Motorized Bicycle Take a Tip...Leave a Tip

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rustycase

rustycase

Gutter Rider
May 26, 2011
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the valve stem is much smaller in diameter than our customary Schrader valve, so it is less of a weakness when the hole is drilled in a bicycle rim.
...Especially those skinny racing rims!

I don't care for them, yet I have no need for them...
I suppose I would use them if I was pedalling road racing bicycles.
rc
 
CTripps

CTripps

Active Member
Aug 22, 2011
1,310
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Vancouver, B.C.
Good to know, thanks RC. I'm down to one last Presta valve tubed tire in my garage, everything else has Schrader valves. It won't be long before I switch out that last one, either... I hate fiddling around with Presta valves. The bike shop I won't go to anymore put them on my wife's bike when she dropped it in for a check and tune up a couple of years ago (just after she got it), and insisted they were better valves. They might make sense on a high-end racing bike or some thing, but on a MTB with the rim already having a Schrader size hole for the valve stem it made no sense, just added a couple of bucks per tire expense (the true reason for installing them I suspect).
 
crassius

crassius

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2012
4,032
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USA
looked a bit online - seems if a guy comes to my shop with a flat & has one of these, he'll leave with the same flat as my old compressor won't fit it : (
 
W

Wally

New Member
Dec 25, 2011
28
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South Africa
crassius said:
looked a bit online - seems if a guy comes to my shop with a flat & has one of these, he'll leave with the same flat as my old compressor won't fit it : (
Click to expand...
Strange ....... most repair kits have an adapter to fit a Presta valve for a standard MTB/Motor-car ait connetor. Unscrew the "valve stopper" on the Presta, screw on the "collar" from the repair kit and hey presto!
 
crassius

crassius

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2012
4,032
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sounds like some euro asshat has figured out he can make more money selling adapters than he can selling tubes - probably gonna sell 'special' spandex pants with a pocket to carry the adapter in too
 
W

Wally

New Member
Dec 25, 2011
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South Africa
What are you on about? I leave a tip then get called names! I am nowhere near Europe either nor am I selling anything I just see and comprehend what the items in my punture repair kit is for. It comes with tyre levers! (Note spelling) and glue / adhesive, patches to fix the leak in the tube which is attached with the adhesive AND sand paper to roughen the area.
 
crassius

crassius

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Sep 30, 2012
4,032
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Wally said:
What are you on about?
Click to expand...
sorry that you misread it, I appreciate knowing that tip of yours, but I'm definitely against the whole idea of those valves

sounds to me like someone hoping to sell 10,000 tubes, then forcing folks with compressors to buy 10,000,000 adapters just to fit those tubes
 
Kioshk

Kioshk

Active Member
Oct 21, 2012
1,152
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Connecticut
So, just when I think I know everything I need to, I ran into a situation yesterday where I was SURE one of my needle-bearings was going south. Well, I'd FINALLY replaced my standard spark-plug line with a high-quality automotive one...I didn't have the spark-plug's nipple, so I used the crappy brass one which came with the standard plug-cap in the interim. WELL, in the 12-hours I had between replacing the line, and actually riding the bike for a distance greater than a mile, I'd forgotten about my unfinished "upgrade", and headed out on a 20-mile journey. About 15-miles out, my engine exhibited behavior which seemed like a cross between intermittent fuel-delivery blockage, and what felt like crank-binding. It wasn't too distracting; I was able to continue cruising as it would only happen in short, infrequent bursts. Well, the the frequency seemed to be increasing, so I decided to pull over and remove the head. I checked for play in the crank and piston...NONE. Used my iPhone 4 in video-mode with the light on like a periscope...this is VERY useful for inspecting the crank-case for debris. No debris. I decided to bail on my trip and limped home at about 15MPH _CONVINCED_ one of the needle-bearings was going bad. Nearing home I then remembered that I'd neglected to get a new nipple for my NGK. I stopped in at a local ACE Hardware, bought a cheapo Champion plug, and swapped out the nipple. Bike is now running great again. I feel stupider for the experience, but won't assume the worst for longer than I have to in the future. MAKE SURE YOUR SPARK CONNECTIONS ARE SOLID!
 
rustycase

rustycase

Gutter Rider
May 26, 2011
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I had a look at the 29'er bicycle tires... just a quick search...

The Maxxis Icon Exc 29x2.2 doesn't look like too bad a tire for a motorized bicycle.
Yet it is $65 +

My son really has a preference for the 29'er pedal bike he recently got.
And he makes use of it a lot!
Of course, mostly street riding, but he also does a lot of dirt-trail stuff I am glad I do not watch. He is aggressive and is sure he's bullet-proof.

Never-the-less, at this time, for a motorized bicycle usually run on the street, I am almost sure there are more suitable options, at more reasonable prices in the 26" rim size.

I would NOT buy a 29'er for my own use.

Dealing with the Presta valve is no more than an inconvenience for most riders. Many current pedal bikers are set up for them.

My two cents.
:)
rc
brnot
 
maniac57

maniac57

Old, Fat, and still faster than you
Oct 8, 2011
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memphis Tn
I see no good reason for presta valves. Why not just use a schraeder valve?
I don't use them and I don't work on the bikes that use them.
 
rustycase

rustycase

Gutter Rider
May 26, 2011
2,746
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Left coast
It's a euro kinda thing... :)

Actually, the presta valve is 2mm narrower than the schader valve we are accustomed to, here in amerika.

What that gets for you, is less of an intrusion into the rim, hence a stronger rim, especially for the skinny road racing tires and such.

...So, they ARE a good thing, for the right application...

Personally, I don't feel skinny tires have any place on a motorized bicycle because we are generally moving faster and encountering pavement variations at a far greater speed than most pedalists. We need the protection of a fat tire. ...and the bit of suspension they afford.

Now if you are building a motorized bicycle for a speed record on a closed course with a great surface... well, I'd have a skinny road racing tire!
When he made his run at Bonneville, Auggie was glad he had chosen a medium width tire because of irregularities in the salt,and cracks, that he says would have swallowed a skiny tire!


:)
rc
cvlt1
 
Jumpa

Jumpa

New Member
Aug 12, 2011
607
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Cape Cod
hey Rusty thanks for the seeds bro should have a plethora of tobaccy in no time with this weather. Someone sent me an email i thought you might like first off look what I did to my air cleaner for an extra few M.P.H. not to mention much quicker through the start of , thats a 2'' 90° wa ss clamp . I also drilled two holes where the bolts would go even though the clamp hold it pretty well


 
Jumpa

Jumpa

New Member
Aug 12, 2011
607
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Cape Cod
Getting old and Umbrellas

Best Senior Moment I've heard!
Here's a quote from a government employee who witnessed a recent interaction between an elderly woman and an antiwar protester.
There were protesters at the grocery store handing out pamphlets on the evils of America .
I politely declined to take one.
There was an elderly woman behind me and a young (20-ish) female protester offered her a pamphlet, which she politely declined.
The young protester put her hand on the old woman's shoulder as a gesture of friendship and in a very soft voice the young lady said,
"Lady, don't you care about the children of Iraq?"
The old woman looked up at her and said:
"Honey, my father died in France during World War II, I lost my husband in Korea , and a son in Vietnam ..
All three died so a ***** like you could have the right to stand here and badmouth our country.
If you touch me again, I'll stick this umbrella up your ass and open it."
~ God Bless America ~ I love getting old
 
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