[IanEdward]

Had a bit of a disaster yesterday trying to be a good samaritan on the roadside, helping someone top up a soft rear tyre with my Lezyne mini-pump, but when I unscrewed the hose, WOOSH! the valve core came with it.

Had this happen to me before, I just always forget about it until the next time it happens. 

As it happens I was carrying a second pump which also had a screw on head, but at least this one screwed onto the valve body and not the valve head, however this still unscrewed the valve core, with the same results.

At this point I had to abandon the poor guy (at his insistence) as I had a small child to pick up from nursery.

Anyway, long story short, does a pump exist which is compact, has a flex hose, but has a push on head with a thumb lever rather than a screw on head? It’s all very well me loc-titing all my own valve cores but doesn’t allow for unforeseen incidents on the road.

Also wondered if I could bodge an aftermarket push-on head onto my otherwise perfectly serviceable Lezyne pump…

 

Ta

Topic

[Spangly Shiny]

For a lot less outlay I carry

For a lot less outlay I carry one of these in my multitool sheath.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-valve-core-remover/

[Team EPO]

Race rocket is my go to pump

Race rocket is my go to pump and keep a valve core tightner for emergenies and is not very heavy

 

 

[Shades]

Same thing happened to me

Same thing happened to me with a Lezeyne pump and Conti innertube.  Changed the pump for a cheap Topeak Pocket Rocket; no flexi tube but that eliminates the problem and I can get a higher pressure (and it’s less sweat) than the Lezeyne.

[dooderooni]

I recommended the Topeak Race

I recommended the Topeak Race Rocket on another thread and I’ve never had it unscrew a valve core yet. If it did then the included valve core tool would sort that out. Like horrovac said though, you need to look after your tools especially as they might not get used very often.

[horrovac]

Just try cleaning out the

Just try cleaning out the screw-on bit. Recently my Topeak Race Rocket started unscrewing the cores – which it never did before. After I unscrewed the core twice in a row, even though I’d tightened it with a tool, I decided to investigate. I noticed there was thick, viscous gunk on the threads, apparently a mix of lubricant from the pump, metal debris from the valves and just plain old dirt. I took out the o-ring, cleaned the threads with  isopropyl alcohol, and this fixed it pretty much entirely.

 

I also found that it helps if while unscrewing, you push the adapter onto the valve. Think about it: the pressure you just put in is trying to pull the adapter off the valve, increasing the friction in the threads and generating more force on the core. If you counteract this, there will be little to no unscrewing force on the core.

 

I usually do this carefully at first, just until the seal is broken, I then wiggle the head a little to let the pressure out, and once this is out, there’s no problem. If your pump has a pressure release button, use that before unscrewing.

 

However, I am now thinking about getting a lever-action lock pump without a flex hose. If you do it right, there is no more danger of breaking off the valve than with flex hose. Flex hose is no guarantee. I once patched some girl’s tube who had a puncture while out riding with her boyfrend (without a patch kit or a pump among the two of them). I pumped it up to about 60% and then let her pump while I packed up my patch kit, and she promptly broke off the valve core. So I guess I can just get a stick-on pump (and I’ll pump myself and never ever let anyone else use it).

[Dangerous Dan]

On my road bike/summer

On my road bike/summer commuter I have a Serfas MP-03, which I bought because it was cheap and the LBS had it in stock.  Made in China: check.  Generic pump: check.

On the tandem, I have a Silca Tattico.  I believe they are made in Indianopolis Indiana, USA.  Where ever they are made, they are fantastic.  I bought one because we were rescued by three french lads who had a Silca Imperio when we had a flat (and a failed pump) on a remote road on the Isle of Skye a few years ago. Not cheap, but a very good pump.

Mine has the built in Bluetooth gauge.  The one without is about half the price.  I want a gauge, since it is very hard to guess the pressure and on the tandem, it matters.

[peted76]

I read somewhere that there’s

I read somewhere that there’s something like two companies in the far east which make ‘all the pumps’ a bit of research would suggest that that statement is about true considering that all the main companies pumps look pretty much the same.. anyway.. a quick trip to aliexpress and voila, you can buy said pumpages for half the price straight outta China. 

 

[IanEdward]

Yeah, but it just seems so

Yeah, but it just seems so unnecessary, and anyway, what if it’s someone else’s tubes? (as happened last night).

Just waiting for an answer from Syncros re: their smallest road pump (description says flex hose, pics don’t show it) then I think I’ve found what I’m looking for.

[HLaB]

Just tighten the removeable

Just tighten the removeable core when you buy the tubes or buy tubes without removable cores , even I can remember that 😉

[ktache]

The smarthead on the

The smarthead on the masterblaster is a thing of magical beauty (how does it know?) and I have one on my Joe Blow DeLuxe, and may buy the very bling full metal version when that dies.

But the masterblaster is a tiny volume pump, great to have in the bag at all times, whearas the Microfloor is a small trackpump and delivers a far better quantity of air.  It does hurt the hand a bit though.  And the hose does stop a bit of the potential damage that can be caused to the valve and by stick pump directly connected.

The screw on valve chuck is a much smaller and lighter system than a full chuck head with lever, which is why it gets used more I suppose.  Generally easier to seal too, especially when pumping from full deflation.

[IanEdward]

Someone suggested on another

Someone suggested on another forum that the wee button was for exactly that, releasing pressure and making hose removal easier.

Are you suggesting that a thumblock/push on head is harder to pump? Is that why most of the industry seems to have moved to screw on heads?

I see Birzman does a sort of ‘snap-on’ head which doesn’t unscrew the core when taking off…

[ktache]

When going for a good ride I

When going for a good ride I take out my Lezyne microfloor pump (high volume) which is one of those whose chuck has a reputation to remove the core upon unscrewing.  Recently gone tubeless on 3 inch rubber, if I ever do need to use it (and it is my leave at work pump too) I will give the valve core a quick tighten before pumping.  That’s my plan anyway, made in comfort on a dry, cleanish and well lit sofa.  The smarthead on my Topeak Masterblaster works very well, but pumping large volumes of air can be somewhat a bit tiresome (my apologies).

Does using the little pressure release button on the chuck reduce the chances of valve core removal on Lezyne hosed pumps?  The original plastic screw chuck did not have one but the flashy gold anodised one does, until now I have found the button to be mostly annoying.

[Simon E]

The alternative to a push-on

The alternative to a push-on head is a pump with a valve core tool. I was unaware of these until I read Cycling Tips’ recent comprehensive review of mini-pumps:

https://cyclingtips.com/2019/08/the-best-mini-pumps-for-road-gravel-and-mountain-bike-45-tested/

 

[IanEdward]

Perfect! Had tried all the

Perfect! Had tried all the main players but hadn’t thought of Syncros.

Ta

[Grub]

You could do worse than one

You could do worse than one of these:

 

https://www.syncros.com/gb/en/product/syncros-mini-pump-boundary-2-0hp-mini-pump

[Author]

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