So my wife got her first flat.... in the house
 

SO my wife was pumping up her tires getting ready to go on her second ride on her new bike. I was in the other room doing something else, and she comes out with this big frown on her face. She says she thinks she just popped her tire! Sure enough, pulling and pulling with all her might to get the bike pump off the stem, the tire tube tore at the base of the stem from the pulling. These stems are threaded, and the part of the pump that goes over it NEVER wants to come off after you are done pumping.

Anyway, at least she learned how to change a flat tire :rolleyes:

watched my cousin do that on his MTB with schraeders... it was funny. I use a rubber gasket style valve connection so all I have to do is pull: much easier to remove now... ALSO: you don't need to thread it on tight, just barely tight enough to keep the seal while inflating.

Is there a locking lever on your pump head?

I had 2000miles with no flats. I put my bike in the garage after a ride. And a couple of hours later I heard a hissing noise. Went in my garage and the tire was flat. The presta valve had kinda sheared off.

I've never had that happen until this summer. First on my daughter's bike and then on mine a week later.

Time for a Lezyne pump.

I've done that.. with an air compressor and a twisted tube.. made me jump a good 3 feet was almost as loud as a gunshot.

yep.. even when unlocked, it's on there like it IS locked. You have to be careful to only press it on enough to make a seal. Anything more, and it becomes a pain to get off. The replacement tube's valve was NOT threaded, and the pump head goes over and comes off with ease.

My pumps have an adjustable collar to let me loosen the fit on the stem without being overly snug, but they're not the coolest pumps in the world, just basic.

I was headed out for a ride with my kids last month and adding some air in the garage, pulled the pump off and put it away, but before I got back to the bike the valve shot out of the stem with a lot of fanfare. I was well startled and my kids thought it was cool (of course). The bright side: the driveway / yard has got to the best place to teach / learn how to change a tire!

This, here.

I use a press-on Presta adaptor locked into the floor pump head. When the adaptor refuses to pull off easily, I pop the pump head off the adaptor and unscrew the adaptor as if it were threaded onto the valve stem. Good patience training.

Seeing the title, I was wondering if she got her flat while riding through the basement on her TT bike :D

If you are scratching your head, it is from a pic posted in a recent thread.

Up until Wednesday the only flats I'd ever had were in the house.
Unfortunately on Wednesday I flatted after being unable to safely avoid huge ruts in the road, and then my spare tube went flat as I was pumping it. Since no one else had a tube I could use (58mm wheels) I had to call the wife for a ride.

Also, when replacing the tube once I get home I pumped it up and had it sitting against my wall...15 minutes later while I'm grabbing a drink from the fridge, I hear the tube burst.
I diligently inspect the tire and find nothing that could have caused it. So yay Bontrager Race-X Lite tubes..... :(

Some tubes have a removale presta valve upper portion. I untightened the dustcaps to a surprise "POP* Hssssssss!"

Easy fix, just screw it back in.

My pump handle always has a death grip on the stem, just pull in an upward direction, no angles.

Does she know you're on the internet making folly of her?

For a steep price I can make the evidence disappear. :innocent: :lol:

Makes me wonder how you are removing the pump from the valve. Pull towards the hub, not towards your body...

It really depends on the pump. With my Park track pump, it goes on threaded Presta valves very easily. Taking it off, on the other hand, is a massive pain if it's more than just barely latched on.

You could try lubricating the sealing collar inside the pump head just prior to use. I'm guessing it's a rubber O-ring type thing. If it's dry it will be a pain to go on and off. On military radio/headset cables, we always wipe some spit on the connectors' rubber o-rings or they will simply not go on at all.

Coincidentally, my pump has the opposite problem. Works fine on threaded valve stems, but on the non-threaded ones you have to make sure it's pushed all the way down. If it's not, it will slide off during pumping once pressure is above 100psi.

bought one. took it back. all my tires have removable presta valve cores. Lezyne unscrews them frequently. I put Silca pump heads on all my pumps (floor). I use the barberi pump on as my mechanical backup and silca CO2 inflators instead. The Lezyne was a massive fail, IMO.

J.