pump not working
- Thread starter s7ephanie
- Start date
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vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Unscrew the little brass thingy on the valve before attaching the pump that is if the valves are presta valves.
Irish_Marty
Member
- Location
- Ireland
Yes you're valve may not be open enough to allow the air to get into the tyre.
Aperitif
Meme bar
- Location
- ...I don't have much idea - really.
...might need to 'wiggle' vernon's little brass thingy too - just to release the inlet etc... press it in after unscrewing.
If it doesn't work - have a pie, or set light to it...always works for vernon!
If it doesn't work - have a pie, or set light to it...always works for vernon!
Aperitif
Meme bar
- Location
- ...I don't have much idea - really.
[QUOTE 2800318, member: 259"]Do you really think that's wise sir?[/quote]
Absolutely! vernon's knurled nuts are not like Nobby's you know...they like a tweak twixt finger and thumb to keep them up to scratch.
Absolutely! vernon's knurled nuts are not like Nobby's you know...they like a tweak twixt finger and thumb to keep them up to scratch.
Add to that, give it a little press on the end before you put the pump on, just to make sure it's not stuck.
I've got a track pump that copes with presta and Schrader valves, with two valve holes and some kind of hidden slidy valve thing in the pump head. If the tyre is dead flat it sometimes has trouble deciding which hole to send the air out of - I think it needs something to work against. Giving the valve head a sharp tap helps get things going.
- Location
- Egham
And don't unscrew it all the way, this is a good way of breaking it off when attaching the pump.
Also worth noting that initially when you do the first 'pump', there is a fair bit of resistance, this goes after the first depression of the handle.
Hope that made sense....
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Only if you warm your hands first.
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
I'm not sure why that makes any difference though Vern. The question in the OP was a genuine one, and the replies seemed to be taking the mickey. Sometimes the urge to shoehorn in a pointless pun at all costs should be resisted by anyone over the age of 12. Just my opinion of course.
I think that there was enough information in the first three responses to have a stab at solving the problem that is if the valves were presta. The rest of the responses were redundant but hey it was in the Cafe and we are now in December and rapidly approaching, if not fully immersed in, the season of goodwill to all (wo)men
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
The other thing is to make sure that you are using the right pump attachment.
As mentioned above - there are two types of valve in common use. Most road bikes and many mountain bikes use Presta valves, the slim metal ones with the gnurled nut at the top. Some mountain bikes and the odd road bike use Shrader valves, the chunkier ones like the ones used on car tyres. The two types require different pump attachments.
As Tim Hall mentions above - some pumps adapt automatically to the type of valve. Mine doesn't - it has two attachments, one for each type of valve. You can see which is which because the Shrader attachment has a little pin in the centre to press in a corresponding part of the Shrader valve.
I showed a friend how to use my track pump to pump up her tyres yesterday. I explained the above, then set her to work. She got the Shrader-valved rear tyre pumped up ok but was struggling with the front. I couldn't understand what the problem was until I looked and discovered that somebody had replaced the original Shrader-valved tube with a Presta-valved one so the correct attachment for the rear was the wrong one for the front!
As mentioned above - there are two types of valve in common use. Most road bikes and many mountain bikes use Presta valves, the slim metal ones with the gnurled nut at the top. Some mountain bikes and the odd road bike use Shrader valves, the chunkier ones like the ones used on car tyres. The two types require different pump attachments.
As Tim Hall mentions above - some pumps adapt automatically to the type of valve. Mine doesn't - it has two attachments, one for each type of valve. You can see which is which because the Shrader attachment has a little pin in the centre to press in a corresponding part of the Shrader valve.
I showed a friend how to use my track pump to pump up her tyres yesterday. I explained the above, then set her to work. She got the Shrader-valved rear tyre pumped up ok but was struggling with the front. I couldn't understand what the problem was until I looked and discovered that somebody had replaced the original Shrader-valved tube with a Presta-valved one so the correct attachment for the rear was the wrong one for the front!
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Schrader valves can be fickle. I bought valve hole inserts for my rims and changed my inner tubes over to presta valves having had some difficulties with schrader valves in the past. It wasn't much fun when an attempt to ad more air to an inner tube resulted in even less air in it when I couldn't get the adapter to seat and depress the valve plunger.
Glad you've resolved the problem.
Big, like a car valve? That's Schrader. They work by the pin inside the valve being depressed by the corresponding pin in the pump head. If the two don't meet, no air will get in. Sometimes moistening the outside of the valve will help the head slide on a wee bit further. I spit on it, but genteel people like you can use a water bottle.
