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Why presta valve?

14K views 190 replies 55 participants last post by  Flamingtaco 
#1 ·
Why are bikes using presta valves? What is wrong with Schrader valve?

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#2 ·
Why are bikes using presta valves? What is wrong with Schrader valve?

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Before this thread even gets going I wouldn't buy anyone's answer considering that the primary purpose of the valve is to hold air in the tire. There's a reason you won't find a Presta Valve on a tire that carries anything important.

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#11 ·
if I had to guess it's a money thing from the manufacturer's. It's simply cheaper to standardize to one type of valve and apparently the presta won the argument since they're needed in skinny road bike wheels. Another nice thing about Schrader's is they sell o-ring caps for them so even if you get a leaky Schrader the cap will keep you from losing air. To me it's freaking ridiculous to have to add air so often as you do with presta equipped mountain bike tires

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#14 ·
Lighter lighter and more aero I could buy but those qualities aren't exactly needed in a mountain bike tire. they make metal shrader's so the other two are a bit moot. Quite frankly I think Europe is punishing us for not adopting the metric system

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#15 ·
Valves haven't really changed a lot over the years. Presta valves can be leaky because the interface with the rim is not always really solid. I have a lot of problems with valves that didn't seat well with the rim and leaked. I would like to see an innovations to better valves.
 
#22 ·
There are shraders that are solid metal with O-rings on the ends largely made for high-end aluminum car and truck wheels. They're also used in aircraft Wheels. Whether they're long enough and can be adapted to a bicycle wheel is unknown... never tried it but there are numerous configurations and applications for schraders

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#27 ·
Well, I learned Stan's and others have made tubeless schrader valves. The automotive industry has ones that aren't threaded down with nuts. Might actually bust the drill out to try this.

All the bikes I saw during my childhood had narrow rims and schrader valves. Wasn't until I got a mtb from a LBS that I saw presta. No where else have I seen presta. I do recall engineering tests on rim strength report that they usually fail at the valve hole--a bigger hole is a bigger weakness.

I also see that there's the e13 and milk-it valve systems, if you wish to throw money overengineering the presta system.
 
#32 ·
I've been running Stan's tubeless conversion for the last year (Azonic Outlaw wheels)...the 'rim strip' came with a schrader. I was surprised by that but it has not been an issue...luckily my trail pump has a reversible fitting to fit schrader or presta. Having the schrader allows me to use my air compressor which makes tire changes faster...I would need to get an adapter for presta.

I'm thinking the biggest reason wheels only come with presta is the bigger hole for a schrader would be a factor in wheel strength.
 
#41 ·
I never really liked Presta just because they were more fiddly than Schrader valves,


But the one reason I can see where a Presta is slightly better is when one is running tubes. Presta Tubes allow you to lock the stem in place. I have had Schrader valves move when a tire/tube slipped a bit in the rim. Rarely happens, but it can I guess.

Until I bought my current bike last summer I made a habit of drilling out rims and using Schrader tubes.
 
#42 · (Edited)
I’ve always used Presta. I was running more of a XC rim for years and was bending them too easily for my type of riding and weight. So I special ordered beefier rims. They were a bit wider which is what I wanted to run bigger tires. I was surprised when they arrived drilled for Shraeder. They were drilled that way because of their width. Having always ran Presta and liking the lock nut with Presta I still wanted to run Presta. I had to get conversion sleeves that fit in the rim hole to accept a Presta stem. No big deal, but I learned early on to always carry a spare sleeve in my pack. On a trailside repair with that little sleeve I lost one.
 
#44 ·
Good article, here is the most important part of it:

So to sum up, the advantages of Presta valves are that they allow a higher air pressure, require a smaller hole in the rim and can be purchased in various lengths to suit the profile of your rims.

It's very unusual to see Schrader valves used on road bike tubes and wheels. Almost universally Presta's are used, and for this reason there is a very good likelihood that Presta's are what you've got. So the argument about Presta vs Schrader is immaterial, you're unlikely to find a Schrader on a road bike any time soon, though plenty of people want to.
 
#46 ·
I used to use Shrader valves on my old FS bike with Azonic rims. I bought a 4pack of alloy all metal automotive valves from Amazon, they worked just fine and never leaked.
If we as a sport we’re voting on a standard, I’d have no problem with schrader, and might prefer it to presta, but presta doesn’t bother me and works just fine. I’ve never broken a valve and the rare times they clog, I just remove the core and jam a spare spoke in there. All better. I’ve never had a problem refilling sealant, I just pour sealant into an old OrangeSeal bottle with the little plastic tube, which fits over my presta stem perfectly and squeeze it in. Then replace the core and inflate.
I use presta now because even though my rims are 50mm wide, there’s no way in hell I'm drilling carbon.
 
#50 ·
all MTB rims are equipped with presta nowadays. It is impossible to get schrader valves. I noticed presta valves leak air quickly regardless if they are aluminum or carbon. The sealant works fine on the rim but I can hear the air gushing out of presta screw at the bottom.

Should I seal the presta with locktite?
 
#52 ·
The sealant works fine on the rim but I can hear the air gushing out of presta screw at the bottom.

Should I seal the presta with locktite?
You should take your wheels to a shop for proper taping. I literally believe that my 6 y/o son could tighten the nut on a tubeless valve stem enough to prevent air from "gushing out".

I once tightened the keep nut down on a new set up, dunked it in my swimming pool to look for leaks, found none and rode the wheels for several weeks before finding the little o-ring that goes under the nut was lying on my work bench. I just unscrewed the nut and popped on the o-ring then replaced the nut. I didn't let the air out of my tire before I did this, and my tire never went flat.
If your valve stem leaks at the rim, it isn't the valve stem... it's YOU.
if the rim isn't taped properly you could tighten the valve tight enough to crush the rim channel and it would still leak, presta or schrader. it's not presta's fault.
 
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