend.
If the nut is loose, you can press the valve. Air will then come out, so you know that the bicycle valve has been opened far enough. You can now put on the pump and inflate to the number of bars you like.
Finished? Tighten the cap again and screw the valve cap back on if necessary. You are now ready to go! Check the tire pressure regularly, because a tire can quickly deflate and like we already mentioned, that can cause dangerous situations.
Schräder Valve
This valve, also known as car valve, is mainly popular in the car industry, but it is also widely used on mountain bikes and BMX bikes. But, it is used much less nowadays. It seems that this type of valve is disappearing more and more.
Nowadays you often see the valve on older mountain bikes. The big advantage of this valve is that you can inflate your tire at a lot of places. All you have to do is remove the valve cap and find a petrol station.
Different kind of pumps
Are you at home with a soft tire or is your tire running out on the way? There is a suitable bicycle pump for every occasion. To clarify, we zoom in a little more on this topic.
If you want to be able to inflate all the different tires and valves with one floor pump, go for a modern model. Preferably with a pressure gauge, that way you can determine exactly the right number of bars. This is very useful because you can test and play with the tire pressure that way. They are available at our shop within the price range of AWG 92 to AWG 259.
The most economical option (AWG 92) is the Bontrager Charger Pump. It has a pressure gauge and is great value for money. It is a reliable floor pump featuring a durable steel barrel, an auto-select head, and a stable base.
The second great option that we have available is the Bontrager Dual Charger Pump (AWG 149). It is a versatile floor pump with multiple pressure settings that let you easily inflate high-pressure road tires and larger volume hybrid and MTB tires. A quick flip of the switch moves between settings, making it perfect for riders who own both a road and mountain bike.
The Bontrager TLR Flash Charger (AWG 259) is the most advanced pump in our collection. It is the single-pump solution for daily use and at-home tubeless setup. It functions just like a standard floor pump when set to 'Inflate'. Switching it to 'Charge' gives the ability to pressurize a chamber and 'flash release' the stored air in order to seat tubeless tires without a bulky air compressor. Plus, it has a broad, back-lit digital gauge that delivers accurate pressure readings all the way to 160 PSI.
Every bike rider knows the situation: you are on the road and suddenly you have a soft or flat tire. Then a mini pump or CO2 cartridge can offer a solution. These tools are small and easy to keep with you. If you are going for a mini pump, we have a small tip. Choose a mini pump with pump hose, like the Bontrager Air Support HP PRO (AWG 109), so you do not directly exert pressure on the valve, which can bend it. Designed with a smaller volume chamber for higher-pressure tires, this premium pump allows you to quickly inflate tires up to 120 psi. Stow it in your jersey pocket, or use the included bracket to mount it under your bottle cage.
You are ready for anything with the Air Rush Elite CO₂ Inflator (AWG 49). You can easily stow it away in a pocket or bag and it is compatible with both Presta and Schräder valves so you can quickly inflate your road, city, or mountain bike tires when you're in a pinch. A spring-loaded locking mechanism makes inflation easy, and a rubber sleeve on the CO₂ cartridge keeps your hands comfortable during use.
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