Presta Valve CORES. Much of a muchness?

I see my LBS is selling Stans Presta Valve cores for 5 times the price of those on Amazon….

I’ve got 4 bikes running tubeless and some valves are getting a bit sticky and/or the shaft is bent from clumsy inflation, so I was just gonna buy a large batch and replace them all (and have some spares).

Is there any different between “regular” cores as found in tubes vs anything optimized for tubeless?

What is the supposed (or real-life) benefit of the 5x more expensive Stan’s version?

None. I spent the last few years frequently replacing valve cores (cheap eBay purchases) before buying race face valves which have been trouble free for over a year now.

Tip we were given a long time ago by a Factory Team mechanic when daughter raced EWS was to spray the core with silicone spray before fitting it. Have done ever since and never had a problem with any sticking or clogging with sealant

At Amazon / eBay cost and not having an LBS that doesn’t involve a half hour drive / hour ride I’ve been using them for a while.  Never really noticed them being any shorter lived.

Like Tracey’s tip.  I’ll be trying that one.

I think they are much of a muchness too, but the answer to the question you’re not quite asking is to buy some Reserve Fillmore valves.  I never knew I needed them (or similar) until I was given some, but 25 years of dicking about with valves, forcing air in like an angry mother and waiting for a pressure needle to settle gone forever.

Muc-off big bore valves don’t have a core so should cut down on clogging

Reserve Fillmore

+1. Genuine game changer.

I think they are much of a muchness too, but the answer to the question you’re not quite asking is to buy some Reserve Fillmore 76Projects valves.

Out first and you’re far more likely to see the company owner on this forum

Lol, if you read my posts, I’ve got four bikes with tubeless wheels. For the minor inconvenience of an occasionally clogged core, I ain’t gonna blow a stupid amount of money on over-priced enlarged valve stems for four bikes…

I agree with you. All four of us ride in our family and are into double figures with bikes. I can’t see the point of paying silly money when what we do works for us.

Has anything changed in terms of presta core size? A mate with a Topeak screw on mini pump managed to get it stuck on the presta core before Christmas, with a lot of wrestling we managed to remove the pump with the core in-situ.

I have the same pump (had it for years) and helped someone out on the trail yesterday and it ended up with an option of giving him the pump, or me giving him the spare core out of my saddle bag (which is what we ended up doing!) It took two of us to get it off, one pulling hard on the pump and the other trying to unscrew it.

Both pumps have been used for years and previous to this the only problem was a tendency to remove the core and let all the air out, but it wouldn’t get stuck.

PS will also try the silicone spray trick!

spooky_b329

Full Member

Has anything changed in terms of presta core size?

Not that I’m aware of. What’s the condition like of the rubber grommet (which encircles the valve) of the pumps? Has it swollen or cracked as it’s really old? It might be worth trying to replace the connector…

Just went to top up my rear tyre, even with the core out it was holding pressure. I had to poke a bit of wire through the valve to get air to move, presumably a ball of sealant. Never had that before.

I’ve put the core back after spraying it with silicone, hopefully it’ll help.

Just went to top up my rear tyre, even with the core out it was holding pressure.I had to poke a bit of wire through the valve to get air to move, presumably a ball of sealant. Never had that before.

Yep, same with one of my wheels. In retrospect, maybe that valve core wasn’t sticky after all as that wheel I had some problems inflating.

I’m curious as to whether those high volume tubeless valves would have the same problem??

The sealant tends to solidify where there’s a leak so in theory it could collect around any valve base if it leaks. It can also make a big solid ball depending on how long it takes to seal

I e always used cheap ones to replace the OEM ones that eventually get clogged or bent. The last few sets of wheels I’ve bought have been Hunt and just used their valves, occasionally having to take the core out and clean it.

Always lost a few psi between rides doing this. Rear wheel currently has a rimpact valve that’s not only easier to inflate but the wheel doesn’t lose pressure at all over a week.

Annoyingly, I think there is a difference.

Plumbers silicone smear on valve works for me to delay the clogging up.

As with Tracey and others, spray some GT85 liberally on core and threads every 3 months or so and they work just fine.

Has anyone on here had any experience with the new Schwalbe Clik valves? I’m curious to know whether these are any better with regard to the clogging problem, but as they are quite new on the market I can’t find any medium/long term reviews that mention this.

I’ve got Funn Fast air valves on my Banshee now. My other bikes can stick with Presta.
A lot easier to setup tubeless now. Don’t have to remove the core to seat the tyre,  just fill them up.

The need for a special adapter or pump put me off the Clik valves.