@#^$%@& Mondays...
 

I decided to give my tires another quick check this morning before heading out. Yanno, just in case. After topping the rear tire off, I went to pull the nozzle free from the valve stem.

...

And proceeded to rip the entire valve stem out of the tire. x.x

The pump I have grips presta valves really tightly, and I double checked that it wasn't still fastened down on the valve before I tugged. I'm more than a bit annoyed, mostly because I was looking forwards to hurting myself in the headwind today.

So here I am at work via bus, feeling a bit empty. xD

last time that happened to me was when I had a really old tube.

I was totally expecting this thread to be about how pissed off motorists are on cars on monday because they are running late. I've had plenty of people this morning who took a good 10+ seconds to get past me on a 2 lane road with a double yellow only to stop at the stoplight some 1000 feet ahead. I really don't understand the need for people to pass a bike when I am going just 5mph under the speed limit. It seems everyone understands the speed limit as minimum speed to drive since everyone always gets pissed off if you go any slower or even...god forbid actually going the speed limit.

I got new wheels over the weekend, was all set to go. Put tubes and tires on, pumped them up last night, and this morning I awoke to find both tires completely flat and not holding air.

Oh right, I need rim strips. ****ing idiot I am.

I feel your pain.

I was once stopped at a traffic light and heard a pop - similar to a champagne cork. Then something landed next to my foot. I thought "That looks like a valve stem, weird." The light changes. I start to pedal off and realize I have a flat front tire.

That would piss me off and make me chuckle at the same time.

Somehow the inner valve bits on one of my prestas ejected from the stem after I put new tires on at home. :twitchy: I never did find the bits. I think they're behind a shelf or something. I have spare tubes so I wasn't too inconvenienced except that I had to re-do the back wheel and it was already mounted on the bike.

i'd be chucking first, especially if some guy on a bike just passed by me, would be pissed when I find out that it was in fact my valve stem. My latest barrage of flats was after I rebuilt my wheel. Apparently the rim tape near the valve hole was worn down but from the first puncture I couldn't figure that out, especially since it happened after a couple of minutes of bouncing on the ground at 110psi and after sitting in my car for 5 minutes, I thought it just blew because the temperature caused the pressure to go up too much. So I put in another tube, same thing happens, this time I check the rim strip and decide it's worn down and since I had a group ride in 45 minutes I just put some duct tape strips at the valve hole and it's holding fine. Still pissed me off since that was 2 flats within 10 minutes...

Last Thursday I got a flat coming into work, so I patched it and made it to work. Then I noticed halfway through the day that it was flat again. I think I just lucked out on making it in, because it must have blown through the sidewall cut I didn't even see (in the rain and dark and cold when making my first repair.)

I left the bike at work and took the bailout ride from my fiancee, because if I'd have had problems halfway home, there's not room in the back of her car for her walker and my bike, so I'd have been s.o.l. and had to hoof it a few miles home. I drove to work the next day (I usually drive on Friday, anyhow) and brought my bike home for repairs. Finally (after 3100 miles) replaced the rear tire.

Had both of my valve steps wear/cut through where they join the tube, due to rubbing against the sharp edge of rim.

Within a day of each other.
After that I took a rat-tail file and beveled out both valve holes in the rims. No more sharp edges, no more worries.
Maybe they should come manufactured like this...

I had the exact same thing happen a few weeks. Had a flat, threw on the spare, pulled off the pump and the valve came with it. Never did find it. Missed a class meeting which cost me a whole grade. I changed that tube in record time, too. Bad part of town, running late, all in vain. Had to call the SAG.

This is where having two bikes helps. :D