Triumphrat

Programr · 12-23-2006

just pulled into the garage, got off my bonnie, got my helmet off and wondered who in the neighborhood was blowing out their garage w/ compressed air, then realized that the hiss was coming from my rear wheel.

i've been losing a pound or two every week since I got the bike and got from the forum that it is common and to keep an eye on the pressure. i've been keeping an eye on it and topped it off before my ride today, so i thought maybe my shrader valve may have failed, so i pulled off the cap, but the air was coming from the base of the valve stem at the nut. i tried to hand tighten it and could feel/hear the air coming out there, but the tire ran out of pressure as i was trying to tighten it.

i've checked my Haynes manual, and it doesn't say much of anything about how the rim and valve fit/work toghether. i used to repair tires on cars in high school, but never on a bike and i don't have any experiance with a valve stem that has a nut at the base.

the rear tire had just been replaced when i bought the bike. did they not get things tightened down right when they made the change? or does this sound like i've punctured my tube and need to get a new one put in there? i don't see anything sticking out of the tire (nail, screw, etc), but that doesn't mean i didn't hit something and throw it. any ideas?

thanks

panthercity · 12-23-2006

If your bike has spoked rims (a safe bet on this forum), then it uses an inner tube. The schrader valve is part of the tube and pokes through a hole in the rim. The nut keeps the valve in place.

If air was escaping from the hole in the rim, the tube is punctured. Generally speaking, the tube can be patched. Butt, considering the labor involved in removing the tube, patching it, re-inserting it into the tire and remounting the tire, unless I was on the side of the road, I'd replace the tube with a new one.

Programr · 12-24-2006

yes on the spoked wheel, and i'm sure there's a tube in there. thanks for the feedback, i'll spend some time tomorrow to see if i can find what got through the tire.

so i've got a bike w/ a flat w/ no air compressor. fun stuff :wink: hopefully i can get the offending nail or whatever out and goo it up so i can limp to a shop.

about how much should i expect to pay a shop to pull the wheel/tire and replace the tube?

tx

ohiorider · 12-24-2006

I'm not sure you can goo up a tube type tire and limp to a shop as you suggest. Patching the hole in the tire won't keep the tube from leaking. You may simply want to dismount the rear wheel (see manual) put in the the trunk of the car, and take it to a shop who'll repair it for you. Lay it brake rotor side "up".

Costs - just a guess. It costs me over $35 a wheel if I remove the wheels and carry them into the shop. That is basically for a mount and balance job.

A new tube, per Panthermark's suggestion .... at a guess $10-15 bucks.

Depending on the shop, you're probably looking at $40-50 to have this done if you take the wheel and tire to them.

Instead of rebalancing, you may save a buck or two by having the shop mark the tire and rim with crayon and making sure they realign these when they remount the tire. However, this may be false economy.

Bob

Programr · 12-24-2006

that's a great suggestion. i haven't taken the wheels off before, so i guess that's why it didn't come to mind. but now is a great time to learn. i'm sure haynes will guide me through. thanks.