Valve (driving me..) Nuts!

Mike67

Does anyone leave those little valve nuts on or are they a waste of time?
Some valves have them and some don't so are they really needed?

I ask as I had an annoying rattle coming from the front end yesterday. I though I'd done a spoke nipple in or some part of the rim was rattling around inside.
It's only today with the wheel off the bike I realised the valve nut was a bit loose and causing all the fuss :evil:

GiantMike

I use them because I've had a rattly valve stem previously when I didn't. You just can't win.

Pross

They're not essential. I think their main purpose is to stop the tube slipping and shearing the valve but I would suspect that's a remote risk if the tyres are properly inflated. As you say you get some threadless valves that don't have the nut at all so they can't be that critical.

Aggieboy

I like to use them so as not to ram the valve back up into the tyre and puncturing the inner tube, when pushing the track pump on. It's has happened with the threadless type. Maybe it's just me though :roll:

manglier

Always throw the nuts away, have done for over 40 years.

thecrofter

They could be the cause of the vibration I get when I approach warp speed on a descent, I think I'll bin them and see what happens.



Of course that could just be b*llocks

estampida

and not all nuts are the same

sun rims have a small recess that fits only certain valve nuts

and use them I have torn valves off without them, never with them fitted

and if you did not need them why would they supply them in the first place :roll:

desweller

You only really need them on deep section rims where the valve can disappear into the rim. Makes it a bit easier to get the pump on.

If you're not running deep rims then bin 'em; they add fully 5 or 6g weight I expect!

wishitwasallflat

Are the not there so that when/if you inflate a fully flat tube while fitted it makes it easier to fit the pump head without pushing the valve stem back up inside the rim?

Gizmodo

wishitwasallflat wrote:

Are the not there so that when/if you inflate a fully flat tube while fitted it makes it easier to fit the pump head without pushing the valve stem back up inside the rim?

That's what I thought they were for. Always leave mine off.

andy46

I always use them, but like the OP I had a rattle on the front that turned out to be a loose valve nut.

I check them along with tyre pressures before each ride now.

garryc

I never use them (or the dust caps). If you get a rattle, and I never have, just wrap a piece of insulating tape round the valve.

MichaelW

I find them useful for ensuring that the valve is positioned radially when fitting the tyre. I then slack the nut off and push the valve in to seat the tyre bead.
I put vaseline on the thread in winter to avoid seizing.

keef66

I just keep one in my puncture kit and use it when attaching the pump to a completely flat tube. As mentioned above, it stops the valve stem moving about & makes the pump easier to attach. Once inflated, I remove the thing again.

izza

With the Mavic CC's, a rattle often comes from the long tubes rattling in the tubes passing out through the fairings.

Find it better to wrap the valve with a bit of insulation tape to stop rattle against fairings rather than force a nut onto fairing and reduce available thread depth for pump.

Ron Stuart

Do them up tight and with the combination of not having to replace the tube for a while, winter salt, frozen fingers, lashing rain/sleet and being on top of moorland now try and get the buggers to undo :oops:

Gizmodo

That confirms it. I've just bought some Michelin Latex tubes with 60mm valves, they don't even have a thread on the valve, so I've definately got no nuts :shock:

Peddle Up!

Nuts and dust caps in the bin. Never saw the point of them. :?

thecrofter

Peddle Up! wrote:

Nuts and dust caps in the bin. Never saw the point of them. :?

I managed to hang on to my nuts until just after I got married.

Peddle Up!

thecrofter wrote:

Peddle Up! wrote:

Nuts and dust caps in the bin. Never saw the point of them. :?

I managed to hang on to my nuts until just after I got married.