Upon initial inspection of the bike, it’s clear even to a complete amateur such as myself that both wheels need new tubes. My first course of action was to reach out to my cousin, Evan, an avid mountain biker who conveniently lives a block away from me. He said he’d be happy to help me put new tubes in. Excellent.
The next order of business was acquiring new tubes. I call up Oak Bay Bikes. “So I need two new tubes for my bike, what information do I need to bring to the shop to make sure I get the right ones?” I’m informed about a string of numbers that can be found on the edge of my tire that convey the wheel dimensions. Bringing these numbers to the bike shop, the proper tubes are bestowed upon me for $13.50 apiece.
I wheel my bike over to Evan’s along with my new tubes, tire pump, and some fresh baked biscotti as an expression of my gratitude. Evan did a great job of going step by step through the process of replacing the tubes.
- Remove the bike wheels from the frame.
- Pry the tire from the rim using a tire lever and remove the old tube.
- Inspect the old tube and inside of the tire for sharp objects that may have caused the deflation.
- Insert the tube valve into the rim and line up the new tube along the rim.
- Work the tire over the rim and tube using one or two tire levers. This part takes the longest because you have to make sure the tube isn’t pinched or twisted and that the tire is completely flush against the rim.
- Reattach the wheels to the frame.
- Pump up the tires and you’re good to go!
Evan also fixed my wobbly handlebars by tightening a specific screw with an allen key. So simple. He recommended I look into buying a bike multitool so I can do minor repairs and tuneups myself, although he assured me I’m always welcome to bring the bike back to his place if there’s anything I need help with.
After this intro to bike repairs, I’m feeling a lot more confident in my ability to take care of my bike and I’m very grateful for Evan and the OBB guys for their support.