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Inflating my tires - silly question
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 2009-02-25 10:07 AM |
Master  2327    North Alabama |  Subject: Inflating my tires - silly questionWarning - I'm new to road biking and especially presta valves... I attempted to check and inflate the air pressure in my bike the other night and had zero success. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong and don't know what. I have a Specialized Allez w/ the presta valves, and a basic standing floor pump with the "switch hitter" head for pumping. I unscrewed the valve cover, loosened the silver nut on the presta valve(?), and then attempted to attach the pump. The flip/nozzle was in the up position, applied it to the valve, and quickly closed it. Regardless I kept hearing air escaping the thread, losing pressure. The guage on the pump never registered any pressure. After a couple of attempts, my tire was pretty much flat. So, before I take it to the shop and look like an idiot, can someone attempt to help me out here? I looked up videos and "how to's..." but it seems my problem is connecting the pump to the tire and that's not detailed... Thanks. |
| 2009-02-25 10:13 AM in reply to: #1981074 |
| Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question LostSheep - 2009-02-25 11:07 AM The flip/nozzle was in the up position, applied it to the valve, and quickly closed it. Regardless I kept hearing air escaping the thread, losing pressure. The guage on the pump never registered any pressure. Unscrew the presta valve tips, then when you go to put the nozzle onto the tire, the flip up thing should be up, 90 degrees from the pump's hose. Push the nozzle down until you get a reading on the pump's pressure gauge. THEN push the flip up thing back to in line with the hose. When you're done, flip the flip up thing back up and wiggle it off the valve. The pump valve is backwards from the one you used as a kid  |
| 2009-02-25 10:25 AM in reply to: #1981091 |
Elite 4235 Spring, TX | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question DanielG - 2009-02-25 10:13 AM LostSheep - 2009-02-25 11:07 AM Unscrew the presta valve tips, then when you go to put the nozzle onto the tire, the flip up thing should be up, 90 degrees from the pump's hose. Push the nozzle down until you get a reading on the pump's pressure gauge. THEN push the flip up thing back to in line with the hose. When you're done, flip the flip up thing back up and wiggle it off the valve. The pump valve is backwards from the one you used as a kid The flip/nozzle was in the up position, applied it to the valve, and quickly closed it. Regardless I kept hearing air escaping the thread, losing pressure. The guage on the pump never registered any pressure. Not so fast... Not all pumps are the same. For some, the lever needs to be up and for others it needs to be down. On my pump, I unscrew the valve (just a little bit, not all the way), push the pump head onto the valve and then pull the lever UP to lock it in place. I have both a Part Tools pump and a Blackburn pump that way. |
| 2009-02-25 10:55 AM in reply to: #1981074 |
Pro 6520   Bellingham, WA | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question I find that sometimes the valve sticks a little. Before I try to engage the pump I'll just tap the valve with my finger. Like anything, the more you do it the better you will become. |
| 2009-02-25 11:13 AM in reply to: #1981129 |
| Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question AndrewMT - 2009-02-25 11:25 AM DanielG - 2009-02-25 10:13 AM LostSheep - 2009-02-25 11:07 AM Unscrew the presta valve tips, then when you go to put the nozzle onto the tire, the flip up thing should be up, 90 degrees from the pump's hose. Push the nozzle down until you get a reading on the pump's pressure gauge. THEN push the flip up thing back to in line with the hose. When you're done, flip the flip up thing back up and wiggle it off the valve. The pump valve is backwards from the one you used as a kid The flip/nozzle was in the up position, applied it to the valve, and quickly closed it. Regardless I kept hearing air escaping the thread, losing pressure. The guage on the pump never registered any pressure. Not so fast... Not all pumps are the same. For some, the lever needs to be up and for others it needs to be down. On my pump, I unscrew the valve (just a little bit, not all the way), push the pump head onto the valve and then pull the lever UP to lock it in place. I have both a Part Tools pump and a Blackburn pump that way. That's how I said it was done in my explanation Up to lock (90 degrees from the hose) and down to unlock (inline with the hose) Specialized pump is the same way as your Part Tools and Blackburn. |
| 2009-02-25 11:23 AM in reply to: #1981217 |
Elite 4235 Spring, TX | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question DanielG - 2009-02-25 11:13 AM AndrewMT - 2009-02-25 11:25 AM That's how I said it was done in my explanation DanielG - 2009-02-25 10:13 AM LostSheep - 2009-02-25 11:07 AM Unscrew the presta valve tips, then when you go to put the nozzle onto the tire, the flip up thing should be up, 90 degrees from the pump's hose. Push the nozzle down until you get a reading on the pump's pressure gauge. THEN push the flip up thing back to in line with the hose. When you're done, flip the flip up thing back up and wiggle it off the valve. The pump valve is backwards from the one you used as a kid The flip/nozzle was in the up position, applied it to the valve, and quickly closed it. Regardless I kept hearing air escaping the thread, losing pressure. The guage on the pump never registered any pressure. Not so fast... Not all pumps are the same. For some, the lever needs to be up and for others it needs to be down. On my pump, I unscrew the valve (just a little bit, not all the way), push the pump head onto the valve and then pull the lever UP to lock it in place. I have both a Part Tools pump and a Blackburn pump that way. Up to lock (90 degrees from the hose) and down to unlock (inline with the hose) Specialized pump is the same way as your Part Tools and Blackburn.
Sorry, I must have misread what you wrote. Regardless, hopefully the OP can get it to work! |
| 2009-02-25 11:25 AM in reply to: #1981074 |
Master 2327 North Alabama | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question Maybe this will help a little more. I sorta got a little confused. This is my pump: http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=41269&eid=384 The flip was parallel to the presta valve when I attempted to put it on. After putting it onto the valve, I was flipping it 90* to try to secure it to the pump. This is where the air kept releasing and the guage never read. I'm guessing I should go back and attempt to put it on the other way in case my pump is backwards? |
| 2009-02-25 11:44 AM in reply to: #1981253 |
| Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question LostSheep - 2009-02-25 12:25 PM Maybe this will help a little more. I sorta got a little confused. This is my pump: http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=41269&eid=384 The flip was parallel to the presta valve when I attempted to put it on. After putting it onto the valve, I was flipping it 90* to try to secure it to the pump. This is where the air kept releasing and the guage never read. I'm guessing I should go back and attempt to put it on the other way in case my pump is backwards? That's what it sounds like. Inline with the hose to put it on inline with the presta valve to lock it there inline with the hose to take it back off. |
| 2009-02-26 8:47 AM in reply to: #1981074 |
| Extreme Veteran 1030 West Windsor, NJ | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question Geez. I am getting confused and I have the same pump. The Flip is "down" when you put it on. Make sure that the valve is fully unscrewed, and tap it to loosen it (as posted above). Put the head on, and wiggle it on there until your pressure gauge reads pressure (a bit of an issue if your tire is flat...but for future reference). Then flip the head piece up to lock it on. Inflate. Flip down, pull off. Most likely you didnt have the head on the valve far enough. Common mistake (ask me how I know). |
| 2009-02-26 8:54 AM in reply to: #1981074 |
| Regular 259 Hamilton | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question Another question to further confuse (I seem to be good at that today..on a roll). Wehn you put the pump head on..does the stem push back into the rim a bit or is there a little silver round nut keeping it from doing so? Also..depending on how much stem you have sticking out of the rim there might not be enough of it to get the pump head seated on enough. |
| 2009-02-26 1:16 PM in reply to: #1983020 |
Master 2327 North Alabama | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question kentiger - 2009-02-26 8:54 AM Another question to further confuse (I seem to be good at that today..on a roll). Wehn you put the pump head on..does the stem push back into the rim a bit or is there a little silver round nut keeping it from doing so? I've loosed the nut. I unscrewed it pretty much all the way that it would go. Also..depending on how much stem you have sticking out of the rim there might not be enough of it to get the pump head seated on enough. Possible reason I kept hearing air escaping. That and I was putting it on backwards. So, for clarification: Flip inline with hose to attach. Then after the guage reads (I'm assuming the air will quit escaping), flip the lever perpendicular (90*) and begin pumping. When full, flip the lever back inline w/ the hose and remove quickly. Sound right? |
| 2009-02-26 3:05 PM in reply to: #1983849 |
| Regular 259 Hamilton | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question Yep..sounds right to me. The comment about the nut being loose..I was actually referring to ANOTHER nut altogether. There is sometimes a nut that thread on the stem and sort of pulls the stem out of the rim hole. Not every tire has one though. Something else to keep in mind is that when you're pumping the tire up..sometimes the hose will move a bit and some air can escape that way as well. Try resting the hose against your spokes when putting the pump head on just to give it a bit of support. There ought to be a video out for this sort of thing..I'll go check youtube and get back to you on it. Ahhh good ole youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehf6HL0aLTc&feature=related Edited by kentiger 2009-02-26 3:12 PM |
| 2009-02-26 10:34 PM in reply to: #1981074 |
Veteran 156 | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question LostSheep - 2009-02-25 11:07 AM Warning - I'm new to road biking and especially presta valves... I attempted to check and inflate the air pressure in my bike the other night and had zero success. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong and don't know what. I have a Specialized Allez w/ the presta valves, and a basic standing floor pump with the "switch hitter" head for pumping. I unscrewed the valve cover, loosened the silver nut on the presta valve(?), and then attempted to attach the pump. The flip/nozzle was in the up position, applied it to the valve, and quickly closed it. Regardless I kept hearing air escaping the thread, losing pressure. The guage on the pump never registered any pressure. After a couple of attempts, my tire was pretty much flat. So, before I take it to the shop and look like an idiot, can someone attempt to help me out here? I looked up videos and "how to's..." but it seems my problem is connecting the pump to the tire and that's not detailed... Thanks.
Not as silly as you think. I had the same problem with my Specialized pump. I recently figured it out (read: 2 days ago) and you are not alone. I will post a pictoral tutorial on Fri. -Chris |
| 2009-02-27 10:57 AM in reply to: #1984107 |
Master 2327 North Alabama | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question Ahh.... thank you for the video KenTiger. That's what I was looking for! |
| 2009-02-27 11:46 AM in reply to: #1984107 |
Extreme Veteran 417 Davidson | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question That nut at the base of the Presta valve is there to pull the Presta valve fully up to the rim and hold it there when you are doing things like....putting air in! You shouldn't loosen it. In fact, always make sure it is tight before you start trying to put the air in. Greg |
| 2009-02-27 1:09 PM in reply to: #1985689 |
| Regular 259 Hamilton | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question Not a problem LostSheep..only too glad to help. |
| 2009-02-27 2:41 PM in reply to: #1985833 |
| Extreme Veteran 1030 West Windsor, NJ | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question trinewby - 2009-02-27 12:46 PM That nut at the base of the Presta valve is there to pull the Presta valve fully up to the rim and hold it there when you are doing things like....putting air in! You shouldn't loosen it. In fact, always make sure it is tight before you start trying to put the air in. Greg Agreed with this one. I double check this nut every time before I pump up my tires. Why? cuz once I didnt, and I was pumping with a frame pump (read: flat on the side of the road). I ended up ripping a tiny hole in my precious tube from having the valve move around as I pumped. Man was I pissed. Let us know how you do. The first few times with presta's are always fun |
| 2009-02-27 8:47 PM in reply to: #1981074 |
Veteran 156 | Subject: RE: Inflating my tires - silly question Damn, I don't think I'm gonna beat a video but glad you found an answer. Now pump up those tires and go ride! |
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