Tyre inflation for dummies

[ayceejay]

I am surely not the first person to do this but yesterday I broke off two of those little things that you screw out to enable air to go in or out of a tyre. Those things and the valve it screws into are not replaceable so I had to buy two new tubes.
I have never really thought about it before but I want to avoid such expense in the future so I thought about it. This is how you inflate a tyre using a Joe Blow track pump.
1) Unscrew the end of the valve insert and deflate tyre completely, this will mean that the air inside the tyre is not trying to push it out.
2) Push the head of the pump all the way in and secure with lever making sure that it is straight and not leaning to one side.
3) Inflate to required pressure (another story).
4) Release pump head and remove.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I suggest you try it this way, instead, if inflating a tube that you've newly inserted into the tyre. It may look complicated at first glance, but it's very easy to get used to:

1. If using a Presta valve (the one with the screw on its tip), undo the screw by about 3-4mm, and briefly press it in a few times to ensure it's loose. When putting the head of the track pump (or any pump) on the valve, do it carefully, as these valve types are very susceptible to having the screw snap off with even a little bit of rough handling.
2. Inflate to about 10psi.
3. Starting at the valve, pinch the sides of the tyre together with your hands on both sides, working your way around the wheel to the valve again. This helps avoid the tube being pinched between the rim and the tyre at any point.
4. Loosen the locknut on the valve (if you have one on it) by at least 1cm, then push the valve into the rim a bit, to ensure that the tube isn't pinched between the rim and the tyre at the valve point. By locknut, I'm not referring to the one on the end of a Presta valve, but the nut that screws onto the outside of the valve, and sits on the rim when fully tightened.
5. Further inflate to about 20psi, then check that the tyre is seated evenly on the rim on both sides and around the circumference of the wheel. If not, press the valve screw in to deflate the tube, and go back to step 1.
6. If all is well, continue inflating to maximum psi (e.g. 80, 100, whatever the writing on the sidewall of the tyre recommends).
7. If using a Presta valve, tighten the screw on its tip completely at this point, and tighten the outer locknut to stop the valve wobbling on the rim hole.

NOTE: The method above differs from person to person, so others may have comments about it, but the most important thing to remember is: never just put the tube in, then immediately pump it up to maximum psi, as there is a very good chance you'll pinch the tube between the rim and tyre at some point, and then partly through inflation, the tube will bulge out of the rim/tyre gap, and go BANG. You need to part-inflate, check, then fully inflate, or something similar.

 

[ayceejay]

I guess I AM the only one this has happened to on CC then, not that I was expecting sympathy really I just wanted to share. Victor got the wrong end of the stick completely. The guy in the LBS said that he had done it about twenty times so I guess it is just me and him. So take this as a warning: cack handedly attaching a track pump to a tyre valve can damage the valve, meaning you have to replace the tube.
I feel much better now.

 

[youngoldbloke]

I am surely not the first person to do this but yesterday I broke off two of those little things that you screw out to enable air to go in or out of a tyre. Those things and the valve it screws into are not replaceable so I had to buy two new tubes.
I have never really thought about it before but I want to avoid such expense in the future so I thought about it. This is how you inflate a tyre using a Joe Blow track pump.
1) Unscrew the end of the valve insert and deflate tyre completely, this will mean that the air inside the tyre is not trying to push it out.
2) Push the head of the pump all the way in and secure with lever making sure that it is straight and not leaning to one side.
3) Inflate to required pressure (another story).
4) Release pump head and remove.

Are you advising that you deflate the tyre completely every time you want to top it up?
I have had problems bending the valve core with a push on hand pump - usually when removing the pump.
Otherwise just be careful. My Joe Blow chuck blows itself off very efficiently, when the lever is loosened.

 

[Paulus]

I guess I AM the only one this has happened to on CC then
.

I don't think you will be the only one to of broken the valve off. It does happen. I have certantly done it in the past. Gently gently does it.

 

[PhunkyPhil]

I have bent a few valves before but not snapped one off. I wonder if some valves aren't as strong as others.

If you are regularly breaking valves you could swap over to using tubes which have replicable valve cores like the Vittoria 51mm and then if you throw a tyre away because of puncture(s) you could keep the valve as a spare.

Valves are easy to remove on tubes which support their removal either with a little tool or some thin nosed pliers.

 

[asterix]

I guess I AM the only one this has happened to on CC then, not that I was expecting sympathy really I just wanted to share. Victor got the wrong end of the stick completely. The guy in the LBS said that he had done it about twenty times so I guess it is just me and him. So take this as a warning: cack handedly attaching a track pump to a tyre valve can damage the valve, meaning you have to replace the tube.
I feel much better now.

It can be positively dangerous!

I don't know how I managed it but once after fixing a puncture (glass) and inflating to max, the inside of the valve literally (literally, literally) exploded out past my head and I heard it passing through the leaves of the tree above. So lucky I didn't get my face in the way.. The tyre, of course, deflated instantly.

My tourer now has schrader valves.

 

[BUR70N]

I always slightly inflate the tube when fitting a new one, not a lot at all, just enough so its not flat and then do similar steps to checking the tyre on the rim etc and then going to the max allowed.

I have, some how, managed to undo the valve underneath the screw and had a slow leak, took me ages to work out why.