smurray

I have run into one problem with my brand new bike. I noticed when I got the bike home that there was no valve cap on the front tire. I didn't think anything of it though. Today I went out and bought a floor pump, and decided to test it out once I got home. I've never had a bike with Schrader valves before, so didn't know to look for what eventually turned out to be the problem. While attempting to deflate and then repump the front tire, I think I inadvertently killed it. After the fact I looked at the back tire and noticed that a piece had been missing from the front valve. On the back there was a little piece that screwed onto the valve core and held it shut. When I pumped it I had to unscrew it a little to allow the pump to depress the core. Well on the front there was no little piece to hold the core. So when I went to pump the front tire I pressed down on the core in order to deflate it a little bit, and the entire thing fell into the tire. Now I'm stuck with a flat front tire. The last thing I want to do is to buy a whole new tire, this one hasn't even been ridden on yet. Going back to the shop where I bought the bike isn't an option today since the shop is over an hour away and I'm not even sure they're open on Sundays. Is this the kind of thing a bike shop can fix, or am I going to be forced to buy a new tire? If that's the case I'm going to wait and take the bike back to the shop where I got it from and make them give me a new one since they gave me the bike without that little piece. I'm hoping it won't come to that though, so please if you have any advice let me know.

P.S. The tires are Bontrager Jones ACX B tires, came stock on my '06 Trek 4900.

MattP.

First of all, you're running presta tubes, not schrader. Secondly, all that needs to be done is taking the tire off, reinserting the stem throught the rim, getting the the little screw on nut, and you're off. If you don't know how to change a tire, wait till you lbs opens, and have them do it and ask for the nut as well.

apclassic9

who needs a valve cap anyway?

jjvw

The worst case senario here is that you learn how to replace a tube. It's a cheap and easy fix at well under $5 and is one of those essential skills to know.

smurray

Fixed it, just had to replace the tube. I freaked myself out because everytime I searched for information on my tire it looked like it was tubeless. I have no experience with tubeless tires so I didn't know whether it was going to be more complicated. After I got the tire off though there was a tube so I don't know what those websites were talking about.

alumrock12

fyi. never go to lbs for a tube change, they overcharge you, when u can learn to do it for 5$ or less.

apclassic9

You can run tubes in tubeless tires. When you run tubeless, and have a flat, it's quicker & easier to slap a tube in than to fix it as a tubeless.... then you fix it up tuneless when you get home.