TravelingSnowma

Hi! I'm a cycling novice and need help with my son's bike. He has schrader valves on his tires. The problem is they're really short and I can't get the pump over the valve far enough to be able to actually pump them up. Right now they're only on enough to release air but when I try to pump I can't push down all the way. Also, spokes of the wheel are in the way. Any tips or ideas as to what I could do? Different pump or something?

Thanks so much!!!

10 Wheels

Take one wheel to a bike shop and have them show you how to add air.

seypat

A picture would be helpful. Put one in your gallery and someone will upload it.

VegasTriker

I really haven't come across different lengths on the schrader valve in the same way we see with presta valves. Are you sure the valves are completely seated in the rim hole? If you push on the valve from the tire side it will usually get reluctant schrader valves to seat completely but may take some real pushing. If this doesn't work you could consider converting to presta valves and adding "presta valve stem savers" to fill in the extra space in the opening. Then look for compatible tubes with extra long presta stems.
It also sounds as though the wheel builder forgot to locate the valve hole correctly. This is especially important on 16" and 20" wheels where the crosses are closer to the rim.

The OP can not post pictures because of the rules of this site limiting pictures to having more than 10 posts.

TravelingSnowma

Posted the photos.

TravelingSnowma

After looking at it again, I wonder if part of the problem is the angle of the valve. Not sure how to fix that. Sorry, I have no idea what you mean about whether they are seated correctly. What I can say is that this is a 20" bike for my 9 year old son. rides great.

ClydeClydeson

I have seen this problem with 'aero' style rims on bikes with Schrader valves. It depends on the pump head design, but it can be very difficult to get air into them. The only solution I can think of is (if you can't find long Schrader valve tubes) to get a long presta valve tube and use the shims for adapting a Schrader hole to a presta valve. Long presta valves are much more common than long Schrader valves.
You can also find extenders for presta valves that could also do the trick if you can only find short presta valve tubes.
Example of adaptors to use presta valves in rims drilled for Schrader:
https://www.amazon.com/Quad-Wheels-M...ps%2C94&sr=8-6

Presta extenders: https://www.amazon.com/Extender-Alum...dDbGljaz10cnVl

Another idea is to get a different chuck for your pump - the type normally used on compressors are very shallow and don't have a locking lever taking up more room and complicating the process. You probably need to hold the chuck on with one hand and pump with the other, which might be difficult.
Example: https://www.amazon.com/Feelers-Porta...s%2C96&sr=8-11

One last suggestion is to make sure you are pushing the Schrader valve out as far as possible with your thumb - you might need to actually let all the air out to effectively try this strategy.

LAST last suggestion - see if you can find tubes with a valve stem with a bend in it. Probably only available in some smaller sizes, but maybe worth a look...
https://www.amazon.com/Wingsmoto-12-...s%2C142&sr=8-6

TravelingSnowma

Could I get a new pump with a smaller chuck on it? Not sure if I can replace the chuck on mine.

Yea, I can see what you mean about potentially deflating the tire all the way so I can use my thumb to press the valve out as far as possible to get the chuck onto it.

Those seem like the only two realistic options before I have to take it to a bike shop to figure it out.

alcjphil

The photos show that the valve is at an angle making it difficult to attach the pump. The tire needs to be deflated so that you can straighten the valve. Once straightened, the valve will protrude farther and you will be able to attach the pump to inflate the tire

TravelingSnowma

Man, I hope that's true! So I should just deflate it and then I should be able to wiggle it into place so it is vertical rather than at an angle?

ThermionicScott 

Pic assist:

Iride01 

alcjphil is correct. You need to deflate the tube and see if you can pull the valve out of the rim more. However some tubes and tires will stick together and you may actually have to take one bead of the tire off the rim to unstick the tube. It's one of the major reasons I powder my tubes and the inside of my tires every time one or the other is new.

Riding the bike with too low an air pressure is like the main reason tubes shift position in the tire and the valve stems lean. I check my tires almost every ride. And top them off every other ride. However a wider lower pressure tire like that may not need so much attention as my road bike tires.

Don't let your son ride with angled valve stems. It says a lot about how much one knows and cares about what they ride.

msu2001la

I'd second the idea of deflating and making sure it's inserted into the valve hole correctly, then re-inflating the tire. That angle does not seem right.

That said, I have a similar problem getting air into my daughter's 16" tires (even with the valves coming straight out). On these kid's size wheels, there is very little room to get the pump head on the valve due to the spokes crossing so low over the rim, and the valve is also very short. My Topeak Joe Blow pump head supposedly can handle Schrader valves, but it's a struggle to get the head to "bite on" to the valve. I have to press down really hard to basically "hold" the head on the valve with one hand while pumping with the other, and even then the PSI gauge doesn't work and the pump is super hard to operate, like it's not attached correctly. Somehow air gets into the tire and because this is a kids bike I'm not too worried about the exact PSI, so I just measure by feel.

ClydeClydeson

This.

Not only is a visual indicator of inadequate care and concern (or skill and knowledge) when performing maintenance, it puts excess stress on the rubber at the base of the valve stem and can lead to failure over time.

Iride01 

Just a thought since the hole in the rim can't be seen in the pic. But if you can't pull the valve stem out to expose the full length of it, then it might be a rim for presta valve tubes.

3alarmer 

...sometimes you need to pull on the exterior of the tyre a little bit, in a direction tangential to the rim, so that the tyre and tube both slide a little bit in the direction you need it to go.
Over time, sometimes the tyre and tube kind of stick together a little bit. Gab onto a couple of spokes with one hand, and grab onto the outside of the tyre with the other, and slide.

smd4

In the picture above, you've got to deflate the tire completely. When you do this, you should be able to rotate the tire and tube around the rim fairly easily. Once you can do this, squeeze the tire tightly between thumb and fingers at the valve, and manually try to push (rotate) the tire and tube to the right. Then, when the valve is straight, you need to try and push it through the hole from the rear. You may even have to try to push the valve slightly back into the hole a little, towards the tube, so the tire can seat into the rim around the valve, before trying to pull it out again.

BlazingPedals

Note when you deflate the tire, you'll also have to unstick the bead from the rim so that the tire moves. When the valve is crooked like that, it can cause damage to the stem, even cause flats. It is usually caused by running the tire too soft. Or improper installation in the first place.

VegasTriker

Yes, the angled valve stem is definitely your problem and as others have suggested. deflating the tire and repositioning the tube will solve your problem. You don't even have to remove the wheel from the bike. It is actually easier to correct the angle with the wheel still mounted as it is easier to hold. Just turn it upside down and make the correction. Lots of times you will tear a hole in the tube if you pressurize a tire to the maximum pressure on the sidewall while having the valve only partly through.