Bike pump hissing during inflation (beginner question)

**withm** · 10-21-2009, 06:05 AM

At the Terry website there are some useful videos on this and other subjects. Check out the one explaining Presta valves.

http://www.terrybicycles.com/videos

This is how I do it
Remove dust cap from tube.
Unscrew valve stem. Just the teeny nut at the business end of the stem.

With pump valve closed (parallel to hose) attach pump valve to stem. Be sure to apply it firmly to the stem as far as it will go.

Open pump valve so it is perpendicular to the hose, and in line with the stem.

Pump firmly to desired tire pressure. Speed is not necessary.

Close pump valve (parallel to hose or perpendicular to tire valve stem)

Disengage pump valve from stem by pulling it straight away from stem. This is where I often scrape my knuckles on the spokes. Sigh.

Screw in valve stem nut.

Replace dust cap.

Repeat with other tire.
Go for a ride.

Should just take a minute or two. If you do this before EVERY ride (even if you just did it yesterday) it should dramatically reduce the incidence of flat tires. Well pinch flats anyway. No guarantees against glass or nails.

**Lakerider** · 10-21-2009, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by zia

Is there supposed to be complete silence when you're not pumping, or is some hissing to be expected?

Hisssssssssssssss....

I don't recall any hissing when the pump was demonstrated to me at the shop or when I tried it myself at the shop. I just tried my pump again using suggestions on this thread. I looked at wedsites with videos demonstrating pumps. Same old hissing sound. My pump is a JoeBlow Sport II. Do any of you have this pump? If so, do you have trouble using it. As I said before I used perfectly at the bike shop but I've had trouble since then. It's driving my crazy!!!!

**Kubla** · 10-21-2009, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Biceps, with a floor pump?

Try using the triceps, quads and glutes...

Quads and glutes??? I don't know if we are talking about the same type of pump...unless you'd sit on the handle of the pump I have to push it down. (If that's the case, I don't want to think about the acrobatics needed to pull it back up again. LOL)

**OakLeaf** · 10-21-2009, 03:29 PM

LOL.

All the floor pumps I've ever owned are only a couple of feet tall, so pumping them involves squatting as well as pressing with the arms.

**withm** · 10-21-2009, 03:30 PM

It's possible the pump is defective but it sounds to me like the pump head is just not seated correctly on the valve stem. Take it to your bike shop or some other knowledgeable bicycle person and have them watch you do it so you can figure out what is wrong. No point in struggling with what should be a simple task. Let us know how you make out.

**Lakerider** · 10-26-2009, 03:30 PM

I took my pump back to the bike shop. The guy there couldn't get it to work right either so he gave me a new one and it works great! If you're having trouble take it back to the shop and have them check it out.

**zia** · 10-26-2009, 03:37 PM

Oh, well, it works for my husband. OF COURSE!

**Laterider21958** · 10-26-2009, 11:30 PM

I too have great difficulty inflating tyres with my pump - the kind you have a T-handle to enable use of 2 hands whilst securing the pump firmly with your foot/feet. I simple dread having to add more air and am exhausted by the end of the task. Just as well there are only two tyres to pump! I too have difficulty attaching the pump onto the valve and also can hear hissing when the pump is attached. Pumping difficulty increases by the time I reach 70 lb and I struggle to get the remaining 20 or so lb in, and then I have to rush to remove the pump from the valve as it's still hissing. There's no way I could use the little hand pumps that fit ever so nicely on to my bike frame - it's there, but I would guess it would be near on impossible to get 90 lb + into a tyre.

**OakLeaf** · 10-27-2009, 02:37 AM

Another thing I realized the last few times I aired my tires, after reading this thread - putting the valve stem at 12:00 really helps me align the pump head with the stem while getting it seated.

Once I make sure it's on the valve straight, then I can hold the pump head solidly in one hand and lift straight up, even maybe enough that the wheel comes slightly off the ground. At that point, before I lock the head, a little bit of air escaping tells me the pump head is on all the way.

**msincredible** · 10-29-2009, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by Tuckervill

So, I dug out the 15 year old foot pump that we bought probably to inflate basketballs, and it works PERFECTLY, even though the lever is all skewed from my husband's gargantuan strength. It doesn't do Presta, unfortunately. Oh the irony.

You can get an adapter from Schrader to Presta.

**Tuckervill** · 10-29-2009, 05:49 PM

Oh yeah! I have one...didn't need it that day. At least I have one if my dh didn't take it with him and lose it out of his saddle bag instead of leaving it on the valve stem like I do. :-/

Karen

**msincredible** · 10-30-2009, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by Tuckervill

Oh yeah! I have one...didn't need it that day. At least I have one if my dh didn't take it with him and lose it out of his saddle bag instead of leaving it on the valve stem like I do. :-/

Oops!

**Catrin** · 12-18-2009, 03:59 PM

I wish that I had found this thread earlier, before posting the other one

So it sounds like Presta valves are known for this, and that it isn't uncommon to have problems with them when you first start using them. This is good to know. I feel better about it now... so practice, practice, practice sounds like the key?

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