Bike tire/tube help please! I need help with my presta valve!?

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RamaL

New member
So, i have a road bike. The tires are road bike tires. like the skinny kind. they worked for a few years then i inflated one too much and it popped.
so i got a new tube. the tube is like the presta valve kind. my old one did not have a presta valve it was just a 26 inch one. this one says 700c or something. so i think it might work. i put the tube in the tire and i got a presta valve adapter so it would pump up with my normal tire. so when i screwed the thing on and i pumped the psi shot up to as high as it would go! so i took it off. and then i unscrewed the presta valve thing (i had taken off the adapter) and then it did kinda the same thing but the tire was getting a little bigger but the psi was still like super high and it was going really slow and im afraid i might pop it! (i have popped 2 tires before).

so do you thing this is because the tire is the wrong size or what? IM VERY CONFUSED! please help (:
 
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chrisarrow222

New member
Yeah, like the first poster said....26 inch=650cc. Is that a road bike or a time trial bike?

The other thing about valve adaptors...they are kind of unreliable, you should really screw them on tight with a pliers. But in doing that you can easily destroy the thread.

To get a real 26 inch tube, you have to go to a bike shop....typically if they don't have it, they should be able to order it in.
 
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Cyclebum

New member
You're trying to put a square peg in a round hole, so to speak.

Go to the bike shop or box store and get yourself a 26 inch tube for your 26 inch tire.
 
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thecheapbikeshop

New member
First, if you didn't have a presta valve before you can't install one now unless you get a washer to place in your rim. This is different from the presta adapter.

Second, if you have a 26" road tire, 700C will NOT fit. You are going to have a tough time finding a 26" tube for a road tire but you might try at a local bike shop. The reason you are having problems inflating is because the tube is folded inside the tire. This is a bad thing.

For an explanation on how to fill a presta valve tube go to http://thecheapbikeshop.com , click on the "Repairs" link, and then click on the link that says "My Bike has a Weird Valve". That'll give you a complete explanation of what is going on.
 
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edwardw

Member
700c is the correct size for a road bike but you have differences in diameter of the tube from 18mm - 35mm and you need to look on the side of the tire to figure out which one you need. Most tubes come in a range of sizes and your # 700c X 23mm will fit for a tube that says 700x18-25 because it is within that range... a 700X 35 size is for a tire that is used for a comfort bike or hybrid and since you have a road bike you likely will only get a presta valve for this bike. Yes they inflate faster than a 26" tube because there is not as much volume in a road tire as in a mtn tire. If you have a pump that adapts to both presta and schrader valves you do not need the adapter to fill this tube and if your pump only works with schrader valves then you do. you need a 26" tube!!!
 
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thecheapbikeshop

New member
First, if you didn't have a presta valve before you can't install one now unless you get a washer to place in your rim. This is different from the presta adapter.

Second, if you have a 26" road tire, 700C will NOT fit. You are going to have a tough time finding a 26" tube for a road tire but you might try at a local bike shop. The reason you are having problems inflating is because the tube is folded inside the tire. This is a bad thing.

For an explanation on how to fill a presta valve tube go to http://thecheapbikeshop.com , click on the "Repairs" link, and then click on the link that says "My Bike has a Weird Valve". That'll give you a complete explanation of what is going on.
 
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