Originally Posted by
DropBarFan
Well I would never have guessed to try the Work Towards Valve thing; I would have assumed that either way one can push the valve up so it doesn't interfere with the tire beads settling down into the lower channel. OTOH I should note that the video suggested working to a spot ~25° away from the valve. I'm not quite sure if/why working towards or away from valve would affect getting valve properly perpendicular? In my experience one can usually nudge the tire along after mounting to get the valve angle correct.
your comment made me realize that my crooked valve comment most likely comes from having fixed other peoples bikes with really askew valves, maybe I once misplaced a tube in a tire and it wasnt straight, but I certainly have seen other peoples wheels with really askew valves really forcing the whole valve/tube area. These may have been situations where the tubes were too big for the tire and had been fudged in , folded over or whatever, who knows.
its funny, like fb said, there are many ways to skin a cat and I just have the habit of starting to work the bead in from the valve area and work away from there, finishing up wherever I finish, and don't really think about it.
Its such a mundane action that in the end, if whatever technique one uses works all the time, with direction, with levers etc then great.
its all a ritual aint it, I put baby powder on my tubes before putting them in, or when I put them in a plastic bag with my fixit stuff--does it really help a tube not stick to a tire over time, I dunno, but it does smell nice and now its part of my ritual, hail mary, something of grace....