Need help with presta valve adaptor

joker77

Ok, so here's the thing, I got new tyres recently (Specialized All-Condition Armadillos) after numerous punctures, and along with them I asked the guy in the shop (CycleWays) about how I go about getting the pressure right. I only have a hand-pump. He said go to the garage, and use an adaptor which screws on the end of the tube valve (I now know this to be called a presta adaptor). So I did this, but was flumoxed as to how it worked... so I consulted the auld interweb, and after looking at a couple of tutorials, off I went to said petrol station. I screwed the fat end of the adaptor onto the end of the valve, but when I put the garage pump onto it, still no joy.

Anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong???

randomname2005

One thing i didnt see mentioned in the tutorial is you have to press the valve back into the tyre. After you unscred the knob you need to press it and release a little air before the pump will work.
R

joker77

Well I unscrewed the valve and just tipped off it to make sure it was ready, didn't press it down for long or anything

randomname2005

That should be enough, just to let a little bit of air out. Now this has me really stumped. I had similar issues when i changed to presta valves but everything you say seems to make sense. I wouldnt go near garage pumps as they are too high pressure and may cause blowouts. Does anyone else you know have a track pump you could use?

I use one of those barrel foot pump things with a similar adapter and sometimes, although there is no noise of any air escaping, it doesnt pump up, the air just gets trapped in the tube. Can you hear any air escaping?
R

joker77

randomname2005 wrote:

Can you hear any air escaping?

Cheers for the reply, the answer is nope. I've tried this in 2 different garages, but presumably the pumps are the same.
Think I'll probably end up investing in a track pump, 30 or 40 bucks

Raam

track pumps are worth it.
It makes pumping so much easier, and you can more accurately achieve whatever pressure you want.

joker77

King Raam wrote:

track pumps are worth it.
It makes pumping so much easier, and you can more accurately achieve whatever pressure you want.

Are they all much the same? There's 1 in CycleWays for 30, Beto, then there's a Specialized one for 40, CycleSuperStore have a Lapierre and some other make for 40

Raam

I got the BBB AirStrike TrackPump for 19.99 sterling.
Bought it from ChainReaction, but the site seems to be down at the moment

Raam

CRC seems to be back up now, typical

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=4994

Treade

I bought the specialized one for €40 in Cycleways. Would recommend it. Cannot understand why I didn't buy one years ago. It makes pumping tyres so much easier

joker77

King Raam wrote:

CRC seems to be back up now, typical

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=4994

Cheers for that, no cc here though only laser....

Treade wrote:

I bought the specialized one for €40 in Cycleways. Would recommend it. Cannot understand why I didn't buy one years ago. It makes pumping tyres so much easier

Think I'll take a stroll up there at lunchtime and pick one up, think it's long overdue as well

John_C

I've had the same problem and there's no easy solution. Getting air from the garage pump through one of those adaptors is just difficult. If you push it on hard and kind of pull it away from the bike at a slight angle you can usually get a good seal. Eventually I just bought a good pump though.

milod

... suffering Dublin streets on a Specialized Cirrus with 700x23c's it's taken me about 6 months to find the magic combination so here goes:

1. Go to Lidl who are selling an excellent foot pump for under a tenner - same thing costs 30 lids in Cyclogical.... Forget garages - their gauges are usually way off in the higher range anyway. Armadillos like about 80 to 100psi depending on the size...

2. Buy Dr. Sludge tubes - they really work! in that they'll at least let you top up the air and get you home - I got a puncture on the Loop head peninsula in Co. Clare but made it another 30km back to base.

3. Replace the rim tape on your wheels - it's a little known fact that many punctures are caused by spokes rubbing against tubes when you hit ridges/potholes etc.

4. Make sure you keep the tyre pressure high - use your foot pump at least weekly to make sure it's at the highest pressure indicated on the side of the tyre - this will allow you to go faster - less resistance, but also will make puncture less likely (glass, metal, shards of gravel are more likely to be displaced by a harder tyre than a softer tyre)

Enjoy your bike - and don't cycle in the gutter where the sharp stuff collects - you've a right to roadspace too!

Trojan

Car pumps are way off, but it's actually in the lower ranges (like to see you put 100 psi in a car tire ). In any case, if you're using them be real careful, it's very easy to overfill and burst your tire.

randomname2005

milod wrote:

... suffering Dublin streets on a Specialized Cirrus with 700x23c's it's taken me about 6 months to find the magic combination so here goes:

1. Go to Lidl who are selling an excellent foot pump for under a tenner - same thing costs 30 lids in Cyclogical.... Forget garages - their gauges are usually way off in the higher range anyway. Armadillos like about 80 to 100psi depending on the size...


Enjoy your bike - and don't cycle in the gutter where the sharp stuff collects - you've a right to roadspace too!

Does anyone know if any Lidl shops are still selling these. I was up in parnell street this morning (before i saw Milods post )and they didnt have any left
R

milod

I saw one in Lidl on Thomas street on Wednesday - but not sure if they still have them...

I'd already paid 30 lids for my own a few months ago - I nearly bought one as a backup - but ironcally didn't want to carry it home on my bike...

randomname2005

Cheers milod will try pop this afternoon.
R

joker77

milod wrote:

1. Go to Lidl who are selling an excellent foot pump for under a tenner - same thing costs 30 lids in Cyclogical.... Forget garages - their gauges are usually way off in the higher range anyway. Armadillos like about 80 to 100psi depending on the size...

darnit - too late, already got it in Cycleways

on the Armadillos that I got, it says 120 - 125, so that's what I pumped them up to (they were at 40!)

when you say about replacing the rim tape - how often? All my punctures definitely came from the tyre though, glass, burst walls, even a little effing pebble got through the Continental Sport 1000 I had previously!

daymobrew

I bought the Topeak Master Blaster Mini Pump (18euro) last year. It has a built in guage. I use it to pump my road bike tyres to 100psi. You can change the connector around to pump Schrader/car tyre valves. It's great, and compact too