Presta valve

[Catrin]

Believe it or not, I now have 2,000 miles on my beloved Gunnar My tires are Continental Travel Contacts. I LOVE these tires, I tell you, after 2k miles they still have a lot of miles in them and don't look much different than new. My question, however, is about one of the tubes, not the tire.

I check tire pressure before every ride, always. As I've never had a flat, my tubes are the same as when I brought the bike home 14 months ago. A few weeks back, when unscrewing the Presta valve to check the air on my rear tires, the Presta "pin" came all the way out. I screwed it back in and there doesn't seem to be a problem but that valve hasn't seemed to be as tight as on my front tire since then. Even the actual valve cover doesn't tighten properly - but that isn't a concern.

Is a loose pin on a Presta valve a problem? I don't want to throw on a new tube if it isn't needed, but I don't know if this is an issue or not.