themp

I use tubes that have a metal valve and nut. I have had to use a small amount of blue thread-locker to keep the nut from spinning up as I ride. I just tighten the nut enough to keep the valve stem from flexing. However, when changing a flat on a ride I found it tough to use my fingers to remove the stem nut. To the rescue was this:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Tra...S401/203357977

I removed the lanyard chain to even make it smaller. Hardly takes up any space in my bag and the price is right....

Iride01 

Put that plastic cap back on and maybe the nut won't loosen itself while you ride. And you won't have to use thread locker.

However you are the first I've ever read that is having a problem with their nuts. Or at least the little nuts on the presta valve stem. <grin>

If you had to come up with an alternate solution, then what about a small diameter rubber or plastic tube you can put over both the nut and the smaller part of the stem. Maybe the insulation from some larger gauge electrical wire.

Barry2 

Unless the Wheel is configured as Tubeless, I throw those nuts away.
Don't toss them away on a tubeless, they ARE retaining the valve against the rim internally and creating a seal.

Barry

Reflector Guy

Are we referring here to the little nut on the valve itself (which is usually hidden under the cap), or to the larger nut where the valve comes out of the rim?

I have had the latter nut loosen and ride up on the valve; I just tighten it back down by hand. It doesn't have to be enormously tight.

CliffordK

That nut is handy to get the pump attached at times. Otherwise, it doesn't do much. I've never paid a lot of attention to how tight it actually is when riding with the tube full of air.

Purple Loctite is weaker than blue. If you want to use some, give it a try next time.

njkayaker

You don't need the nut. You don't need the cap.

Push on tire on the opposite side of the valve to get the pump on.

Riveting

This is said a lot. But the problem is that some pumps need to be secured by pushing the pump down onto the stem with one hand, while the other hand has to flip the lever 90° to secure/squeeze the pump nozzle to the stem. I personally don't have a third hand to push down on the opposite side of the tire to stop the stem from going into the rim, therefore I use the the little round nut to hold the stem in place.

njkayaker

It's not that hard. It's what I've done for years. (I don't have three hands.)

Riveting

How do you: press down on the pump, press down on the opposite side of the tire, and flip the lever all at the same time with only two hands. I just make it easy on myself and use the nut, instead of pressing on the tire, doing it your way just seems unnecessarily masochistic.

spelger

don't have a third hand...what are you, some kind of freak?

njkayaker

I never use the nut and I use pumps with levers.

You push the head onto the stem and then flip the lever up.

CliffordK

I've got enough fingers and thumbs that I can normally push a lever up or down without thinking about it.

There are some pumps with twist heads that may be more cumbersome.

Sometimes it will depend on the length of stem. Short stems may be barely enough to snag a tread or two. Others are so long that there are no issues.

Nonetheless, it is good to have a backup plan for those times when you're on the side of the road and all the nuts vanish into the gravel.

cxwrench

Some of the threads on this forum or maybe

Iride01 

Now that I read it again, I think y'all were on the right track. I thought they were the OP was talking about the little nut you spin to prepare the valve to take air.

Makes more sense that the nut the OP must be referring to is the one that prevents the stem from getting pushed into the rim.

I wouldn't tighten that much at all, too much might start pulling the stem out of the tube. I've never worried about them getting loose.

KJ43

I think those two emoji's pretty much encompass 99% of the threads on this forum.

alcjphil

I think that many of the threads in this forum offer solutions to problems that many others never experience

Rolla

So Googling the bike in the OP's sig, I get this:




Are we talking about threaded metal schraeder valves and nuts? Say it ain't so!

dedhed

You don't "need" the nut. Some tubes the stem isn't even threaded.

Kedosto

The first time I saw one I was taken aback.

But… I’m still shaking my head over the notion of using blue Loctite on the valve stem nut. I’m shaking the other side of my head over the notion of intentionally not using the nut when it’s so helpful. Whatever.

Kapusta

I always use the nut and won’t buy tubes that are not threaded to take one.

I find on larger tires if the pressure is low, the stem just pushes into the rim when I try to push the pump head on but unless less it is really low I can’t push against the tire enough to brace the stem, so I have to deflate the tire to be able to do so.

southpier

what time does walmart open? asking for a friend

freeranger

If you want to leave the nut on a presta valve stem, but don't want to tighten it down against the rim, you could always buy a small round rubber o-ring at the hardware store and put it just above the nut.

rumrunn6

a cpl of my Schrader tubes have threads & the screw on collar. out of curiosity I used one, one time. it kept coming loose. thought maybe because I drill out the Presta holes, so there wasn't much surface tension at the rim to keep it in place. about 1 second more thought than it deserved. so I chucked it

Jeff Neese

I have one bike with schrader valves. I found that some Schwalbe schrader tubes have those lock nuts and now that's all I buy. That nut makes it SO much easier both to inflate the tires, and it keeps them straight in the rim. We've all seen wheels where the valve stem was off to an angle. Few things look more ghetto on a bicycle.

It's funny to me the people that say they don't use those nuts, even on their presta valves. There's no downside.

njkayaker

You don't need the little nut to install tubes properly.