Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Joe Blow Pro a no go on Schraeder????

I'm having a helluva time getting my Joe Blow Pro pump to work on a Schraeder valvle. It's great for my Presta bikes. But I went to pump up my m/c tire a while back, and the damn thing just wont seat. I tried it on a coupla car tires, same thing -- the head is a very tight fit on the schrader valve, and I can't seem to get it to lock on deep enough to engage the little valve tit thing despite a lot of pushing. Pumping just pumps up the pump tube quickly to lots of psi, not the tire.

Topeak quickly sent me a head rebuild kit (after a couple of useless "turn the silver knob" instructions targeted for the idiot I hope I am not). Unfortunately, same issue after rebuild.

Anyone else experience this?

no, no one has experienced this.


turn the knob

I have two of them and never a problem on either presta or schaeder

Hmmm. Perhaps it was just me, and the 6 different tires I've tried it on. :crash:

Feeling kinda stupid. After mixing and matching the rebuild kit bits, it works OK now as long as I DON'T push the head on very far onto the valve. I guess I got used to slumming with my crap old pump. If I jam it on deep like I used to have to do, Joe doesn't Blow. But if it just latches lightly onto the end of the valve, all is slick and smooth.

In the immortal words of Nigel Tufnel, it is a fine line between stupid and clever.

I imagine the "auto sensing" feature was being rendered inoperative when forced too far onto the valve. Not sure how the internals of that head work, but there must be somthing that is moved by air pressure to open the valve core inside the valve stem.

blow into the head...then pump

I use my Topeak pump on my car tires. I do have to jam it on pretty hard to open the valve.

I have the pro model. I only have to put the head on very slightly to work with schrader valves. At first, I thought I needed to put it on all the way, but not so.