SKS Rennkompressor

dboden
dboden Posts: 349
edited June 2009 in Workshop
This has been bugging me for about a year, and have never had the courage to ask..

I have one of these pumps, but I am still unsure weather I am connecting it correctly to my valve?
It is not the new style valve head. (unfortunately)
I tend to just shove it straight on to the presta valve, pump it up and then yank it off, thus making a loud release of air pressure from the pump. It does the job, but just doesn't feel right?

It has a lever on the head, but this doesn't seem to do anything??????

Any comments welcome

Thanks

Comments

  • pinkbikini
    pinkbikini Posts: 876
    dboden, the 'old style' valve head on the SKS is, IMO, one of the worst bits of engineering design ever. Never stays on the valve properly, hangs to one side, releases air when pressure builds in the tyre. Absolute rubbish. Why they ever fitted it on one of the most durable pumps going is a mystery.
    I got one of these - http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/topeak-super-chuck-item8117.html. Fitted it by simply cutting the rubber hose at the valve end, binning the valve head and attached this one. Took about 1 minute. As you are already doing, you just shove it onto the tube valve, pump, and pull the valve head off. Does make a loud noise, which is air from the hose being released. You might be able to live with doing this with the original valve, but I couldn't!
  • dboden
    dboden Posts: 349
    Music to my ears, I was beginning to think it was me, and I really can't bear it any longer.
    So how exactly does the new brass thingy work?
  • pinkbikini
    pinkbikini Posts: 876
    works the same way as the one you're currently using. Shove it onto the tube valve. The rubber flange (or whatever it is called) inside grips the valve and creates an airtight seal. Pump up the tube. Then press the release button on the brass valve head which lets the air out of the pump hose - this makes it a bit easier to simply pull the valve head off the presta valve. Advantage is that there is no lever to make the valve head hang askew and let air out.
    There was an old video somewhere of Chris Boardman using the SKS to pump up his track tyres, and his dad had to hold the valve head in place on the tyre otherwise he had a similar problem. Like I said, really poor design. For me, getting 120psi into the tyres was a 2 person job.
    I've used the Topeak brass chuck/valve head for over a year now - no problems at all.

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