Michelle
Question:
I am at the end of my rope! I have Zipp 808 wheels and I can't ever pump up the tires without air leaking out of the valve stem extension. It is driving me crazy and I don't know how much air I ever put in there because I have to keep pumping till my arms are about to fall off. I get pinch flats and read that this is because I don't have enough air in the tires. It makes me mad because I only weigh 112 lbs but I still get flats. Help!
Answer:
You are not alone in your frustration over these #$%^& valve extensions. There are two solutions, one that works a lot better but has a "gotcha" and the other which doesn't work quite as well but is harder to get right.
- The best solution is to get Continental or Vittoria valve extensions that actually go in between the stem and the valve core (the part that has the valve in it). You have to carefully unscrew the core, then screw in the extension, and finally screw the valve core into the end. They don't leak and they work great! The "gotcha" is, you have to put them in your spares and then remember to remove the extension when you get a flat or you just spent a lot of money.
- The other solution is to get some "Teflon tape" which is used for plumbing jobs sealing pipe joints. Cut a small strip of the tape and wrap it clockwise (looking down on the axis of the stem towards the tire, so when you screw the big extension you got from Zipp on there it will seal. You need to make sure the valve is all the way open and you need to do this on spares too as the Teflon tape is not reusable.
I much prefer the first solution as it really is more reliable. Either way, though, you can now have a plan to eliminate some major frustration!