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crack pipe adapter question

coop6coop6
in General Training Discussions

Is the pressure reading I'm getting on my tire pump accurate if I'm using a crack pipe adapter? I'm trying to inflate to 110. This thing is a pain in the neck to use, it leaks air sometimes, and I'm never confident I have my tires properly inflated when I have the wheel cover on. 

If there is an easier way to do this, I'm all ears.

Comments

  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    Crack pipe adapter is best used as a two-person operation. I do find my pump gauge is accurate, but someone else needs to hold on the pipe for me to use the pump.
  • coop6coop6
    Thanks Mike. I've been trying to do this solo, or with my 11 year old son. Neither situation is working well. It's so tough to get the last few psi in, I was wondering if I was over inflating the tire.
  • Dino SartiDino Sarti
    Sometimes it's the pump. Mine sometimes struggles to grab the crack pipe. But, when borrowing a friends at an event his worked great. For what it's worth, I have used a CO2 to push volume into the wheel when the pump has upset me..... image
  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    There is one crack pipe out there that has a lever on it to close the thing down on your valve stem. (I have it.) This makes it a little more possible to do as a one person operation, but I agree a third or fourth hand helps. Let me know if you want met to figure out which adapter it is that has the lever...but it sounds like you've already got one.
  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    Posted By William Jenks on 14 Aug 2012 11:51 AM

    There is one crack pipe out there that has a lever on it to close the thing down on your valve stem. (I have it.) This makes it a little more possible to do as a one person operation, but I agree a third or fourth hand helps. Let me know if you want met to figure out which adapter it is that has the lever...but it sounds like you've already got one.

    I want to know which brand/kind it is, William!



     

  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    It's made by Silca, search Silca 40.0 or see here

    http://www.amazon.com/Silca-Locking-brass-chuck-Presta/dp/B0028MUV3Y

  • Jeff SullivanJeff Sullivan
    @ mike intersting adapter but not likely to work on my HedH3 wheel - i've come to the conclusion this requires wheel setup requires 3 hands or a CO2 sacrifice (per Dino) - long time ago i had a pump with a side activated lever that would lock on to the valve stem threads - it would be nice to find a crack pipe with that type of clamp for my wheel
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    @ Jeff - I've been using a regular crack pipe to inflate my HED3's for the past 3 years with absolutely no issues ... as long as I have one other person helping me. My 13 yr old daughter is excellent at holding it on while I pump. My wife ... not so! image In transition, I just look for another guy with a disk wheel we help each other inflate the tires.
  • coop6coop6
    I think part of the problem is my pump is not locking on to the crack pipe very well. Is there a floor pump brand/model that works well with this? I'm looking into getting the Silca 40.0 adapter.
  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    Depends on the pump you have. Most people (for reasons I don't know) seem to think that you start with the lever offset, and then lock it in by twisting it parallel to the tubing. In fact, on most pumps, it's the opposite, which could be the problem.

    Also could be the problem that the Silca adapter needs to go into a Schroeder valve side of the pump, not the Presta side.

    not familiar with any particular pumps that play nicer with a crack pipe than others.
  • GMAN 19030GMAN 19030
    After year's of struggling to find the proper inflating equipment for discs or H3's or whatever I finally found the right pump.

     

    Lezyne floor pump with the speed chuck adaptor: http://magshop.lezyne.com/floor-pumps/high-pressure-pumps.html

     


     

    Here it is attached to my Zipp 900 disc: 

  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    Yes, mine is Silca as well. (re Mike's reply)
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