Are they a threat to inner tube valves? I’m starting to think so. FMFT has now had two instances of presta valves sheering off after a quick going over with a mini pump. When it happened to the other half of FMFT, I simply attributed it to his cack handidness, but when it happened it to me, I realised that this was potentially serious.
I think I’ve worked out what causes it. You remember those pumps you had as a kid? Because you had a flexible connector, the valve doesn’t take the force of the pump moving. With a standard mini pump, there’s no flexibility and the valve takes a beating.
So, the solution. The simplest is to move over to Schrader, presta’s thick necked, uglier, but less vulnerable, cousin. But this isn’t an option, they won’t fit my rims. We could all buy track pumps and feel well pro but that would be expensive and pretty difficult to fit in a rucksack.
Apologies for the product placement, but here is the solution. All nice and flexy. I’m off to buy one.
R
Alf recommends a hefty, stand-up, hand pump, to be kept in the garage. He has never experienced the problem described in 55 years of hard cycling (he would like to add that 40 of those years were without gears)J
ReplyDeleteTry Slime 2007 Flat Tyre Eliminator from cycle surgery it rocks! no need for pumps (not as much anyway!)
ReplyDeleteBig Si