I don't like sitting on the ground or kneeling to check tire pressure either. That's one of the reasons a TPM system is so attractive to me.
Now, I check the tires while the bike is still on the rack. That way the valves are at eye level. No help if the bike is already on the ground though.
For a long time, I was thinking of putting planks on stacked cement blocks so I could roll a bike up onto the platform to check tire pressure.
I've been a fan of Carl August Norgren's ball chuck since shortly after his passing.
Businessman, philanthropist. He was founder of Norgren Inc. Since first manufacturing pneumatic devices more than 80 years ago, this company has grown to one of world's primary suppliers of pneumatic devices. He was president of the Denver Museum of Natural History and supporter of the Denver...
www.findagrave.com
"I cannot help but wonder
how I can careless be
of the swiftly passing moments
that see oblivion's sea;
methinks then how much better
to improve them as they flee.
Though I live but for a moment
my deeds.... eternity."
A chuck for a Schrader valve is supposed to have a rubber washer will seal at the rim, then compress to let the chuck push the valve core open. The problem was that a washer soft enough to seal and then compress, wouldn't last long. Norgren solved that in 1927 with his ball chuck. It worked very well for me on cars, trucks, and farm equipment, but a bicycle wheel could move as I pressed the chuck onto the valve, and a little air loss from a bike tire can make a big difference.
It seemed to me that the solution for a bicycle wheel was to position the valve at 6 o'clock so it wouldn't move when I pressed a ball chuck onto it. That required me to get on the ground. I could still lose air. That's when I thought about the statue on Norgren's grave. It's a gentleman defecating. He represents the manufacturers who, since his patent expired in 1944, have flooded markets with substandard ball chucks.
So I bought a rechargeable pump that included a good gauge, so one connection could both check and inflate. I bought a longer hose so I could lay the pump on the ground as I held the bike with one hand to seat the chuck with the other. I tried different ball chucks. I found one that always sealed, but sometimes the washer didn't compress enough to open the Schrader valve. Each time that happened, I 'd rub the washer in circles on wet sandpaper. Eventually, that solved the problem. Now I can check and pump tires while standing. I may sit or kneel on the ground for other tasks.
www.sram.com
