soddruntlestuntle
Wore out three sets of tires already!
Different brand tubes; and the leak unfortunately is nowhere near the valve stem.
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Nervous in Suburbia - 1973 Suburban
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DrRumack80
Wore out three sets of tires already!
If one of the spoke heads punctured the tube, it's doubtful that it would now start holding air. Unless.. is one of the tubes a "Slime" brand? The valve is a more likely culprit. But, yes, put some tire liners in, or a few turns of electrical tape in a pinch.
Arnold Ziffel
Finally riding a big boys bike
As to your QUESTION about the Schrader Valve:
DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE old metal valve stem caps, that can UNSCREW & REMOVE the schrader valve assembly from the Valve Stem?
All schrader valve assemblies interchange.
Those old metal valve stem caps WERE ESSENTIALLY THE Tool TO UNSCREW the schrader valve assembly, so that you can instantly deflate for example truck tire innertubes that you might take to the beach or to the lake.
I still use them to deflate the big truck tire innertubes that we use at the beach or at the lake house.
You just UNSCREW completely and remove the schrader valve assembly from within the protruding black rubber stem and you can fully deflate the truck tire innertubes in less than a minute. It would take you a long time if you just used something like a BIC PEN or Match Stick to press on the valve and deflate the tube by going SISS, SISS, SISS, SISS...
Removing the schrader valve assembly ( they are all exactly the same, and they easily UNSCREW as they are threaded..) is super simple. In the old days, 50 years ago, we would UNSCREW the valve assembly and then would install NEVERLEAK into the tube...............NEVERLEAK essentially was the sealant stuff of ancient times, like SLIME is today. NEVERLEAK came in a metal toothpaste like tube that you'd squeeze and roll up after you screwed it to the now hollowed valve stem. Then you'd spin the bicycletube and tire to get the NEVERLEAK which essentially was a sort of liquified contact-rubber cement, to distribute itself throughout the bicycle tube. You gotta do the same thing for putting SLIME into a bicycle tube or lawn tractor tube. etc. You gotta UNSCREW & REMOVE the schrader valve assembly. SLIME supplies a plastic tool which does exactly the same thing as the old antique Metal automobile valve stem caps that had the "tool" as the top of the cap. It is nothing but two parallel flat tweezer like protrusions that work as a tool to UNSCREW the schrader valve assembly, just like a watchrepairman's tool unscrews the back off a diver's watch.
You can check the integrity of the valve assembly, by unscrewing it and screwing in another one. They are all interchangeable.
If you need any for FREE, go to any Automobile Service Station, or Automobile Tire Store, they routinely throw away the old valve stems when installing NEW car tires. Yes, cars haven't had tubes since the 1950's but every wheel still have a rubber valve stem with the same exact schrader valve assembly that will UNSCREW. It is highly doubtful that there will be anything wrong with the schrader valve assembly from a USED throwaway automobile wheel's valvestem. You can also UNSCREW the schrader valve assembly from punctured or cut innertubes that you were gonna throw away.
I have a small container think an old SUCRETS or ALTOID container with at least a dozen or more unscrewed schrader valve assemblies. Most of them go to the truck tire inner tubes that we use at the lake and the beach.
If your innertube is losing air out of the valve, just screw in another one, as its as easy as screwing in a light bulb.....if another one solves the air loss issue, you're good to go.
As for not getting your NEW replacement bicycle tube to get an immediate puncture, YOU NEED TO GO CAREFULLY WITH YOUR INDEX FINGER AND FEEL EVERYWHERE ALONG THE INNER WHEEL. Go lightly because there might be sharp areas that can slit your finger tip like a razor blade if it is poppin' your innertubes. IF YOU SEE ANY ROUGH SPOTS, OR RUST BUILD UP THAT ISN'T SMOOTH AS A CUE BALL, You Need to Use some very Fine (1000 grit) emery paper/sand paper to make it such that you can slide your finger across anywhere inside the inner rim where it is Smooth . IT IS OKAY TO NOT BE VISUALLY SMOOTH AND PERFECT LIKE THE PAINT & BODY EXTERIOR OF YOUR CAR. You Don't Care If the inner wheel looks like a cast iron surface, as you don't care what the heck it looks like as long as its smooth enough so that it doesn't have any sharpness that might slice the skin on the tip of your finger. If you can glide your finger over everywhere along the inner wheel rim without cutting up or slicing your finger, than you should have no problems with the NEW innertube getting sliced from grit or corrosion.
I am not a fan of commercially available bicycle tire liners. They do work when properly installed, but you don't need them unless you're always riding in goat-head city.
When I said they do work, I mean that they do add another layer of bulk between the tire itself and the tube BUT THERE IS A TRADEOFF SOMETIMES IN RIDE QUALITY AND IF THEY AREN'T PERFECTLY INSTALLED OR IF THEY SHIFT(MOVE) AFTER SAY THE BIKE TIRE GETS LOW ON AIR FROM NON-USE OR WHATEVER, THE RIDE QUALITY WILL SUFFER AND THEY COULD POSSIBLY WEAR THE INNER STRUCTURE OF THE TIRE CARCASS FASTER IF THAT OCCURS.
Heck, you won't need Thorn Resistant tubes IF YOU JUST DO THE Finger Slide Around Test OF THE INNER WHEEL BEFORE YOU INSTALL A NEW INNERTUBE/or and tire. THORN RESISTANT tubes are made with thicker better quality rubber. You can find fresh NEW THORN RESISTANT tubes if you search online web/amazon/ebay. Local Bike Shops Will Not Typically Carry The Heavy Duty Thorn Resistant Tubes because too many idiots in the bikeworld think they weigh too much. You must remember that the "weight weenies" in the bike world began to impact even the Innertubes more than 40 years ago. Light weight means less thick rubber but that is the way it has been since at least 1979-1980 when the 27 inch(630mm) wheel still dominated the road bike world. Now, certainly the quality control of todays' Chinese tubes may not be as good as what you'd have expected thirty years ago. The 27" (630mm) wheel has been antique history since 1985 when the 700C (622mm) wheel finally became the norm on all road bikes. Heavy duty means heavy as in weight, and weight is something that "weight weenies" go beezerk about as they were known to react to 100 grams as if it were heavier than a bowling ball.
DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE old metal valve stem caps, that can UNSCREW & REMOVE the schrader valve assembly from the Valve Stem?
All schrader valve assemblies interchange.
Those old metal valve stem caps WERE ESSENTIALLY THE Tool TO UNSCREW the schrader valve assembly, so that you can instantly deflate for example truck tire innertubes that you might take to the beach or to the lake.
I still use them to deflate the big truck tire innertubes that we use at the beach or at the lake house.
You just UNSCREW completely and remove the schrader valve assembly from within the protruding black rubber stem and you can fully deflate the truck tire innertubes in less than a minute. It would take you a long time if you just used something like a BIC PEN or Match Stick to press on the valve and deflate the tube by going SISS, SISS, SISS, SISS...
Removing the schrader valve assembly ( they are all exactly the same, and they easily UNSCREW as they are threaded..) is super simple. In the old days, 50 years ago, we would UNSCREW the valve assembly and then would install NEVERLEAK into the tube...............NEVERLEAK essentially was the sealant stuff of ancient times, like SLIME is today. NEVERLEAK came in a metal toothpaste like tube that you'd squeeze and roll up after you screwed it to the now hollowed valve stem. Then you'd spin the bicycletube and tire to get the NEVERLEAK which essentially was a sort of liquified contact-rubber cement, to distribute itself throughout the bicycle tube. You gotta do the same thing for putting SLIME into a bicycle tube or lawn tractor tube. etc. You gotta UNSCREW & REMOVE the schrader valve assembly. SLIME supplies a plastic tool which does exactly the same thing as the old antique Metal automobile valve stem caps that had the "tool" as the top of the cap. It is nothing but two parallel flat tweezer like protrusions that work as a tool to UNSCREW the schrader valve assembly, just like a watchrepairman's tool unscrews the back off a diver's watch.
You can check the integrity of the valve assembly, by unscrewing it and screwing in another one. They are all interchangeable.
If you need any for FREE, go to any Automobile Service Station, or Automobile Tire Store, they routinely throw away the old valve stems when installing NEW car tires. Yes, cars haven't had tubes since the 1950's but every wheel still have a rubber valve stem with the same exact schrader valve assembly that will UNSCREW. It is highly doubtful that there will be anything wrong with the schrader valve assembly from a USED throwaway automobile wheel's valvestem. You can also UNSCREW the schrader valve assembly from punctured or cut innertubes that you were gonna throw away.
I have a small container think an old SUCRETS or ALTOID container with at least a dozen or more unscrewed schrader valve assemblies. Most of them go to the truck tire inner tubes that we use at the lake and the beach.
If your innertube is losing air out of the valve, just screw in another one, as its as easy as screwing in a light bulb.....if another one solves the air loss issue, you're good to go.
As for not getting your NEW replacement bicycle tube to get an immediate puncture, YOU NEED TO GO CAREFULLY WITH YOUR INDEX FINGER AND FEEL EVERYWHERE ALONG THE INNER WHEEL. Go lightly because there might be sharp areas that can slit your finger tip like a razor blade if it is poppin' your innertubes. IF YOU SEE ANY ROUGH SPOTS, OR RUST BUILD UP THAT ISN'T SMOOTH AS A CUE BALL, You Need to Use some very Fine (1000 grit) emery paper/sand paper to make it such that you can slide your finger across anywhere inside the inner rim where it is Smooth . IT IS OKAY TO NOT BE VISUALLY SMOOTH AND PERFECT LIKE THE PAINT & BODY EXTERIOR OF YOUR CAR. You Don't Care If the inner wheel looks like a cast iron surface, as you don't care what the heck it looks like as long as its smooth enough so that it doesn't have any sharpness that might slice the skin on the tip of your finger. If you can glide your finger over everywhere along the inner wheel rim without cutting up or slicing your finger, than you should have no problems with the NEW innertube getting sliced from grit or corrosion.
I am not a fan of commercially available bicycle tire liners. They do work when properly installed, but you don't need them unless you're always riding in goat-head city.
When I said they do work, I mean that they do add another layer of bulk between the tire itself and the tube BUT THERE IS A TRADEOFF SOMETIMES IN RIDE QUALITY AND IF THEY AREN'T PERFECTLY INSTALLED OR IF THEY SHIFT(MOVE) AFTER SAY THE BIKE TIRE GETS LOW ON AIR FROM NON-USE OR WHATEVER, THE RIDE QUALITY WILL SUFFER AND THEY COULD POSSIBLY WEAR THE INNER STRUCTURE OF THE TIRE CARCASS FASTER IF THAT OCCURS.
Heck, you won't need Thorn Resistant tubes IF YOU JUST DO THE Finger Slide Around Test OF THE INNER WHEEL BEFORE YOU INSTALL A NEW INNERTUBE/or and tire. THORN RESISTANT tubes are made with thicker better quality rubber. You can find fresh NEW THORN RESISTANT tubes if you search online web/amazon/ebay. Local Bike Shops Will Not Typically Carry The Heavy Duty Thorn Resistant Tubes because too many idiots in the bikeworld think they weigh too much. You must remember that the "weight weenies" in the bike world began to impact even the Innertubes more than 40 years ago. Light weight means less thick rubber but that is the way it has been since at least 1979-1980 when the 27 inch(630mm) wheel still dominated the road bike world. Now, certainly the quality control of todays' Chinese tubes may not be as good as what you'd have expected thirty years ago. The 27" (630mm) wheel has been antique history since 1985 when the 700C (622mm) wheel finally became the norm on all road bikes. Heavy duty means heavy as in weight, and weight is something that "weight weenies" go beezerk about as they were known to react to 100 grams as if it were heavier than a bowling ball.
GTs58
I'm the Wiz, and nobody beats me!
Back in the 60's the local Schwinn dealership in Mesa ordered all his inventory with Thorn-Resisting tubes. A $2.00 option back in 1964 when I purchased my 64 Varsity. That bike was taken to its limits doing wheelies, riding on desert paths, BMX'g in the old Hohokam canals and riding on dirt and gravel canal roads to get there. I wore out the original tires, three sets of bar tape, front brake pads, broke a brake cable when I used the bike delivering newspapers, but I swear I don't remember ever having a flat tire. When the bull heads or what some call goat heads got stuck in the tires, I'd just scrap them off with my foot while rolling down the street. When I was cleaning up a 1961 Continental that I picked up from the original owners Grandson I installed new tires and tubes, and when I compared the new chinese tubes to the original Schwinn tubes it was like night and day. An innertube next to a condom came to mind. By the way, tire liners and rim strips are two different things.
Last edited:
DrRumack80
Wore out three sets of tires already!
Yes, they are. I meant to say rim strips. I've used electrical tape too. It's better than nothing and a good temp fix to get back on the road when an old rim strip breaks.
DesmoDog
Look Ma, No Hands!
When checking tires for nasty sharp stuff before replacing a tube, you will only use your bare finger until you find that first special hidden sliver of sharpness. After that you will use a rag. Rags don't hurt nearly as much when they catch that little piece of safety wire or whatever it is you didn't see sticking in there.
I do still use a finger for finding exposed spoke ends in the wheel, but even that is risky with old chrome plated rims. Flaking chrome is evil.
I do still use a finger for finding exposed spoke ends in the wheel, but even that is risky with old chrome plated rims. Flaking chrome is evil.
SirMike1983
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
Yes, there can be a burr, and yes, use rim strips when you assemble. The rim welds occasionally need to be filed smooth inside the rim. The welds on some of the later Schwinn rims from the 1970s and onward can be particularly messy. A file or dremel tool will clean them up. A rim strip is needed to cover the spoke nipples. If, after you true the wheel, a spoke begins to protrude from the nipple, file it flush with the top of the nipple and then place the rim strip.
Barto
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Hilarious! I’m still cracking up!
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