a Noob tube question

Jdub410 said:

so all that im lacking to finally getting my bike on the road is.. ...inflating the tires. the tubes in installed on my bike do not have the traditional fitzer valve that i grew up with. its a long, skinny, threaded valve that im unfamiliar with. someone give me some help so i can get rolling. lol. thanks!

That sounds like a Presta valve. Here are some helpful links regarding Presta valve:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presta_valve
http://www.jerseyactionriders.org/BunnyHugs/presta_valve.htm
The important thing is that the valve must be manually unscrewed to pump air, and the tip of the valve remains in the housing even after unscrewed.

TheDarkLord said:

That sounds like a Presta valve. Here are some helpful links regarding Presta valve:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presta_valve
http://www.jerseyactionriders.org/BunnyHugs/presta_valve.htm
The important thing is that the valve must be manually unscrewed to pump air, and the tip of the valve remains in the housing even after unscrewed.

The above jerseyactionriders link is very helpful.
The correct pump head for the Presta valve is important.
The suggestion they make of releasing some air after opening the valve (I call it burping the valve) may seem counterintuitive at first, but it is a very important step & since you will be putting more air in anyways it speeds the process. Some pumps may not seal well enough or develope sufficient pressure to open an "unburped" valve (like 150 P.S.I. or so).
I like my Silca Presta head. I use it as a very large Presta adapter in my Zephal Husky floor pump. My road pump is Topeak Turbo Morph G.