How to Deflate a Bike Tire?

Typically, you will need to pump the bicycle tires once every few weeks. You could effortlessly get inside with a bicycle pump. But what about getting the air out of it? How do you deflate a bike tire? Well, getting the air out of the tires is undoubtedly possible. You just need to follow the correct process.

Along with that, you should consider the type of valve that is on the tires. Depending on that, you might need to work with a couple of tools. And after going through this guide, it will be possible for you to learn all about the deflating process. How so? Well, we will go through the topic in-depth and let you know everything you need!

Types of Valves

Before we get into the deflating process, you should know about the types of valves that the bike tires use. Basically, there are tons of different valves. But among them, three valves are more popular and common than the others. Here is a brief description of each:

Presta Valve

The Presta valves are narrower and more prolonged among the three standard valves. These are pretty popular among road bikes and premium bicycles. They feature a cap-secured design, meaning they will have a cap on the top. And in order to work with the tire, you would need to work with the cap or the top ring.

Schrader Valve

Compared to Presta valves, the Schrader valves are shorter. But just like the Presta valves, these will come with a top cap. Usually, the cap will be of rubber, and it will secure the top end of the valve. Nonetheless, these are most common among mountain bikes. You will not find these on road bikes.

Woods Valve

The Woods valve looks a lot like the Schrader valves. But they will be considerably large in size. However, their working mechanism is not similar to the Schrader valves. Instead, the mechanism will match a little with the Presta valves. That said, it is a two-piece system and will usually be on custom bikes.

How to Deflate Bike Tires?

With the description of the valves out of the way, let us get into the guide’s central part. So, for each valve, you will need to follow a particular method. Here is the description for each:

For Presta Valves

To deflate a tire with a Presta valve, you will need to undo the top ring first. That will expose the topmost portion of the valve. Now, all you need to do is simply push down on the valve. A good thing about the Presta valves is that you can easily monitor the amount of air coming out. So, controlling the flow will not be hard.

For Schrader Valves

Just like the Presta valves, you first need to take the protective cap off the Schrader valves. After that, you will see that there is a needle in the middle. That is that pin you would need to push down to let the air come out of the tire. And to reach the needle, you can use a pen.

For Woods Valves

Deflating the tires with the Woods valve is a little tricky. It is a two-piece mechanism, and the air will start to come out when you take the first piece out. So, you will not have any control over how much air gets out. Nonetheless, it is one of the easiest ones to deflate. You need to undo the upper part, and air should come out.

Final Words

After going through this guide, you now know all about how to deflate a bike tire. Now, you just have to dictate which valve is on your bike tire and follow the process we mentioned in the guide.