Bicycle Mechanics - PRESTA or SCHRADER tubes?

I pick presta. :beer:

me too, when I first got em I was hesitant but now they are the best way to go in my opinion. So Smelly, I am afraid to ask but how did you get your user name? nice dress too! :beer:

Shraeder every time. I hate presta :)

I could go one way or the other but I tend to pick presta these days.

In case anyone is interested, you can convert a Shraeder rim to accept Presta tubes by taking an 1 gal. ice cream bucket and cutting a ¾" W x 1½" L strip, drill a hole in it to allow the Presta valve through and install the tube on the rim as you normally would. My 2¢. :D (I'll go with Presta).

Whatever the wheel rim requires. But, haven't seen any of those big old fat ugly heavy stems on anything but entry level bikes for quite a number of years.

I think it is also a road vs mtb thing. I don't see many prestas on any mtbikes at all (at least in this neck of the woods) even on 6000$ dh bikes it is still shraeder :)

This choice is usually made by the rim manufacturer, no? And it's hard to imagine someone choosing one hybrid or low-end MTB over another just because of the size of the valve hole in the rims.

And I can't remember the last time I saw a road bike rim with shraeders.

RichC

Originally posted by Cipher
In case anyone is interested, you can convert a Shraeder rim to accept Presta tubes by taking an 1 gal. ice cream bucket and cutting a ¾" W x 1½" L strip, drill a hole in it to allow the Presta valve through and install the tube on the rim as you normally would. My 2¢. :D (I'll go with Presta).

Or you could just buy a rubber insert sold at the Home Depot for $0.04 each.:D

Originally posted by Maelstrom
I think it is also a road vs mtb thing. I don't see many prestas on any mtbikes at all (at least in this neck of the woods) even on 6000$ dh bikes it is still shraeder :)

Four riders at work, four different MTB all Presta I think it is the rims more than the style of bike. Also Presta I think are proving to be more popular cause 10 years ago only high end road bikes had em. Butr also I have to agree with Rich Clark (Shudder :) ) I know when I choose a bike valve type is not one of thr criteria.

All right mr. Smelly, post us a picture of these adapters please.

I like presta best and run presta in my mtb rims that are drilled for shrader with out any kind of adapter and have had no problems, yet. I think I like them because you can manipulate the vlave core with out a tool and to me they just look better on a bike tire.;)

since I run tubulars there is no choice - presta

Marty

Originally posted by ngateguy
Four riders at work, four different MTB all Presta I think it is the rims more than the style of bike.

Same here... all my MTBs have presta and most high end XC rigs I see have presta. However, that said, I can see the draw for schraeder in MTBs, especially those with air-adjustable suspension since air-shocks normally have schreader valves and thus one would only need to carry a single pump. Granted filling a tyre with a shock pump is gonna take a lot of time and pumping.

This is one of those perennial topics that won't go away. I have 4 bikes with prestas, and plan to convert the UO-8 next time I need an inner tube. (To convert, I slip a thin metal washer, whose ID barely accepts the Presta stem and whose OD comfortably covers the Schraeder hole in the rim, between the rim tape and the rim itself.)

Originally posted by uciflylow
All right mr. Smelly, post us a picture of these adapters please.

I like presta best and run presta in my mtb rims that are drilled for shrader with out any kind of adapter and have had no problems, yet. I think I like them because you can manipulate the vlave core with out a tool and to me they just look better on a bike tire.;)

http://www.marcorubber.com/grommets.htm

They're called rubber grommets.:D They come in thousands of sizes, many will fix around a presta valve, making it wide enough to sit in a schrader valve hole.

We sell the rubber grommets for 50 cents. There is an alloy adaptor that works better for about a buck.
I put Topeak smart heads on all the shop(and home) pumps so I no longer care. Stick it on there, flip the lever and pump.