Cherryhill

My son just bought a used 2009 Kona Paddy Wagon. It is his sole transportation at college, and I live over 900 miles away. He told me the inner tube blew, and he needs a new one. He isn't close enough to a bike store to get it to one. Kona doesn't seem to be a very popular brand, or at least, I can't find much about what kind of inner tube he needs by googling the bike model. He doesn't have a manual or anything to look at, but told me it's a 28" innertube, and has a European valve. It may be a "Presta" valve (from what I could find out on Google).

Does anyone here know this bike model, and what I really need to purchase? Also a place that I can buy it from that can ship it to him?

Thanks for your help.

wahoonc

Looks like he needs a 700cx28 presta valve inner tube. Any decent bike shop should have one in stock $6 ought to cover the cost of the tube.

Here is a link to the Paddy Wagon.. Those look like deep V rims so he needs to make sure the valve stem is long enough. Also need to check the tire for damage to see why the tube burst.

I buy tubes from PricePoint.com, Amazon.com. This one should work. Does he have an air pump? I would ship more than one tube. Also where in the world would someone go to college and there not be a bicycle shop in the vicinity?

Aaron

Cherryhill

Thanks, Aaron. I'll buy a couple of those for him. He does have an air pump. The nearest bike shop is 5 miles away, which wouldn't be far to get to if the bike was operational. And thanks for the link to the specs... I'm gonna get him a spare tire, too.

wahoonc

No problem...I am still supporting my children's bikes even though they are 25 and 26 and live 800 miles away. Just boxed up a road bike to send to DD and finishing up a set of wheels for my son's city bike.

Aaron

Cherryhill

I know what you mean, since he moved away to college, it seems something breaks every other day, and I am not close enough to do more than pull out the credit card and send him things. Since this is his only way of getting around, I am thinking of upgrading his tires to this (link below) to help prevent more cycle down-time. Do you think it's a good choice? (Unfortunately, I don't know anything about bikes):

https://www.everybicycletire.com/shop...-plus-622.aspx

wahoonc

Schwalbe tires are very good, they are usually my first choice. Anything with kevlar belts will be a good thing.

Aaron

chasm54

For what it's worth, I have a paddy wagon. The conti tyres that came as stock are bottom of the range. Durability rather than performance is my priority on this bike, so I swapped them out for schwalbe marathon plus tyres, 700x25mm, which are heavy but about as bullet-proof as bicycle tyres get.

No offence, but shouldn't a college student be able to source an inner tube for his bicycle? When I was at college, if I'd telephoned my father to ask for help with a puncture I'd have got a response that might politely be described as derisive.

Cherryhill

Thank you very much, Aaron!

Chasm54, perhaps so. However, it is his first time out on his own, and it's a rough transition. He'll get to the point where he's able to handle things like this on his own, but right now, he needs a little help. And thank you for your recommendation on the Schwalbe tires... I'll be ordering his today.

chasm54

Fair enough. Off topic, in my experience the most important thing for a student cyclist is security. Make sure he has at least one, preferably two, decent locks - and uses them. None of them are foolproof but the trick is to make your bike more difficult to steal than those next to it...

Cherryhill

chasm54, he does have good security-- (Kryptonite Fahgettaboutit Mini U-Lock and Kryptonite chain that goes through the U-lock)

Something funny occurred to me -- if as a college student living away, you asked your mom for help with your bike, would that have gone as badly as asking your dad? I'm the mom, so when he needs help, he comes to me. I think his father would have reacted similarly to yours. :

chasm54

Hmm. The question doesn't arise, I simply wouldn't have asked. But then, I'm getting old. Parents didn't act as taxi-drivers to teenage children back then, either.