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Need advice on replacing tires and inner tubes

Old 08-02-20, 01:22 AM
  #1  
eugchen
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Need advice on replacing tires and inner tubes

please forgive me as i didnt know where else to post and im a TOTAL novice when it comes to bikes.

we are currently on a roadtrip from Houston back to Los Angeles, my parents live in houston and gave me and my wife their old bikes, Cypress DX giants, men and women. since they have ridden in them for over 5-7 years, the tires and tubing is bad i believe. Air will not fill in the tires. We are in dallas for the weekend and tried several places to replace the tires/tubing but all are on backorder. As we drive back to LA, i am thinking about my options in LA as our budget is small, and i want to look for the most affordable manner.

i see that the tires are 700x40c. what are my cheapest options to get the job done? (i have 4 tires , 2 bikes)

1. should i buy tires and tubing online and just find a bike person in LA to replace for me?
2. or should i look for a cheap place in LA to do everything, maybe dicks sporting goods? what are some other affordable places?
3. what is the estimate in price i should be targeting to replace 2 tires on a bike? along with tubing?

im not sure if anything else needs to be done, friends have said possibly a tune up as well?


i live in West LA by the way
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Old 08-02-20, 05:51 AM
  #2  
dabac
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Originally Posted by eugchen
please forgive me as i didnt know where else to post and im a TOTAL novice when it comes to bikes.

we are currently on a roadtrip from Houston back to Los Angeles, my parents live in houston and gave me and my wife their old bikes, Cypress DX giants, men and women. since they have ridden in them for over 5-7 years, the tires and tubing is bad i believe. Air will not fill in the tires. We are in dallas for the weekend and tried several places to replace the tires/tubing but all are on backorder. As we drive back to LA, i am thinking about my options in LA as our budget is small, and i want to look for the most affordable manner.

i see that the tires are 700x40c. what are my cheapest options to get the job done? (i have 4 tires , 2 bikes)

1. should i buy tires and tubing online and just find a bike person in LA to replace for me?
2. or should i look for a cheap place in LA to do everything, maybe dicks sporting goods? what are some other affordable places?
3. what is the estimate in price i should be targeting to replace 2 tires on a bike? along with tubing?

im not sure if anything else needs to be done, friends have said possibly a tune up as well?
You say ”air will not fill in the tires”.
This suggests to me that you might not be operating the valves right.
The average puncture may well keep air from staying in the tires, but does not prevent temporary inflation.
If you’re not seeing air entering at all, odds are it’s user error at the valve.
Tubes can last a good long time, as long as they are protected against direct sunlight.
Tires too can last a good long time, depending on storage conditions.
If you are on a budget, spend more effort on diagnosis first.
I’d advise against having someone to do it for you.
If you ever intend to ride outside walking distance from home, you do need to know how to deal with a flat.
Next time - when you’re sure you know how, THEN you can let someone do the job for you.
Also, bicycle tires don’t hold air the way car tires do.
You can - marginally - get away with riding w/o knowing how to fix a flat. But unless you switch to solid tires, you can’t get away from knowing how to inflate your tires.
So, get some pressure in there, see what happens. If it comes hissing out just as fast, then you need new tubes. Or a puncture repair kit.
Look at the tires. Any obvious deformities, cracks, flaking - then new ones are in order.
If you are brand new to bikes, YOU probably need a ”tune up” as well. Again, bikes aren’t like cars.
A bit of diagnostic ability will make your riding so much more pleasant. Sure, have someone do a basic function check of the bikes, but make sure you also get to know how to use them. How the gears work, how to keep the brakes operating, how the wheels attach.
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Old 08-02-20, 06:47 AM
  #3  
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There are two main types (there are more than 2, but these are the usual) of valve stems for bike tubes. Schrader (looks just like on your car), or Presta-which is smaller and has a core which must be loosened and "burped" before pumping up the tube. The pump must have the correct head to work with whatever is on the bike. I do not know which type the Cypress has, but here is a source which should be of some help: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair...d-installation Might want to save this, as it is helpful with explanations of how to maintain and/or repair a bike.
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Old 08-02-20, 07:33 AM
  #4  
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So you have four flat tires. I guess it's possible all four could be punctured, but I doubt it. My guess is that you only need to find somebody who can show you how and what you need to inflate the tires, If you don't know anybody who bicycles regularly, I'd suggest taking both bikes to a local bike shop sometime in the middle of the week.
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Old 08-02-20, 07:39 AM
  #5  
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buy online and have them next week

Here are the two types of valves side-by-side


If you have presta valves and want to fill them at a gas station pump you will need a presta to schrader adapter available at any bike shop. You must open the presta valve at the top to get it to take air from any source. It closes on its own once filled and you tighten the little nut at the top of the valve.
It is a 29 tire, common on a lot of bikes. You could buy a set of Kenda Kwest tires from Bikesmith in Milwaukee for $13.18 each plus shipping on Ebay. I bought parts from this online store in the past and got good service. https://www.ebay.com/itm/KENDA-KWEST...0AAOxyY9VRPUhP It's a decent tire I used in the past on a recumbent trike and to retrofit older bikes for kids in my scout troop. They have tubes there too in both presta and schrader valves. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2Pak-Kenda-...IAAOSwlL1avWq8
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Old 08-02-20, 09:27 AM
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hello, so for some more clarification....

we have the Schrader System Valves. we are in dallas now, and actually took the bike to Dicks Sporting Goods, Richardson Bike Mart, and REI yesterday to replace the tires, but all places couldnt accommodate me either due to no supplies or the time it took to repair and order the parts. we are leaving dallas tomorrow on our way back to CA. all of them examined the bike and said the tires definitely need to be replaced. there are cracks on the side walls. pressing on it just feels like the tires are in bad shape.

the bike was stored for many years in a hot covered houston garage by the way, so not sure if that has caused degradation.

we plan on riding casually in LA with our two kids age 10 and 12, so we arent serious riders. just want to get the tires up and going to ride casually.

thanks again.
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Old 08-02-20, 10:35 AM
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It is not unusual if the tires were flat and the bike was stored with weight on the tires to have the sidewalls degrade. You might be able to salvage one or two old tubes but it would be worth your while to buy four new ones and keep the old ones for spares. A lot of bike shops are short on supplies so that is why it is worth buying online where you know they are in stock and will be delivered right to your door, probably not long after you get home. If you haven't changed out tires and tubes you can find lots of tutorials on YouTube. Get a set of tire irons to make it easier. One of my local dollar stores sells a tube repair kit with two tire irons included for a dollar.
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Old 08-02-20, 12:08 PM
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Panaracer tires are a great option, for a reasonable price... What kind of riding do you plan? road, gravel, dirt, grass, etc?,

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...tent=Panaracer

Last edited by Wanderer; 08-02-20 at 12:18 PM.
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Old 08-02-20, 01:01 PM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by eugchen
hello, so for some more clarification.....

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

we plan on riding casually in LA with our two kids age 10 and 12, so we arent serious riders. just want to get the tires up and going to ride casually.

thanks again.
Welcome to the Bike Forums/net and bicycling in general.

Most of us here are deep into our bikes and we put on literally 1000s of miles per year, Speaking just for me and I'm a piker in this hobby but I'm going to hit the 4000 mile mark for year 2020 in about a week. Like most here I carry the tools, supplies and knowledge to fix flat tires on the road. Ride bikes...get flats. It's as simple as that.

Still getting a flat is a huge hassle and so again speaking for me I do many things to avoid the hassle of fixing a flat on a ride. The easiest way to avoid flats in my opinion is to make sure my tires are in good shape to begin with. If someone gave me a bike the very first thing I would do is replace the tires and tubes. Even with good tires you need to pump them up every week or so so you need a tire pump.

I wouldn't stop at just the tires, I would go over everything, replacing the brake and shifter cables, replace the brake pads, service the drive train, bottom bracket and hub bearings and true the wheels. The make sure everything is properly adjusted, Doing all this would give me the best chance of avoiding avoidable breakdowns and having an enjoyable ride. And you would be surprised, even an entry level bike that is 10+ years old will ride nicely if everything is adjusted properly and the bike is a good fit for the rider.

Get a copy if Howard Zinn's book(s) (either road or mountain bike) or the Park Tools repair manual, collect the few tools recommended and go over your bikes, This is simple. My brother and i were doing our 10 speed bike repairs unsupervised when we were 12 years old. It's not that difficult.

One thing you will find out very quickly that while it is not easy to ride a bike without owning a bike, the actual cost of the hardware is lost in the cost of all of the ancillary stuff you need (or want) to ensure that your one hour ride once a week is enjoyable and legal. You will need some safety tackle such as a helmet and lights.You will want some way to secure your bike when you need to go inside a store mid ride. Even if you hate to hold a wrench in your hand there are a few tools and the knowledge that is necessary to use them are an absolute need. For some reason, some of us, nice as we are, tend to downplay the true cost of riding bikes even a simple and rugged entry level bike that was gifted to us.

Having said all this again welcome to the bike forum!

Last edited by Thomas15; 08-02-20 at 06:57 PM.
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Old 08-02-20, 01:41 PM
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Originally Posted by eugchen
we plan on riding casually in LA with our two kids age 10 and 12
In that case you better learn to change your own tires and tubes.
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Old 08-02-20, 09:21 PM
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Tubes are relatively inexpensive, so it's a good idea to buy a few and keep a couple as backup. For a good quality and well priced tires, look at Panaracer Tour tires. I've been using the 700cx42mm ones for months and besides being comfortable, haven't had any flats yet. If you're having a hard time finding tires locally, check out ebay ot online stores and change them yourself, it's a must to be able to change tires/tubes yourself and really not difficult, there are many videos on youtube.
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Old 08-02-20, 10:48 PM
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Yes, if I was inheriting a bike that had sat in a hot garage for years, I’d replace the tires and tubes for sure. Michelin Protek 700c x 40 mm on sale at Bike Tires Direct for $20.
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Old 08-04-20, 07:04 PM
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ok awesome, i ordered those Michelin Proteks. thanks.. they are out of Schrader inner tubes 700 x 40c.

has anyone had any issues with these? thinking about getting these on amazon. forum wont allow me to post link yet.

Sunlite Inner Tube Bundle 700x35/40c (27 x 1-3/8) Schrader Valve 32mm (4 Tubes & 2 Tire Levers)


Last edited by eugchen; 08-04-20 at 07:08 PM.
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Old 08-05-20, 10:08 AM
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they are fine
watch some vids
drink a beer
do the job
commune with you bike, it's easy an sorta fun
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Old 08-12-20, 11:49 AM
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ok some update. i bought a set of tires from bike tires direct and went to a friends house and honestly we struggled but got it done, since we both know nothing about bikes. we also didnt really have the right tools. but learned alot!!!!

but as we took the tires off, we saw that a layer between inner tube and wheel was sort of peeling off. we werent sure what it was, so we decided to proceed with what we had (inner tube and tires). after about an hour, we replaced 4 tires on 2 bikes. i have since researched that we didnt apply the bike rim tape and since the bike was so old, that is what came off.

is this absolutely critical to replace? im pretty sure it is, but just making sure.

thanks guys!
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Old 08-12-20, 03:04 PM
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Yes, it's critical. It prevents the inner tube from pushing into the spoke holes, which will cause a puncture. So, good job!
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Old 08-14-20, 10:11 PM
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You can use electrical tape, or something similar, in place of the rim tape. It's not the best option, but it will work if you can't find rim or tubeless tape.
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Old 08-16-20, 09:15 AM
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Originally Posted by katsup
You can use electrical tape, or something similar, in place of the rim tape. It's not the best option, but it will work if you can't find rim or tubeless tape.
Or cut the old tube into a strip or large rubberband, that'll work too.
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