Quote:
Originally Posted by headshrink
Since they are so inexpensive, I think I am going to by a small arsenal of stem/cores.... well at least for 2 tires.
I'm looking at various vendors, but am finding that not everyone carries these. Do we just get any old shrader core and stem, or is there a specific one or size?
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Same valve stem core as any tire valve. Tire stems come in long/shorter lengths. Our bikes use the shorter length but both will work. WalMart carries them as does any autoparts store. You'll need a valve installer to pull the valve through the rim. They sell commercial ones..I made one by taking a metal valve stem cap, drilling a small hole through the top of it and attaching it with a small (very!) bolt/nut to a T-handle I made from some steel stock. Screwed the valve onto the handle/cap after placing in rim hole, lubed the stem, and in she pops with a stout pull.
The store bought ones use the same idea, the cheaper ones have a length of chain attached to a cap and short little pull bar..akward to get enough grip on it and the chain goes "South" after a couple hard pulls.
A couple other tips...remove the valve core before trying to seat the bead on the mounted tire using your friendly gas station air pump if you don't have a high psi home compressor. You might also want to take a ratchet strap and put it around the circumference of the tire keeping it centered. Tighten it down forcing the tire beads to approximate the rim seats before inflating. When she "pops" take off the air chuck and have a valve core ready to start screwing in. Look to see if the tire bead is evenly seated...a couple of dribbles of the rim on the ground will solve small uneven areas. Giving the tire bead a coating of baby shampoo solution will help her evenly seat the first time.
On my race tires, I would put a even, light smear of black RTV sealant on the tire bead to form a better, air tight seal. They sell a special RTV in a more liquid viscosity for this but hard to find and Permatex Black is as good, just more labor intensive.