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