why are Presta valves so rubbish?

It’s 2024. Surely in the last 40 years of clever engineers making things lighter, stronger and more purple, someone could have come up with a better design than this.

I was just topping up a tyre and have somehow managed to bend the valve to the extent that I can’t put the valve cap back on without deflating the tyre. A while back I snapped the end bit off another one altogether.

This is everybody else’s fault, obviously, and I wish to complain to the cycling community at large.

Yours ever,

Disgruntled of Tunbridge Wells

Sorry, but I’ve still not broken one.

@Hamfisted of Tunbridge Wells

I fear there may be an element of operator error occuring here.

Why do we persevere with presta? There’s no need for it anymore with wide mtb rims that are tubeless. Makes far more sense to go schraeder instead of manufacturers spending time and money on a dead horse

I find it’s all down to pump head design – some pumps (especially small / portable hand pumps) are worse for bending valve cores than others.

someone could have come up with a better design than this

I agree. Schrader is better in pretty much every way.

You can’t bend/snap off the valve.

The valve is wider so doesn’t rip out of lightweight tubes.

The valve is a lot bigger so tubeless is easier with the core removed (and you could probably re-design the core if you wanted to, it just wouldn’t be universal anymore).

The only reason presta persisted for so long was you can’t drill out skinny 14mm roadie rims for it.  But no one runs 14mm rims anymore.  And the dubious benefit of being able to change the core without tools, but why do you need to change the core if it’s not broken, and why introduce the problem of the core coming out when you don’t want it to.

There’s an extra layer of vitriol reserved for whoever at Shimano makes their tubeless valves with non-removable cores, and you have to use Shimano ones as they’re profiled to the rim so generic ones don’t work. And they’re not cheap.

Even on Track bikes, the last bastions of obsolete standards in cycling, they’re a pain in the ass as you need your mate to hold the pump head on the valve because the fancy push on heads that 150psi+ track pumps come with, won’t stay on a presta valve at 120PSI+

Hmm, I vastly prefer Presta to Schrader, just seems a better system. Yes, its a touch more fragile, but nothing that a bit of care can’t fix.

We still use Presta valves for the same reason people still call clipped pedals clipless. We’re shackled to obsolete roady mythology.

Sorry, but I’ve still not broken one

You’ve blown it now

 I vastly prefer Presta to Schrader, just seems a better system.

I’d like to hear why people think this.  Other than it being possible to not break them (which isn’t an upside, it’s like saying none of my current valves are broken, they will eventually get snapped off it’s just a matter of time and entropy).

And why they think that neither the car industry (which subjects them to exactly the same conditions as push bikes) or suspension manufacturers (which are running much higher pressures) chose to use Schrader valves instead?

Change your pump not your valve. When I’ve bent a presta valve, it’s normally down to poor pump head or poor access (disc wheels). My Silca 90 degree adaptor cures both ills.

And tubulars are still a thing. You won’t be running Schrader valves on a track tub any day soon!

I’m adding Doris to the list of people I’m not letting anywhere near my bike with a spanner.

The only reason presta persisted for so long was you can’t drill out skinny 14mm roadie rims for it

Is it though? As everything moved tubeless, there was an opportunity for someone  to come out with a completely new system, or a schrader based system… nobody did. There must be a reason other than the old being shackled to obsolete roadie standards. cos we’re not anymore! We’ve moved on with suspension, skewers, forks, stems, bar width, rim width, flat pedals etc etc .. can’t be the only reason presta has stuck around. (Never had an issue with it personally.)

nobody did

Erm…

Fillmore Valves

HI FLOW 'NO CLOG' TUBELESS VALVES

edit:

also…

Valve Stem Pair, Universal, Schrader, 32mm, 10mm Base

Stan's Tubeless Exo-Core Valves

I purchased a lovely new Lezyne digital track pump recently…. presta valves on my bike…. about half the time I use the new pump it undoes the presta valve core when taking the pump head off, deflating the whole tire!!! Very poor design. The Lezyne pump designs are a known problem for this issue. If you screw the pump head on with a bit less force it leaks instead, so a no win situation. I’m going to convert all my bikes to shrader valves. Are the Joe’s shrader tubeless valves any good ?

Nobody came out with anything that would take over from normal presta valves. Especially not anything that much better that its worth paying those prices.

Are the Joe’s shrader tubeless valves any good ?

Absolutely fine. I’m just waiting for the warranty to runout on my bike before converting another over.

And best of luck Presta fans when you can’t undo the frozen pile of Presta poo on a freezing hill in winter.

I’m adding Doris to the list of people I’m not letting anywhere near my bike with a spanner.

You think that’s bad, you haven’t seen the state of my DIY 😅

Quite clearly the cycling industry is missing a trick here, it’s time for the big players to bring out several different competing designs, none of which are cross compatible, some of which will go obsolete over the next 12-18 months, all of which will be hideously expensive, we’ll then make the worst of the bunch the industry standard.

Consultancy fee to the usual address please 😎

Just get some spare cores and a tool off AliExpress for like£2.

Car valves seem a bit 1970s to me, you’d ride the Raleigh Chopper to the petrol station and inflate with the car air pump (free back then)

Presta just seems more sophisticated in a retro way and cycle specific

Quite clearly the cycling industry is missing a trick here, it’s time for the big players to bring out several different competing designs, none of which are cross compatible, some of which will go obsolete over the next 12-18 months, all of which will be hideously expensive, we’ll then make the worst of the bunch the industry standard.

Pretty much what happened.  A whole load of anodized tat with various ways of trying to stop the tiny little presta hole clogging up.  The industry seems to be putting a lot of effort into doing anything but  the blindingly obvious solution of using an existing valve design with a bigger opening.

where do i get schrader valves to suit 101mm deep road rims ?

Where do i get extenders to suit ?

What about for 90mm rims ?

Even my Carbon rims on my gravel bike wont take a standard depth schrader . never seen long schraders .

Why do we need a bigger hole in the valve ?

Quite clearly the cycling industry is missing a trick here, it’s time for the big players to bring out several different competing designs, none of which are cross compatible, some of which will go obsolete over the next 12-18 months, all of which will be hideously expensive, we’ll then make the worst of the bunch the industry standard.

Don’t forget that the Pump, Rims and Tyres will all only be compatible with the new standard valve.

Bonus points if the rims only come as part of a “system” wheel.

Even on Track bikes, the last bastions of obsolete standards in cycling, they’re a pain in the ass as you need your mate to hold the pump head on the valve because the fancy push on heads that 150psi+ track pumps come with, won’t stay on a presta valve at 120PSI+

Get a proper pump?

You’ve blown it now

10 points for Reeksy 🙂 (but i said the same on the last 26 threads on the same subject, still ain’t broken one.)

I purchased a lovely new Lezyne digital track pump recently…. presta valves on my bike…. about half the time I use the new pump it undoes the presta valve core when taking the pump head off, deflating the whole tire!!! Very poor design. The Lezyne pump designs are a known problem for this issue. If you screw the pump head on with a bit less force it leaks instead, so a no win situation. I’m going to convert all my bikes to shrader valves. Are the Joe’s shrader tubeless valves any good ?

absolutely agreee – i do not understand why lezyne still make pumps … they are not very good at it . Even funnier is that people keep buying them – whats that all about.

Always tighten up the valve core first if using a screw-on pump. Always. Continental tubes are particularly bad for being shipped with loose cores in my experience. I now tighten them up when I take them out of the box.

I may be jinxing myself but my Lezyne pump with screw on abs head doesn’t undo my presta valve cores. Are you doing the cores up tight enough?

Presta valves do seem a bad solution when used with latex sealant. I’ve found the rimpact ones are particularly bad – both the valves and the sideways facing holes at the valve base seem to clog up fairly quickly.

Glad it’s not just me. I’ve had more success with them recently, but for YEARS it genuinely felt like every time I unscrewed the pump from the valve, the sodding valve core would come out with it. The other alternative was a loose pump and lose 75% of the pump stroke to ambient. Horrible things.

I still use tubes. Next puncture I get I’m running a 10mm drill bit through the valve hole.

annoyingly over engineered & complex

clog with sealant and not as good as schraeder for putting in sealant either.

so something with a few negatives and absolutely no positives compared to schraeder

A weird legacy of road biking weve not been able to shake

It’s 2024. Surely in the last 40 years of clever engineers making things lighter, stronger and more purple, someone could have come up with a better design than this.

Presumably you are the target audience for this: https://ninefit.uk/products/velotubes-tubeless-schrader-valves-40mm-purple

I’ve always used presta valves as the marker between those folks who have some mechanical sympathy, and those who express their manliness via how tightly they can do up bolts.

Oh, I just remembered! The valve core seizing to the stem due to moisture and galvanic corrosion! That’s a fun one that I’ve never experienced with Schräder valves, either!

I’ve been use to them for years coming from a roadie background….. horrible, crappy things. You can make them work and get around their faults but I’d rather not bother.

The valve core seizing to the stem due to moisture and galvanic corrosion

What was your moisture. Pickling brine ? Gallium ? Brass and nickel don’t really do what you speak of.

They are fragile shite and Schrader valves are better.

Edit: Never realised they were a roadie thing. Makes sense now. Probably saves a third of a gram or something. Absolutely irrelevant to the majority of people with bikes.

Just bought my conversion:

mini pump conversion but (presta to schrader) £2 on ebay

Joe’s schrader tubeless valves, £9.50 ebay… hopefully that’s the last of valve cores getting pulled put (yes I tighten them very firmly) and crappy presta fitments snapping off.

I thought it was just me with the shitty ABS head on my Lezyne Pressure Overdrive. Has anyone managed to replace it with a more useful head from another pump?

(I agree about the shitness of presta!)

Reserve Fillmore as per above link. All presta problems solved. ££ though

6/10 rant. Perfectly reasonable complaint but not enough 🤬