How to Put Air in Bike Tires at Gas Station?

Imagine you are out there, riding your bike, minding your business, and suddenly you start to lose balance. You check your bike tires, and one of them has deflated! What now? You realize there is a gas station nearby.

Maybe you are already at the gas station frantically searching Google for “How to Put Air in Bike Tires at Gas Station.” Or perhaps you don’t have a bike pump at hand and have the question in mind. Well, fear not, I can help!

Although a little harder to do than inflating your bike tires with a bike pump, it is possible to put air in your bike at a gas station. But how can you do so?

Things To Consider Before Inflating Bike Tires at Gas Station

Before jumping into the how-to section, let’s discuss a few things you will need to consider if you want to inflate your bike at a gas station.

Unavailability Of Bike Tire Pumps

The first thing that you will need to consider before going to a gas station to put air in your bike is that there is a possibility that the gas station will not have a bike tire pump.

Nowadays, many gas stations have bike pumps on hand, so you can ask at the register if they have one available. You can use the car tire pumps in situations where they don’t.

Incompatibility Of Car Tire Pumps

One of the critical things you should remember is that not all car tire pumps are compatible with bikes. Only bikes with certain valves can be hooked up to car tire pumps and inflated.

If you are unsure whether your bike tire can be inflated with a car tire pump, I will discuss that in the how-to section. Don’t try to increase the bike if it’s incompatible, as that might damage the cycle.

Volume And Pressure of Bike Tire

If you are using a car tire pump to inflate your bike tire, you will need to remember that a bike tire is much smaller than a car tire. So, you cannot put as much air in it. It would help if you were careful about over-inflating your bike because otherwise, it might burst.

Another thing you will need to be wary of is that car tire pumps have higher air pressure which can cause your tire to over-inflate very quickly. Sometimes car tire pumps have a pressure gauge that allows you to regulate the pump’s pressure. However, a lot of gas stations are not equipped with that.

Most gas stations have an unregulated air hose, so you must be very careful when trying to use it.

How To Put Air in Bike Tires at Gas Station?

Now that you know some of the things you will need to be wary of if you go to a gas station to put air into your bike, let’s talk about how you can do that without getting into mishaps.

To successfully put air in your bike at a gas station, you will need to check a few things and follow a few steps:

Check Your Valve Type

As I have previously mentioned, only bikes with certain valve types can be inflated with a car tire pump. This means that if you don’t have the compatible valve types, you won’t be able to put air in your bike at a gas station.

So, bikes have mainly three types of valves: the Schrader or American valve; the Presta valve, also known as the French or Sclaverand valve; and the Woods valve, or the English/Dunlop valve. And out of these three valve types, only the Schrader valve is compatible with car tire pumps. However, you can also use an adapter to make the Presta valve compatible.

The Schrader valve is mainly compatible with car tire pumps because cars have the same type of valve. But not all bikes have Schrader bikes; mostly mountain bikes do. But how do you know whether you have a Schrader valve or not? The trick is simple: check whether the valve’s nozzle is short, thick, and secured by a rubber cap. If yes, then you have a Schrader valve.

But if the nozzle is long and narrow and is secured by a nut and a rubber cap, then it’s a Presta valve. In this case, you will need an adapter that will turn your Presta valve into a Schrader valve so that you can inflate your tire.

Check The Recommended PSI

If you are unfamiliar with PSI, it refers to the amount of air pressure the bike requires to work correctly. The recommended Pound Per Square Inch (PSI) of your motorcycle is printed at the side of your bike, towards the part that touches the rim. So, if you are unsure how much air it should have, check there.

Check the PSI level with a pressure gauge if you want to know how much you should inflate the tire. The tire pressure ranges are:

• 80 -130 PSI for road bikes
• 30 PSI (off-road) or 50 PSI (on-road) for mountain bikes
• 50 -70 PSI for hybrid bikes

So, if your bike’s tire pressure is lower, try to get it to the recommended range.

Also, if you don’t have a pressure gauge at hand, you can try squeezing it to get a rough estimate of whether it is inflated enough or not. If it is firm yet slightly squeezable, you should not extend it further. It is better to keep it a little under-inflated than over-inflating it.

Adjust The Gas Station Pump’s Air Pressure

Before putting air in your tire, always check the air pressure of the pump. Make sure you use a pump with adjustable air pressure if you can. Otherwise, your tire might get over-inflated and even burst before you can do anything about it.

Another thing you can do is if the car tire pump does not have an adjustable pressure to inflate the tire in short bursts. If you are in a pinch, you can increase it slightly to prevent it from bursting.

Additionally, you can get a pressure gauge to keep an eye on the air pressure and ensure that you stay within the recommended PSI range.

Proceed To Put Air the Bike

Now that you have checked everything and made sure that everything is in order, you can proceed to inflate your bike tire.

To inflate a tire with a Schrader valve, follow these steps:

1. Take off the rubber cap that is sealing the opening.
2. Attach the nozzle of the pump to the opening of the valve.
3. Inflate the tire a little at a time and monitor the PSI.
4. Please take off the pump and secure it with the valve cap.

To inflate a tire with a Presta valve, follow these steps:

1. Remove the rubber cap sealing the opening.
2. Unscrew the nut, secure the valve, and attach the adapter.
3. Attach the nozzle of the car pump to the adapter.
4. Slowly inflate the tire and keep an eye on the pressure.
5. Once grown, take off the pump and adapter, screw the nut, and secure with the cap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Fill Up My Bike Tires at A Gas Station?

To answer your question, yes, you can. Some gas stations carry bike pumps, and those still have car tire pumps. Although you should not regularly pump your bike tires with car tire pumps, it is acceptable to do them in a pinch.

Can I Use A Car Tire Pump On My Bike?

I wouldn’t recommend it, but yes, you can! Car tire pumps have a high air pressure that can inflate your tire too quickly and make it burst, but it is possible if you do it carefully. Use a pressure gauge to keep track of the PSI and regulate the pressure if you can.

Should You Put Air in Bike Tires at Gas Station?

There are many things in life that you can do but shouldn’t. And putting air in your bike at a gas station is one of those things. The car tire pumps are not suitable for bikes, but no one will stop you if you need to do it.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are a few things you need to remember before you go to a gas station to put air on your bike, but if you have them clear, you can do it.

Plus, knowing how to put air in bike tires at a gas station is necessary to save you from a lot of hassle. So, hurry up and get learning!

Related reading: Can I Use a Car Tire Pump on My Bike?

Related reading: How to Let Air Out of Bike Tire?