• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Become a Premium Member
  • About

Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

Expert road cycling advice, since 2001

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bikes & Gear
  • Training & Health
  • Reviews
  • Cycling Ebooks
    • Ebooks Training
    • Ebooks Skills
    • E-Articles Training
    • E-Articles Nutrition
  • Member Area
  • Newsletter

Plumbing the Depths for a 2-Pack of QTs

Today’s QT comes to us from Premium Member Russ Starke, who offers a couple of QTs that he has gleaned from personal experience. Both of them have something to do with plumbers, the second a bit “cheekier” than the first.


Here’s what Russ wrote: 

A couple of Quick Tips ideas:

1) I have a set of wheels that the little nut on the tube’s valve stem kept loosening and rattling. I went to my toolbox for a solution.

A bit of plumbers teflon tape wrapped around the threaded stem did the trick, holding the nut in place and stopping the loosening and subsequent noise.

2) Speaking of plumbers, I’ve found that a toilet bowl brush makes a great drivetrain cleaner.

Its bristles are hard enough to be able to really scrub a drivetrain to remove any gunk. And the long handle allows for some good leverage while keeping your hands well clear of the grime.

You probably should not use one brush for both purposes, though!


If you have an idea for a QT, fire away. We’re always looking for good info we can share with fellow roadies. We would love to hear from you with any suggestions you have. Contact us by clicking Quick Tips Ideas.

—John Marsh & The RBR Team

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. BryanH says

    January 25, 2018 at 2:49 pm

    Another solution to loose valve stem nuts is to not install them as they are not really needed.

    Cheers

    Reply
  2. Jim Kangas says

    January 25, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    agree with BryanH

    Reply
  3. Bnystrom says

    January 25, 2018 at 6:06 pm

    If you don’t use the nuts and you find that your valve stems rattle in the holes in the rim, take a small piece of electrical tape (or any vinyl tape) and push it over the valve stem. the pin will poke a hole, the tape will stretch around the stem and whe you stick it to the rim, the rattle is eliminated. This works with unthreaded stems, tool.

    Reply
  4. Boxster 986S says

    January 25, 2018 at 8:22 pm

    Yep, all those little nuts do is put more stress on the valve, eventually leadind to a leak or flat when it pulls through the tube.

    Reply
  5. Ric says

    January 26, 2018 at 9:25 am

    I have found just the opposite. Nuts relieve the stress put on the area where the valve attaches to the tube when installing the pump head to the valve stem. All the on and off over time causes the tube to fail on stems without nuts.

    Reply
  6. Kerry Irons says

    January 28, 2018 at 12:28 am

    Funny that you have that experience. I use Michelin (unthreaded valve stem) tubes because I hate the way threaded valve stems chew up my pump head. I cannot remember the last time I had a tube fail at the valve.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Articles

  • ‘Connect’ to Diet-Reverses-Diabetes Study: Even If You Don’t Have the Disease
  • My New Bike: Trek Checkpoint SL 5
  • Weak Muscles Predict Accelerated Aging, Disability and Death
  • Rolflex Muscle Recovery Tool Quick Review

Recent Newsletters

Newsletter Issue No. 1053

Newsletter Issue No. 1052

Newsletter Issue No. 1051

Newsletter Issue No. 1050

Newsletter Issue No. 1049

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

Our cycling expert editors and writers choose every product we review. We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. This income supports our site.

Follow Us

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Privacy Policy

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For?

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in