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Tire Pressure: Pressure’s On by Remy Luria, 5/31/17

For all machine assembled bicycles and/or bicycle tubes with a Schrader valve, make sure you hand-tighten the valve core at the center of the valve using a “valve core” wrench available at any auto parts store.  The machine-assembled valve cores are placed into the tubes and too loose.  Everyone’s factory-tightened valves seem to leak up to 30 psi every two weeks.  Hand-tighten the valve core and air will only leak through the tire, delaying the 30 psi drop until two months and 300 miles.

 

Dear HBL:

I hadn’t ridden a bicycle in 50 years, but know that exact tire pressure is always critical. I bought a brand new Giant Cypress and immediately upgraded the tires from the stock 700cc x 38mm to 700cc x 42mm. I was told my new bike would lose enough tire pressure every few weeks (from 85 psi to below 60 psi) to require checking and re-inflation. It did, losing 30 psi every ten days or so, on less than 40 miles of riding.

I found out how to maintain tire pressure two months longer on my bicycle: tighten the Schrader valves using a $2 “valve core wrench” available at any auto parts store.  The valve core wrench is a small metal device only a few inches long.  Air should not leak from the valve, only through the tire itself.  The identical Schrader valves used on cars hold in air under much greater stress for months.

The Schrader valve has a cover that is removed in order to fill with air.  The valve core is inside the round cylinder of the valve cover.  The tiny stick in the middle of the valve is the center of the valve core.  Tighten the valve core using the part of the wrench that looks like a narrow post with two long pieces coming straight out of its sides.  Insert the wrench so the round post is on top of the tiny stick (long pieces going past the stick). Turn clockwise.  Hand tighten the valve core with a few turns of the core.  The entire valve coming up from the tube will be hard to hold as the core gets tight.  During extended maintenance, it might be a good idea to loosen and then re-tighten the valve core instead of merely tightening it enough.  The valve core itself can be removed and replaced anytime, particularly if it is dirty.

Both my Schrader valve cores were loose, apparently tightened only partially by the machine assembling the bicycle tubes to prevent damage to the valve’s connection to the tube.  I guess this too-loose assembly of the valve core probably extends to all machine-assembled mass-produced bicycles.  I don’t know if this applies to Presta or other valves.

Don’t go gorilla on the valve.  Hand tighten as you would with other fasteners.  You don’t have to use excessive strength and anyone who can ride a bicycle has more than enough hand-strength to easily make it tight enough. Apparently, we need to hand-tighten Schrader valves to get them tight enough to hold air normally because our hands are delicate enough to do the job without damaging the tube or valve.  Be aware that your valves might have been hand-tightened during maintenance after it left the factory.  Don’t tighten it so much you damage the valve’s rubber base connection to the tube.

After tightening my valves, it took three months and 200 miles to lose 30 psi! If you have any questions, get in touch with me through HBL.

Mahalo,

Remy Luria

Bike Month 2017 Winners!

Mahalo to everyone participating in May’s Bike Month 2017. The month was chock-full of activities and we hope you had a chance to join us in the fun and festivities. Every rider is a winner and we give a special congratulations to those winning prizes in our Bike to Work Day Team Challenge and Ride Aloha Week Challenge!

Bike to Work Day– Team Challenge Winners!

Congratulations to Erron Redoble and his work crew for winning the May 19th, Bike to Work Day Team Challenge! His group of four wins free admission into the Aloha Fun Ride or HCR credit ($30 value/credit), free Bike Month shirts, and sticker packs!  This is the team to beat in 2018! Team Erron, watch out!

 

Ride Aloha Challenge–  Winners!

Thank you to all riders in our local HBL challenge! The RIDE ALOHA CHALLENGE took place from Monday to Sunday, May 15 to 21 and generated a ton of participation. Congratulations to our winners below, we will contact you shortly to redeem your prizes. And don’t forget, the National Bike Challenge is still going strong!

Winners:    Prizes:
Carl Nethercutt    The Bike Shop $20 Gift Card, Breadshop (Kaimuki) Free Loaf
Will Mather    The Bike Shop $20 Gift Card
Floyd Cash    The Bike Shop $20 Gift Card
Susan Dargusch    McCully Bicycle & Sporting Goods $10 Gift Card, Leahi Health $10 Gift Certificate
Lawrence Holbrook    Cajun King $20 Gift Certificate, Starbucks $5 Gift Card
Willy “Wickey” Atanes    Halo Belt

 

 

Back to Bike Month 2017!

CycloFemme 2017

This Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate not only our mothers and special women in our lives, but all women, and especially those who bike! CycloFemme is a “socially-driven grass-roots celebration of women on bikes.” It takes place internationally on Mother’s Day and is designed to be a day, which “unites riders, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or bicycle preference to share in the joy of cycling.” Last year, there were 280 CycloFemme rides listed all over the world in places like Springfield, Virginia to Tallinn, Estonia!

This year CycloFemme will be held on May 14th (Sunday) at Kapiʻolani Park, starting at 8am and going till around noon. Bring the whole family! There will be two no-drop rides of different lengths for every level of rider (a beginner ride going around the park and an advanced ride to Hawaii Kai and back). Got a beach cruiser? Bring it! Got a tandem? Bring it! Any bike and all bikes (and trikes) are welcome to ride with us as we take part of the celebration of cycling (and also rejoice at all our awesome local women cyclists)! Bikeadelic will be providing FREE bike rentals to the first 5 ladies who need them for a spin around the park! We’ll have free coffee and breakfast snacks for everyone to enjoy, and special edition 2017 Bike Month shirts too for purchase too! Also, we’ll be getting tatted! We’ve got a bunch of sweet CycloFemme temporary tattoos for people to wear proudly. So come out and let’s RIDE!

Where: Kapiʻolani Park (Picnic area 27/28, across from the Diamond Tennis Center)
When: May 14th (Sunday), 8am-12pm. Rides start at 8:30am.
Who: Anyone and everyone!
Cost: Free!
Bonus: There will be a Bicycling Basics workshop held for free at the park as well, from 9-11am! Sign up at www.HBL.org/workshops.
Volunteer: Ride Leaders (4 needed) and Tent Attendant (1 needed). Sign up here!

Back to Bike Month 2017!

Changes at Isenberg & King

IMG_1355

Notice anything different at Isenberg end of the King St PBL?

The City Department of Transportation Services is in the final stages of a Complete Streets Demonstration Project aiming to improve the Isenberg Street and South King Street intersection. This project incorporates “bulb-outs” or asphaltic concrete (painted white) to extend the intersection’s curb lines.

 

Bulb-outs serve several purposes:

  • Reduces the crossing distance for both pedestrians and bicyclists
  • Creates a pedestrians refuge and sense of safety within the buffered area
  • With tightened turning radiuses, motorists are forced to reduce speed when executing turns
  • Deters illegal parking at the intersection and improves the visibility of pedestrians

 

The project also includes  a few design elements providing a sense of place and space:

  • Reddish brown paint color corresponding to the softball field dirt
  • Plants to be determined by the Urban Forestry Division (should not cause any sight distance issues)

 

As always, be safe out there! Note the breaks in the bulb-outs allowing for safe passage for bicyclists. Slow down and take the time to acquaint yourself with these changes. Mahalo to DTS for continuously improving our streets!

Complete Streets is changing our streets! This project is part of City’s effort to implement our Complete Streets ordinance that makes it a City policy to develop “transportation facilities or projects that are planned, designed, operated, and maintained to provide safe mobility for all users.”  Since it’s passage in 2012, HBL has strongly advocated for implementation of Complete Streets across Oahu and the results have been many BIG positive changes on our roads.  Some of the most recent changes include the “road diet” of Kamehemaha IV Road which has dramatically improved safety for people walking, biking and driving and the Beretania Street bike lanes which have provided a dedicated space for cycling and narrowed the vehicles lanes to reduce dangerous speeding.

For more information, please contact our friends at the Department of Transportation Services.

See Star Advertiser article, Pedestrian project underway at King and Isenberg streets, by Christine Donnelly. Posted on July 1, 2016 12:05 am

Membership Committee – March

Imagine bike lanes across the island, friends and family healthy and active, arriving to work loaded with energy and shorter commute times!Bike Lane Oahu

Membership. Spread the word!
We can make this a reality by increasing our membership numbers at the Hawaii Bicycling League! With greater support comes a stronger, more influential voice. Help us bring about safer infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike. Encourage your loved ones to become members and get involved with an upbeat community striving to enrich the lives of Hawaii’s citizens. One of our major goals this year is to increase our membership numbers to incite more change! Thank you for your membership, you make a difference! Send any questions Dana’s way. E-mail Dana Oxiles via dana@hbl.org.

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3442 Waialae Avenue, Suite 1
Honolulu, Hawaii 96816
Telephone: 808-735-5756
bicycle@hbl.org

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To enable more people to ride bicycles for health, recreation, and transportation through advocacy, education, and events.

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