the 'there's no such thing as a stupid question' bike maintenance thread

Hi cletus,

thanks for the reply.

Should have said, I have tried with the value core out with the track pump. The adaptor for the compressor won't screw on with out the valve core in place. No mesh on pump head that i can see.

I don't have ratchet straps, but have tried using an old inner tube to do the same. with a few different degrees of tightness on the tire by the tube none of which have worked.

Going to try using the tire levers to pull the tire out to the rim before i try inflate it again. Example from 4:20 in this video….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rkbkjNvPdk

If I cannot get it then I expect I'll be calling to the LBS in defeat tomorrow as I have put more time than I'd like to admit into getting this done!

Hi - just a small cheap compressor that continually inflates to a set pressure, no tank unfortunately. Tried connecting it without the value core in and again no luck. Never had the need for anything other than the track pump to seat any tubeless tires before, although they were all road bike tires - tubeless on the gravel bike is only recent enough for me and this was my first time changing tubeless tire on that bike. I Just spent most of my lunch break trying the way as mentioned in the youtube clip, again no joy there. Expect that is it for my attempts to do it, and the experts in the bike shop can be the hero now!

Thanks for your suggestions.

I had a 'mare trying to do the same last year. The previous tyre (same wheel) had seated easily, but that one wasn't having any of it. Even getting it on and off the rim was proving impossible (I broke 2 plastic tyre levers trying). Over the course of a week or so trying I added a pair of tyre pliers, a tyre glider, and an Airshot to my arsenal, and the airshot seated it instantly. As it happens, I actually changed said tyre yesterday, and between those 3 items the entire process including adding the sealant was about 10 minutes - with a very limited amount of swearing involved! It was more initial expense than I'd have liked, but at least I now have them in the toolbox.

I'd imagine the right compressor in place of the Airshot would do the job as well though, and would possibly be of use for other things.

Yeah, that's a bit much, all right

Almost all of the "bolts" we talk about on bikes are machine screws. The difference is bolts are designed to pass through an unthreaded hole and be fastened by a nut, machine screws are designed to fasten into a threaded hole.

There's nothing particularly special about most of the fasteners on our bikes either, with a few exceptions (e.g. stem bolts might have a narrower than usual head)

Once you know the size of the fastener, the only other info you need to be able to order from any hardware supplier is the head type. This image might help people in that regard

Button hex and cap hex would be the most common type, obviously the same head types can be gotten with Torx instead of hex

https://ecobox.co.za/product/iron-padlock-38mm/ similar to this one i, have no idea how to shim a lock its hanging down 4 inchs below the handlebar

eg i just removed it from the handlebar ,it was loose ,eg lock is still locked to the chain ,

i can just buy a new lock i have a spare bike chain 3 ft long .new lock is only 2 euro in dealz

Here's a photo

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Padlock-Shim this link shows how to shim the lock i have exact model 60mm

no i cut nothing , the chain was wrapped loosely around i just unwrapped it and removed it, i found the key to the lock today .sorry for wasting your time.

Alright lads/ladies.

Should be easier than this to get off a freehub.
Tried a 10mm allen in there, no luck.

Latex tubes don't have the same stretchibility that butyl tubes do. I'd err on the side of caution, and buy appropriately sized ones

Most tubes have a range so can you check on the tube as it might be stamped on? I use 20-25 for instance for my 23's and would have no issue using them on 25's. Worth checking the tube and what range it can fit.