It doesn’t matter if you have the best tires on the market. If they are over or under inflated, this creates for a dangerous ride for not only the rest of your bike, but for your safety as well. Beyond this, they could be dangerous if they are incorrectly inflated for a long period of time.

Find out why and when to adjust your tire pressure.

As your tires are the only parts of your bike touching the ground, its important to keep them in great shape. Keeping your tires inflated to the psi rated on the outside of the tire wall will provide you with the best ride, less pedaling and more coasting. Having the proper inflation increases the longevity of the tires and inner tubes themselves, giving you a smooth ride for many trips ahead.

Having your tires correctly inflated allows the tire tread to grip and have full traction with the ground. Afterall, they are made of rubber, and rubber can flex and degrade over time depending on the rubber compound they are comprised of.

The air pressure of the inner-tubes help determine how well the tires conform to the terrain you ride in. For example, if your tires are over-inflated, the innertubes are too firm to allow the tire tread to really grip the road, rocks, or other terrain you ride in, resulting in bouncing too much or even sliding. Over-inflated tires are also more prone to popping, especially if the rim lining isn’t properly set, where a sharp edge is all that’s needed to tear the inner tube.

The same goes for under-inflated tires. Not only will it result in you or your motor working extra hard to get up hills or coasting properly, the tire treads could flex too much and result in sliding when they should be gripping the road.

Keeping your tires inflated to the rated psi will also help your rims incase your tires hit any hard surfaces such as curbs or large rocks, where your tire could flex too much and allow the curb to come into contact with your rims. That could be costly and dangerous.

There are some plus sides to letting a bit of air out of your tires, though. If you are riding is loose gravel or even sand, deflated your tires slightly will allow the tire tread to increase their contact surface area and grip the sand. Again, this method is only for specific scenarios, where they should be inflated back to the rated psi.

Keeping up on your tire pressure is crucial as there will always be air leaking overtime. This might seem familiar when you get your bike out of storage after it’s been sitting dormant for a while. All that time, air has been seeping out of the air valve, or even through some sealant that wasn’t set properly.

Even during temperature fluctuations, tire pressure can change where the air inside the innertube expands or contracts.

There are accessories that can definitely help with tire pressure issues, which add in protection to your accessories. Adding tire sealant will coat the inside of your inner tube, strengthening the inner walls and protecting them against sharp objects you may find on the road. Padding can also be used, where similar to sealant, they add protection to your rims to prevent any hard impacts that could translate through the tires.

Having your tires inflated properly can save you time from future tire repairs, working too hard to climb a hill, or even walking your bike home from a popped tire.

Thankfully, Rize carries replacement tires which are heavy duty and inner tubes for when those unexpected moments happen. It may be a good idea to pick up a pair now before those moments occur.

While you’re there, check out our other bike accessories that can make your bike riding adventures more comfortable and convenient.