Adding air to MTB tires

[Mikie]

Hi...
My college prof used to say that the only stupid question is the one
that is left unasked!

So.....I was practicing removing and reinstalling a tire and tube on my
brand new Schwinn. Everything went very well, (for a tyro). But when
it came to adding the air to the tube, it was so flat that I could not
get the air pressure nozzle over the valve stem.. It kept receding into
the tire, or moving at an angle which forced me reshift the position of
the tube each time, so that the stem is perpendicular to the rim. And I
had to go through all kinds of moves to get it back. Finally I clamped
the rubber part of the valve stem with a small carpenter's clamp. And
Voila!

Can you give me a clue as to a better way? Should I make a permanent
place for a carpenters clamp in my tool bag? Or...how about a way to
NEVER ever get flats or tube or tire wear!........no, have to ask Santa
for that!

Thanks always for the great help and advice I've been getting. I'm lost
without you.

Mike

The trouble with this old world is that there is too much apathy,
But.... who cares?

 

[[email protected]]

Ran into a similar problem myself.

Before you put the tyre back on (well, before you set the bead) hold
the tube on back of the valve with your finger, so it cannot move
backwards. Pump up the tube a bit (not fully, just enough to give it
form. Set the bead. Finish pumping the tyre.

I've found it works well for me. YMMV.

Jeff

 

[Bill Baka]

[email protected] wrote:
> Ran into a similar problem myself.
>
> Before you put the tyre back on (well, before you set the bead) hold
> the tube on back of the valve with your finger, so it cannot move
> backwards. Pump up the tube a bit (not fully, just enough to give it
> form. Set the bead. Finish pumping the tyre.
>
> I've found it works well for me. YMMV.
>
> Jeff
>
Sort of the same for me too. I use my thumb to hold the valve until it
gets some pressure, then if it is not perfectly straight up I will
rotate the tire before I put any more air in. Only when the valve is
straight will I finish filling it. I have seen a lot of kids and even
some adults with fully inflated tires and bent valves, which is asking
for a flat. This was proven when I fixed a flat for a local kid and the
valve had been ripped from the tube by the extreme angle.
Bill Baka

 

[landotter]

Mikie wrote:
> Hi...
> My college prof used to say that the only stupid question is the one
> that is left unasked!
>
> So.....I was practicing removing and reinstalling a tire and tube on my
> brand new Schwinn. Everything went very well, (for a tyro). But when
> it came to adding the air to the tube, it was so flat that I could not
> get the air pressure nozzle over the valve stem.. It kept receding into
> the tire, or moving at an angle which forced me reshift the position of
> the tube each time, so that the stem is perpendicular to the rim. And I
> had to go through all kinds of moves to get it back. Finally I clamped
> the rubber part of the valve stem with a small carpenter's clamp. And
> Voila!
>
> Can you give me a clue as to a better way?

I'd switch to presta tubes at your leisure. The entire shaft is
threaded and a little nut keeps them from disappearing. Don't tighten
the nut too hard, btw. You'll want some 50c grommets to make it look
nice:
http://www.bikepro.com/products/rims/strips.html (bottom of the page),
your LBS should have some.

 

[Werehatrack]

On 25 Apr 2006 13:55:57 -0700, "Mikie" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Can you give me a clue as to a better way? Should I make a permanent
>place for a carpenters clamp in my tool bag? Or...how about a way to
>NEVER ever get flats or tube or tire wear!........no, have to ask Santa
>for that!

If you're using a pump or air hose that clips to the valve stem, the
easiest way to get it clipped on is to squish the tire tread flat
against the base of the stem to push it through the hole as far as
possible, and hold it there with one hand while attaching the pump or
hose with the other. If you're uring an air hose from a compressor,
the same technique generally still works, though you may find that
pushing the stem through, grabbing it and holding it directly while
pushing the air chuck onto the valve might be more effective. I've
used both methods.

Presta stems with a nutted base make this irrelevant, but they have
their own collection of ways to annoy the user.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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