Originally Posted by
urbanknight
Regarding the risk of snapping the stem off, I was taught to hold the wheel AND pump head while pumping. Once I learned that, I stopped shearing off stems. Is there more to it that I don't know about?
I always either wrapped a couple of fingers around the rim while I was pumping or, if you were reinflating after a flat, pump up the tire before refitting the wheel. Allow the wheel to swing free while pumping. The weight of the wheel alone isn’t enough to damage the valve stem, it’s the hauling on it while pumping that does it