Spent 2 hours fighting a valve stem that just wouldn't budge

I was out on the Greenway trail last Saturday and got a rear flat, pulled out my patch kit, but the valve stem was seized up so bad I couldn't even get the air out at first. After wrestling with it for what felt like forever plus a trip to the gas station for a replacement tool, I finally swapped the tube 45 minutes later than I should have. Has anyone else had a valve stem situation that turned a 10 minute fix into a full afternoon project?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopherw3422d ago

Oh man, "valve stem that just wouldn't budge" is like the opening line of a horror movie for any cyclist. I had one on a rain gutter day where I was already soaked and cranky, and the stupid stem was so corroded I think it was more rust than brass at that point. Ended up using pliers and a lot of choice words (sorry, neighbors) to finally crack it loose, but by then I'd snapped the valve core tool in half. It definitely turned a quick swap into a "maybe I'll just walk home and think about my life choices" kind of afternoon.

logan65822d ago

rain gutter day" ... that's rough, man. I hate to be that guy but it's actually "rain gutter" not "rain gutter" lol, it's fine though I knew what you meant. That whole story hits way too close to home, honestly.