When was the last time you checked the valve stems on your wheels? When was the last time you checked the air pressure in your tires for that matter? There are MANY commonly overlooked preventative maintenance items that can cause big problems on the road or trail and this is one of them.

I've seen it many times on the trail. Some guy gets a flat but can't figure out why, that is until he goes to air the tire back up only to find his valve stem missing. To add insult to injury a torn valve stem isn't an easy trail fix. (unless your tire has come off the bead, then it's pretty simple) Fortunately this is easily preventable by just checking your valve stems regularly for signs of cracking. If yours looks like the one in our picture it's time to get it to a tire shop pronto!