how to use a bike pump?

agatha

i know this is a stupid qustion but i have no idea how to use the pump in my bike. i have a raleigh pump with gauge and i am trying to find some site with pictures to help me because i am very new to this bike thing and nobody i know knows anything about it. my bike's tire are almost empty and i tried to use the pump but it seems rocket science for me... can anybody help me ? thanks.
:confused: :(

Ace_rimmer1

i know this is a stupid qustion but i have no idea how to use the pump in my bike. i have a raleigh pump with gauge and i am trying to find some site with pictures to help me because i am very new to this bike thing and nobody i know knows anything about it. my bike's tire are almost empty and i tried to use the pump but it seems rocket science for me... can anybody help me ? thanks.
:confused: :(What type of pump is it, can you post a pick, do you know the make/model
Ace

Dietmar

What kind of valves do you have on your bike? Schrader (same as the ones on your car, common on MTBs), or Presta (typical for road bikes)? For Presta valves, there is a little nut on top of the valve, which you first need to open by turning it counter-clockwise a few turns. Since the Schrader valves have a larger diameter than the Presta ones, you need to make sure your pump nozzle fits the valve.

Otherwise, there's two types of nozzles on pumps, one that you just slide over the valve and pump, and another type that has some type of locking/sealing mechanism that you need to engage first. In the latter case a more detailed description of the nozzle head would be helpful.

agatha

The pump maker is RALEIGH but I don't know the model. My bike is TRAIL MACHINE by NORTHWOODS. I am including their pictures.

Thanks.

Dietmar

'k, for your bike I am pretty much certain it has Schrader valves. For the pump I am not 100% sure, but it looks like this is the type where all you have to do is push the pump head on the valve, and pump. Otherwise, if that piece of plastic I see at the end of the pump can be moved, try moving it to lock the pump on the valve.

gclark8

The bike has Schrader valves, like on cars, :) go to the garage and pump them up there, the pressure will be on the side wall of the tyre, 40-65psi probably. That pump needs a degree in mechanical engineering to use. :rolleyes:

agatha

Hey guys, it worked, thanks a lot! I know it was a stupid question to begin with, but believe me when I say I know NOTHING about bikes... I don't even know to ride it! But since I won this one in a local contest I decided to give it a try and hopefully I will learn it without too many falls hehehe :p

THANKS !!!

Insight Driver

I would suggest you find someone that can show you. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. A demonstration is worth a thousand pictures. You get the idea.

I'll attempt to help in words. If your valve looks the same as you find on a car, then that is a schrader valve. Look inside the head of your pump. If there is a peg in the middle that would push down on the little pin inside the valve on the tube, you are good to go. If you are good to go, push the head of the pump firmly on the valve stem. You may have to push hard. The lever on your pump helps clamp it onto the stem. It gets pushed sideways. You may need to figure out by pushing it one way and the other which way the lever needs to be. Generally, the lever starts parallell to the body of the pump. You would push the lever so it is perpendicular to the pump. You then start pumping the handle, while holding on to the head of the pump and the tire with your other hand.

There is another way. Take your bike to a gas station and use the air pump there.

dbquestions

i know this is a stupid qustion but i have no idea how to use the pump in my bike. i have a raleigh pump with gauge and i am trying to find some site with pictures to help me because i am very new to this bike thing and nobody i know knows anything about it. my bike's tire are almost empty and i tried to use the pump but it seems rocket science for me... can anybody help me ? thanks.
:confused: :(I too am having difficulty understanding how to use my bike pump. It was a hand me down (maybe for a reason). Its a Schwinn pump with a little round gauge on it. My problem is, I can't understand how to read the gauge. I think it is when I am pumping it the little gauge needle goes to a certain number...does that mean the farthest it goes is the air pressure I am getting? My friend has tried to explain this and everytime I ask him, he says no, thats not it. Well there is nothing else on there to tell me the pressure that I can find. Please help. I am too embarrased to take it to a bike shop. And he makes me feel kind of stupid when I ask him.

Dietmar

If the pump and gauge are working correctly, then you should see the needle go up with each pump stroke. At the end of each stroke, it will go down just a little compared to the maximum during the stroke, and that needle position should show you, approximately, the tire pressure you have. Note, in particular, that the needle should not move after you stop pumping (well, at least not within the first couple of dozen seconds or so). If you have a needle that moves constantly, then the nozzle head does not seal your tire valve properly, which makes it near-impossible to tell what your real tire pressure is. There could be a number of reasons for this, from improper use to a worn-out or simply crappy pump nozzle.

dbquestions

Thank you Dietmar, very easy explanation! Ok I am going to go pump and ride now....