On 10/05/2010 3:24 PM, Ted Ernst wrote:
> The valve cap and locknuts on tubulars is an abomination, and probably
> so on clinchers, too.
> When you are a pro your team car with wheel/bike is quick.
> But if you're alone and need to do the change yourself with stiff
> fingers and in a hurry while others are racing away, whether pro or
> amateur, that locknut when tire is flatted usually draws down into rim
> well and then tightens even more.
> Having it on loose is useless. If you affix the tire/tube tite and the
> casing moves, then the valve seat gets torn sooner than if locknut were
> left off.
That is something I learned back when I rode motorcycle trials and motocross, where tire pressures can run down to single digits (psi). You always threw away the valve locknuts because they prevented the valve from leaning if the tire started to creep before ripping out the valve. On a bicycle, if the valve isn't straight, you you also know you haven't mounted it properly.
--
John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada