I pumped up my tires before a ride last weekend using a small blackburn pump. I have a floor pump that works quite well, but I like to use the smaller one from time to time to see if it still works. After pumping in the air, I flipped the lock mechanism back to the body of the pump and tried to pull off the pump. This pump is frequently "sticky" to the valve stem and generally requires a pretty hard tug to get it off. This time was no exception and I pulled really hard. The pump did come off, but it yanked off the top of the valve stem with it. (I have presta valves). The air rushed out of the tube, which was ruined. This has never happened before and I'm trying to understand what went wrong. A few questions:
--Has anyone ever had this happen to them before? --Is the pump defective? Is the tube defective? Am I misusing the pump?
I pumped up my tires before a ride last weekend using a small blackburn pump. I have a floor pump that works quite well, but I like to use the smaller one from time to time to see if it still works. After pumping in the air, I flipped the lock mechanism back to the body of the pump and tried to pull off the pump. This pump is frequently "sticky" to the valve stem and generally requires a pretty hard tug to get it off. This time was no exception and I pulled really hard. The pump did come off, but it yanked off the top of the valve stem with it. (I have presta valves). The air rushed out of the tube, which was ruined. This has never happened before and I'm trying to understand what went wrong. A few questions:
--Has anyone ever had this happen to them before? --Is the pump defective? Is the tube defective? Am I misusing the pump?
I'm grateful for any insight.... Best, Keefe.
Good idea to check out your tools and equipment at home once in a while. Just think if this happened to you on your way to work (in a rain storm or snow storm... if you want to add to the drama). Blackburn makes a nice small pump. That said, most small pumps are hard to get off the Presta valve. Yours may be OK, but it is hard to say from here. If you want to keep a very small package; take a look at the Ultraflate CO2 system. If you can stand something a little larger; take a look at the Topeak Road Morph (or Mountain Morph if you don't need higher tire pressure). Topeaks Morph pumps have a short length of hose and a small fold-down foot rest to make them like a shrunken version of your home/shop pump.
