Cycling UK Forum

ambodach wrote:Nice day in the Oban area. Dry with little wind and quiet roads. Went up Loch Etive and back to N Connel. Not far but lovely silence and easy going on the Brommie. D in Law doing dinner for later.

Eyebrox wrote:I bought five inner tubes from Halfords for £10. This is a bulk buy deal that's running long term. The first tube kept losing air. I would pump it up to 75 psi and go for a ride. Next day it would be sitting at 40 psi. I checked for slow punctures but found nothing. Time after time. Every cycle would begin with the same procedure - check tyre, pump it up and pedal on in frustration. One by one I changed the cheap inner tubes and all of them did the same. I reckoned that I had been sold a faulty batch and there may be a weakness around the join. That's what happens when you buy cheap, I ventured. I binned all the bargain buy tubes and bought expensive tubes from my local bike shop - never, of course, to own up about my experience with the Halfords purchase. Alas, the same problem arose with the "quality" Schwalbe tubes I had just bought. I was determined to work out how they were losing air. I spent more time squeezing tyres and pumping them up than I did actually cycling. Immersing the tube in water produced no hissing, even when I blew it up to super size. Eventually ... I discovered why my tyres were going down. I filled a kiddies' paddling pool and submerged the whole wheel in water. Okay, the hub bearings might suffer but I managed to detect a few bubbles from the valve. All along the leaking air had been seeping out the valve. It wasn't broken. Just that my arthritic hands had never quite screwed down the locking nut properly (Presta type valve). I've now cleaned it and sprayed it with WD40. Shuts fine if I set my mind to it. Could have done without the head scratching and extra expense though. Apologies to Halfords about doubting their merchandise and saying so to all my cycling pals. Back on the road now, tyres and ego pumped up after a month of bafflement. I share this to save others from similar experiences!

robgul wrote:The other trick with these (excellent) tyres is (as well as the slight inflation of the tube ... I thought that was standard practice) is to use a toeclip strap tightened around the tyre/rim once the tyre starts to go on to stop it "running round" while you grapple with the 3 handed process to get the rest of the tyre bead over the rim

Rob

foxyrider wrote:

PRL wrote:

Eyebrox wrote:I had this problem. Bike shop mechanic jumped on the pedal and it clicked into place. Worked without the heavy tactics thereafter.

They are a little tricky to take apart at the best of times. I would be worried about one forced into place. Only a few pence to replace with a working sample so I didn't take the risk.

Stamping on the pedal (either literally or less physically by leaning weight on the crank) is the recommended method of ensuring fast links are locked - they still part very easily with the correct tool! http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/kmc-miss ... 58578.html not exactly expensive and they save a lot of cursing and grazed knuckles!