Both of my children's bikes have wheels that are so small that I couldn't put the pump nozzle between the spokes. They worked great! .Because I wanted to take them off to use them on another bike I had to inflate the tire and then VERY QUICKLY unscrew and put the tire back on. During the first slower attempts, the air came out very quickly when I unscrewed it. So it's best to leave them on the tire, but you can also take them off if you need to go fast.