Mountain Biking - Presta/Schraeder valves: what's the advantage of one over the other?

Like the title says, what's the difference and advantage of each type of valve and are rims specific to each type?

No real difference despite the fact that there are more moving parts on a presta. No real advantages either, prest users will say otherwise though.

Schraeders have a removable core, so if your vavle is broken, you don
t have to replace the entire tube. Schraeder is also the standard for cars, and is the most common valve type worldwide...you can even find bike tubes in small towns in the middle of nowhere.

Presta, ont he other hand, was specifically designed for bikes. It's narrower, which allows it to fit on thinner rims than a schraeder vavle. The downside is you have to screw that nut down after inflation, and you either have to carry a presta pump, or get a schraeder adaptor.

I have bikes with both. I see no real advantage outside of allowing you to use thinner rims. The bike I have presta on has disc brake rims, which have an extremely thin profile.

OK, then on to my second question: One of my bikes (the hardtail I ride for serious XC) has a schraeder valve on the front and a presta on the rear. I obviously can't fit a schraeder into the back (the hole for the stem is too small) but could I make a presta work on the front in a pinch (no pun intended)? I'm not talking about riding permanently on a presta in the front, but could I use one to limp me home if I got a flat? It's a pain having to carry spare tubes of both types just in case.

OK, then on to my second question: One of my bikes (the hardtail I ride for serious XC) has a schraeder valve on the front and a presta on the rear. I obviously can't fit a schraeder into the back (the hole for the stem is too small) but could I make a presta work on the front in a pinch (no pun intended)? I'm not talking about riding permanently on a presta in the front, but could I use one to limp me home if I got a flat? It's a pain having to carry spare tubes of both types just in case.
You can go to your LBS or a hardware store and get a rubber grommet that will fill the gap created by using a presta valve in a schraeder hole.

Like the title says, what's the difference and advantage of each type of valve and are rims specific to each type?

Here is a disadvantage of Presta. I was at my Bro in Law's last weekend. He lives in a small town, 70 miles from his LBS. He just got his bike home from LBS where it was "serviced." New presta tubes were put in.

He has a $2,000 Specialized bike that he never rides but he got it serviced because i was coming to ride so he offered to ride with me. Well, guess what, the rear tube was flat a few hours after returning from the LBS.

So, now how do we air it up? Simple answer..........We can't. He thinks he had a special "attachment" at one time but can't find it. So here we sit with a flat tire. I offer to give him one of my Shrader tubes if he wants to drill out the hole. So he did and i put my shrader tube in it. If we hadn't drilled the rim out he wouldn't have gotten to ride. :mad:

He also would have had to make a 150 mile round trip to get what he needed to air it up or he would have had to wait and order it online. So i would say that one major negative to the Presta is that some day somewhere you will likely end up with no means to air up your tire. There is always an air chuck outfitted to blow up a schrader tube close by.

You can go to your LBS or a hardware store and get a rubber grommet that will fill the gap created by using a presta valve in a schraeder hole.

Really? That's cool. I'll have to check into that. Thanks!

Here is a disadvantage of Presta. I was at my Bro in Law's last weekend. He lives in a small town, 70 miles from his LBS. He just got his bike home from LBS where it was "serviced." New presta tubes were put in.

He has a $2,000 Specialized bike that he never rides but he got it serviced because i was coming to ride so he offered to ride with me. Well, guess what, the rear tube was flat a few hours after returning from the LBS.

So, now how do we air it up? Simple answer..........We can't. He thinks he had a special "attachment" at one time but can't find it. So here we sit with a flat tire. I offer to give him one of my Shrader tubes if he wants to drill out the hole. So he did and i put my shrader tube in it. If we hadn't drilled the rim out he wouldn't have gotten to ride. :mad:

He also would have had to make a 150 mile round trip to get what he needed to air it up or he would have had to wait and order it online. So i would say that one major negative to the Presta is that some day somewhere you will likely end up with no means to air up your tire. There is always an air chuck outfitted to blow up a schrader tube close by.$2000 and he didn't buy a pump? http://www.coloradocyclist.com/common/products/productdisplay2_v2.cfm?PRRFNBR=18818&CGRFNBR=355&CRPCGNBR=355&CI=1,226,355&TextMode=0

Here is a disadvantage of Presta. I was at my Bro in Law's last weekend. He lives in a small town, 70 miles from his LBS. He just got his bike home from LBS where it was "serviced." New presta tubes were put in.

He has a $2,000 Specialized bike that he never rides but he got it serviced because i was coming to ride so he offered to ride with me. Well, guess what, the rear tube was flat a few hours after returning from the LBS.

So, now how do we air it up? Simple answer..........We can't.

Maybe I'm missing something here but if he flats on the road, what's he going to do? Walk?

Here is a disadvantage of Presta. I was at my Bro in Law's last weekend. He lives in a small town, 70 miles from his LBS. He just got his bike home from LBS where it was "serviced." New presta tubes were put in.

He has a $2,000 Specialized bike that he never rides but he got it serviced because i was coming to ride so he offered to ride with me. Well, guess what, the rear tube was flat a few hours after returning from the LBS.

So, now how do we air it up? Simple answer..........We can't. He thinks he had a special "attachment" at one time but can't find it. So here we sit with a flat tire. I offer to give him one of my Shrader tubes if he wants to drill out the hole. So he did and i put my shrader tube in it. If we hadn't drilled the rim out he wouldn't have gotten to ride. :mad:

He also would have had to make a 150 mile round trip to get what he needed to air it up or he would have had to wait and order it online. So i would say that one major negative to the Presta is that some day somewhere you will likely end up with no means to air up your tire. There is always an air chuck outfitted to blow up a schrader tube close by.

I bought a Schraeder-adapter, so getting air into presta tubes isn't a problem for me.

He has a $2,000 Specialized bike that he never rides....

I said he never rides it. He probably has 30 miles on it. It was laying out in a shed with flat tires gathering cob webs. I'm sure he bought a pump but he couldn't find it.

Again, the point here is that the fitting for the presta is not as universal so you are "more likely" to end up in a situation like i mentioned. The poster asked for disadvantages. The fact that the presta fitting is not found on nearly every air compressor and bike pump in the U.S. like a shchrader is, constitutes a disadvantage for me.

It makes you more likely to find yourself in a situation where you can't get air into your tube. That doesn't mean it will happen it just means more likely. If you always have a working presta pump with you then you are fine but we all know that things can get misplaced etc.

I said he never rides it. He probably has 30 miles on it. It was laying out in a shed with flat tires gathering cob webs. I'm sure he bought a pump but he couldn't find it.So you're somehow turning your brother-in-law's lack of riding and forgetfulness into a disadvantage for those who do ride and can keep track of their equipment. OK gotcha I understand now.:rolleyes:

If your rims are drilled for presta, you could always drill them out to fit schraeder.

Most bike shops will have the rubber grommets so prestas will fit schraeder drilled rims.

I don't really have a preference. The nice thing about presta is they never clog. This is a non-issue if you keep a cap on the schraeder though.

L8R

So you're somhow turning your brother-in-law's lack of riding and forgetfulness into a disadvantage for those who do ride and can keep track of their equipment. OK gotcha I understand now.

I don't think forgetfullness is limited to my brother in law, but being an MD I am sure he forgets his share of things. :rolleyes: I too forget things sometimes. Last weekend i left my duffel bag with all of my bike gear on the garage floor,while packing the car for a trip, so i was forced to ride without any of it.

It doesn't take a lot of imagination to think of a way you could end up without a frame pump but i'll break it down for ya.

1. It could quit working.

2. Someone could steal it off your bike and you not notice it.

3. You could lay it down while working on your bike etc. and forget to re-attach it. Then you could end up hauling your bike a hundred miles into the woods only to notice you have a flat and you forgot it. Then you pull into the only business in town which is a gas station...........guess what kind of chuck they have on their compressor?

Again, this is only for the forgetfull people. :D

I don't think forgetfulness is limited to my brother in law, but being an MD I am sure he forgets his share of things. If that's the case I would hope that he would have a better memory or be better organized! What did I do with that clamp?:eek: Yikes!



1. It could quit working.

2. Someone could steal it off your bike and you not notice it.

3. You could lay it down while working on your bike etc. and forget to attach it. Then you could end up hauling your bike a hundred miles into the woods only to notice you have a flat and you forgot it. Then you pull into the only business in town which is a gas station...........guess what kind of chuck they have on their compressor?

Again, this is only for the forgetfull people. :DMost people that use prestas and ride for long distances have one of these on one of their valves or at least in their seat pack.
http://www.all3sports.com/images/Medium/INNPVAD.jpg
You offer a bunch of scenarios but with a little pre-planning or common sense they can all be easily overcome. You're making this out to be a much bigger deal than it really is.

Most people that use prestas and ride for long distances have one of these on one of their valves or at least in their seat pack.

There is an idea, maybe my Brother in Law could start surgically implanting those in people and then your odds of finding a source for airing a presta tube would start to rival that of a schrader. Raiyn, seriously I don't care, I am just having fun with you. :beer:

I think the poster and other readers should be able to draw his/her own conclusions and decide based on that.

Raiyn, seriously I don't care, I am just having fun with you. :beer:


I realize that no harm no foul :beer:

If that's the case I would hope that he would have a better memory or be better organized! What did I do with that clamp?:eek: Yikes!
Most people that use prestas and ride for long distances have one of these on one of their valves or at least in their seat pack.
http://www.all3sports.com/images/Medium/INNPVAD.jpg
You offer a bunch of scenarios but with a little pre-planning or common sense they can all be easily overcome. You're making this out to be a much bigger deal than it really is.

I know I am a noob here, but one of the first things I did when I bought my GF was but a pack of adapters. If figure that if for some reason my pump doesn't work, I should at least have a secondary means of inflating a tire.

If your brother in law doesn't ride much (which he obviously doesn't), then he would probably never think of things like that. It isn't ignorance as much as it is lack of knowledge about his bike, and what he should keep on hand.

I keep my presta adaptors inside a ziplock pack that has my matches and backup headlight, which I keep inside hte zippered pocket of my bag...which I never leave without....plus I need the bag to carry the mammoth of a lock I need to ensure nobody messes with the bike. :(

Presta, ont he other hand, was specifically designed for bikes. It's narrower, which allows it to fit on thinner rims than a schraeder vavle. The downside is you have to screw that nut down after inflation, and you either have to carry a presta pump, or get a schraeder adaptor.

Or you could carry a presta AND shraeder combo pump. Solves that!

Or you could carry a presta AND shraeder combo pump. Solves that!Just like that pump I posted.

I'm not sure I understand why anyone would want presta unless they had ultra-skinny rims.... Are they better somehow?

The fact that you CAN buy adapters, and that you CAN make sure you have your presta-compatible pump with you at ALL TIMES, doesn't mean that I want to if I don't have to. It just seems like a lot of bull to deal with just to have a valve type you don't even need.

I mean, I could just invent some random valve type and sell special pumps and adapters, but just because you 'could' use it and all the special stuff you had to buy, why would you bother?

Anyway, not saying presta is bad, I just don't understand why its useful, except in ultra-thin rim cases. Should everyone else just stick with schrader? I'm not trying to sound like a dick, I truly am open to more info about valves, its not something I've spent a lot of time considering, and I'm always looking for more info!

peace,
sam

I kept my adaptor on my tube so I would not have to remember where I put it. you can't get cool valve caps for presta( you know the dice, bullets,skulls etc.LOL).I have a bout 15 of those darn adaptors somewhere and only know where 2 are.sitting on 2 presta tubes in my shed. I ended up drilling mine out too cuz there are no presta tubes available near me either and I hate patching tires on the trail

Prestas are a lot faster to air down and typically hold air better than a scraeder. And to whoever said about screwing the nut down, you don't have to use the presta valve nut. I never have.

I like presta valves cuz they make my bike look more expensive. :D

Like the title says, what's the difference and advantage of each type of valve and are rims specific to each type?


Ah...a question for an old fart to answer.

Way back when, when American bikes were generally one-speeds they all came with Schraeder valves.

When the bike market got a bit more sophisticated, creating a demand for imported road bikes, many of those came with presta valves 'cause they were European.

So it wasn't a case of what valve type was better, more a case of where the bike originated.
We won't even discuss a third type of valve, the "Dunlop".

Both work well, although in my experience with novice cyclists, many are puzzled at first by presta valves since its got that moving part "thingie" on top.

Regarding the perception among some that the presta valve was superior, some companies recognized that there were enough people out there who had this opinion, so when mountain bikes became popular, many companies would outfit their more expensive rigs with presta valve tubes since the presta valve was thought to come from a better neighborhood....

Dunlop? Oh you mean a Woods valve! I've seen a few of those

What are Woods valves? I have never heard of them, let alone seen one.

What are Woods valves? I have never heard of them, let alone seen one.Courtesy sheldonbrown.com
Woods Valve
There is a third type of valve, very rarely seen, which has a bottom similar to a Schrader and necks down to about the size of a Presta. This is a Woods valve, also known as a "Dunlop" valve. Woods valves were formerly popular in the British Isles and Asia. You can pump them up with a Presta pump.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/valvewoo.gif
Woods valve

Older versions work with rubber tubing and spit. If they don't hold air, you can unscrew the knurled ring that holds the valve core (the "Presta-sized" part) in place. You should see a short length of rubber tubing covering the inner part of the core. If the rubber tubing it old and perished, the valve won't work. Some patch kits include short lengths of replacement rubber tubing for this purpose. When installing new tubing, lubricate the valve core with spit before slipping the tubing in place.
Newer versions use a modern spring-loaded valve mechanism.

I bought a pair of alloy spacers similar to Raiyn's rubber grommets. I've bought wheelsets with Shraeder holes, I think they were on sale because they are drilled for the less popular valves. I can use presta with the spacers, can use a shraeder tube if necessary, carry a good pump that fills both types. I carry the adapter, but I haven't used it in 20 years. A tire blew up im my face when I was a kid using the gas station air, I still avoid using that air in bicycle tires. I prefer my hand pump, but I have had my pump quit, so the adapter is there in my bag if I ever need it. Presta valve is lighter and more areodynamic. :)

I despise Presta valves, as they have the added `benefit` of snapping when using a mini-pump as it puts pressure on the small screw valve on top. It doesn't help that the valve is made of the cheapest monkey metal available, and will snap or bend when subjected to small gusts of wind and the like.

Seriously though, me and my brother did a 2 week west coast tour of Ireland mid June on our roadies this year. We only sustained one flat between us the whole two weeks whilst cycling 40+ miles per day (happened on a dual carraigeway at 35+mph of all times!). I had a Blackburn Airstick minipump with me, and tried to pump up the new presta tube, well it got up to about 20psi and the O-ring inside the pump melted and stuck = us stranded.

We walked for 3-4 miles with the bikes to the nearest town to look for a new pump. Looks like that day there was only one presta pump in the whole of southern Ireland and that it was my broken one. We went to the tourist info centre and talked to the lady who worked there, she rang several people who she reckoned would have a pump, and after 30+ minutes, a guy turned up with a compressor, fitted with a schreader valve. I tried to tell him that the valve would not work, but of course he knew better, forced the compressor onto the presta valve, snapping the screw mechanism, rendering the tube useless.

To cut long story short we had to catch a bus to the next checkpoint, and were lucky enough to find a decent bike shop with adapters.

Lesson learned, presta tubes are a complete waste of time and money, and i shall strive to always use schreaders.

I despise Presta valves, as they have the added `benefit` of snapping when using a mini-pump as it puts pressure on the small screw valve on top. It doesn't help that the valve is made of the cheapest monkey metal available, and will snap or bend when subjected to small gusts of wind and the like.

Seriously though, me and my brother did a 2 week west coast tour of Ireland mid June on our roadies this year. We only sustained one flat between us the whole two weeks whilst cycling 40+ miles per day (happened on a dual carraigeway at 35+mph of all times!). I had a Blackburn Airstick minipump with me, and tried to pump up the new presta tube, well it got up to about 20psi and the O-ring inside the pump melted and stuck = us stranded.

We walked for 3-4 miles with the bikes to the nearest town to look for a new pump. Looks like that day there was only one presta pump in the whole of southern Ireland and that it was my broken one. We went to the tourist info centre and talked to the lady who worked there, she rang several people who she reckoned would have a pump, and after 30+ minutes, a guy turned up with a compressor, fitted with a schreader valve. I tried to tell him that the valve would not work, but of course he knew better, forced the compressor onto the presta valve, snapping the screw mechanism, rendering the tube useless.

To cut long story short we had to catch a bus to the next checkpoint, and were lucky enough to find a decent bike shop with adapters.

Lesson learned, presta tubes are a complete waste of time and money, and i shall strive to always use schreaders.

Touche. ;)

Here is a disadvantage of Presta. I was at my Bro in Law's last weekend. He lives in a small town, 70 miles from his LBS. He just got his bike home from LBS where it was "serviced." New presta tubes were put in.

He has a $2,000 Specialized bike that he never rides but he got it serviced because i was coming to ride so he offered to ride with me. Well, guess what, the rear tube was flat a few hours after returning from the LBS.

So, now how do we air it up? Simple answer..........We can't. He thinks he had a special "attachment" at one time but can't find it. So here we sit with a flat tire. I offer to give him one of my Shrader tubes if he wants to drill out the hole. So he did and i put my shrader tube in it. If we hadn't drilled the rim out he wouldn't have gotten to ride. :mad:

He also would have had to make a 150 mile round trip to get what he needed to air it up or he would have had to wait and order it online. So i would say that one major negative to the Presta is that some day somewhere you will likely end up with no means to air up your tire. There is always an air chuck outfitted to blow up a schrader tube close by.


My friend recently gave me a Nishiki that he was never going to use. Well after going to the store and buying all of my supplies I came back and realized that my front tire was a Schrader and the rear was a Presta. I would really like to keep it with a Schrader valve, for familiarity I guess, and I was thinking about drilling a hole in the rim so it would fit. My question to you, or any of you is... What size of a bit should i use? I didnt want to mess anything up by drilling too big, so i figured I would get on here and ask a few experts. thanks for the help guys.

that story is why you use a schraeder adaptor with hand pumps...just makes more sense than some wobbly handpump stressing you presta nut.

Presta's offer a real advantage for roadies- allowing for thinner rims with less weight, lower rolling resistance, and slightly more aerodynamic profile. Is the thinner Presta a real advantage in the design of larger MTB wheels? I don't buy the holding air better argument- unless you don't use stem caps and allow your Schrader valve stems to corrode. Presta's seem more fragile to me since the little lock nut stem can break if you're rough with it (though I've never broken one). The universal availability of Schraders (no adapter required,replacement stem caps are everywhere) and the ability to replace the valve core are advantages.
So in the final analysis, are Presta's in MTB's mainly "snob appeal"???

(BTW- I have both types in my various bikes, inc. Schraders on a roadie and Prestas on an MTB.)

Presta's offer a real advantage for roadies- allowing for thinner rims with less weight, lower rolling resistance, and slightly more aerodynamic profile. Is the thinner Presta a real advantage in the design of larger MTB wheels? I don't buy the holding air better argument- unless you don't use stem caps and allow your Schrader valve stems to corrode. Presta's seem more fragile to me since the little lock nut stem can break if you're rough with it (though I've never broken one). The universal availability of Schraders (no adapter required,replacement stem caps are everywhere) and the ability to replace the valve core are advantages.
So in the final analysis, are Presta's in MTB's mainly "snob appeal"???

(BTW- I have both types in my various bikes, inc. Schraders on a roadie and Prestas on an MTB.)

About that "snob appeal" thang, yup, you're right. There's a couple of things at work here. Since more expensive road bikes came with presta valves, MTB designers utilized them in pricier MTB's to differentiate them from their less expensive "Fred" models. Also from a design standpoint, presta valves make a bike wheel look lighter since the stem is tall and thin in contrast to the squat appearance of the Schrader valve.

I use schraeder valves on my car, presta on my bikes

I'm slowly converting all my bikes to presta (grommets). It lets me use one kind of simple pump, and the valve may be slightly more fragile, but is mechanically simplier. I think it should be self-evident that it is handy to have the same type of value on all your bikes. I figure that I'm usually close to another cyclist than a gas station, so if I'm ever in the very unlikely situation of needing assistance (ie. I ate my pump for lunch or I am on my third puncture in the last hour) I can rely on the kindness of a like-minded stranger rather than trying to find a gas station. That reasoning assumes more people will be out with presta pumps and tubs than schaeder stuff, which may be wrong, but that's my theory. Oh yeah, gas station compressors suck. They either (a) get you to 80 psi after four minutes of waiting and then you're stuck wondering how you're going to get that next 40 psi into the tube or (b) get you to 200 psi in three seconds (BOOM!) and then you're getting your spare-spare tube out and are looking for a handpump anyway.

Curious. How is it mechanically simpler.

Shraeder, I pull off the cap and start pumping, when done yank off pump and cover with cap.

Presta take off cap, undo tiny fragile piece plug. Attempt to put pump on without bending it too much, attempt to pump without bending it to much, attempt to take off without bending it to much. Screw tiny cap on, screw tiny plastic cap on. In all of this hope you didn't bend that tiny fragile piece of rubber more than 25 degrees because it will likely have a hole in it.

Umm... presta doesn't have a spring or a threaded valve stem. To me, adding a spring to a mechanism is more mechanically complex than one without a spring than functions equivalently. The extra plastic cap is more for protecting the valve during shipping than for use on the wheel. As someone else said, the threaded part of the presta valve doesn't need to be tightened for the valve to work correctly, it's just a safety (and in wet/snowy/freezing conditions a really good idea). Even as a novice, I've never managed to bend a presta value to the point of making it unusable (although I have seen people do it, but always repairable with pliers). For me, it comes down to these four things:

1) I have rims that are probably too narrow to be drilled out to schaeder so I need some presta tubes anyway
2) I believe (with no good evidence) that I'm more likely to get roadside assistance from someone with presta tubes and/or pumps with schaeder, so I'd like to be able to use that stuff.
3) Since I need some presta, I'd like everything to be presta so I can always use the same pumps and tubes.
4) None of the local gas station compressors have enough pressure to properly inflate my tires, and local bike shops have presta pumps, so schaeder doesn't get me anything extra in terms of convienence. Even if I did rural tours, the idea that it's useful to have a valve that the gas station I'd have to walk 10 miles to could inflate my tires seems silly.

Your milage may vary.

ok. I know what you mean now. I do see a point, but I have broken several prestas. I am way to impatient for something so fragile.

:) And the winner is......

Nobody!

IF you really need to I've put presta into my standard rims, just by tightening the hell out of that little threaded washer that comes with the tube, as long as you can keep that tight on your rims you should be straight to ride with it forever, I've been fine anyway.

IF you really need to I've put presta into my standard rims, just by tightening the hell out of that little threaded washer that comes with the tube, as long as you can keep that tight on your rims you should be straight to ride with it forever, I've been fine anyway.

That trick alows me to carry only presta tubes on rides since I can fit them into either Schrader or Presta type rims. I switch back to a Schrader tube on a Schrader rim as soon as practical,though. (No real reason- just keeping the order of the universe I guess)

It's even handier to have the same type of valves on all my bikes AND my car. That way, my battery backup/compressor can fill my tire without an adapter. I'm also very fond of using standard car compressors to fill up my tires. If you only use small bursts of air, you'll be fine.

I've never used Presta, and I'm not really enthused about trying them. Too little benefit for too much hassle. Don't lecture me about 2 grams difference between the two. I weigh 270#. I laugh at your grams.

It would seem to me that presta's are probably best suited to road tires where the big Shrader whole can weaken a narrow rim.

The auto industry seems perfectly happy with Shrader. And I've never really had any problems. I'm also completely unconcerned about the possiblity of snapping a shrader valve from too much pressure.

Umm... presta doesn't have a spring or a threaded valve stem. To me, adding a spring to a mechanism is more mechanically complex than one without a spring than functions equivalently.


And yet the auto industry continues to use these "complicated" mechanisms with little or no problems. I've NEVER had a valve fail on an automobile tire.



The extra plastic cap is more for protecting the valve during shipping than for use on the wheel. As someone else said, the threaded part of the presta valve doesn't need to be tightened for the valve to work correctly, it's just a safety (and in wet/snowy/freezing conditions a really good idea). Even as a novice, I've never managed to bend a presta value to the point of making it unusable (although I have seen people do it, but always repairable with pliers). For me, it comes down to these four things:


You should always cap your valves to keep mud oil, snow, whatever out of it. As far as repairing a bent presta valve with pliers, you can also easily break it. Shrader's don't bend and those threads are nice for screwing on certain types of pumps.



...
2) I believe (with no good evidence) that I'm more likely to get roadside assistance from someone with presta tubes and/or pumps with schaeder, so I'd like to be able to use that stuff.


Well, most pumps sold today service a) both, b) shrader. The newest frame pumps have the "auto-select" heads that doesn't require removing and reversing that piece of plastic.

As far as shrader users being indifferent, how would you know. Do the Shrader users pass you on the trail while Presta users help. Or is it just that shraders are used by "more advanced" cyclists who have learned to carry frame pumps (for that matter, if you were "advanced" YOU would be carrying a frame pump)!!!!!
[/QUOTE]



3) Since I need some presta, I'd like everything to be presta so I can always use the same pumps and tubes.


Since I use the same valve as EVERY automobile in the US, I KNOW virtually every pump will service my shrader valves. Since all comfort and wally bikes come with shrader (because everbody's cars use shrader) I know that bike shops, wal-mart, etc... will ALWAYS have shrader tubes.



4) None of the local gas station compressors have enough pressure to properly inflate my tires, and local bike shops have presta pumps, so schaeder doesn't get me anything extra in terms of convienence. Even if I did rural tours, the idea that it's useful to have a valve that the gas station I'd have to walk 10 miles to could inflate my tires seems silly.


Well, you could use the compressor to pump as far as it can. And then you could finish it with your frame pump. Of course, if you had your frame pump, you wouldn't NEED the service station. In that case, the service station can get you enough air to ride home on mortal levels of pressure in the 80-90 psi area. Don't forget that those compressors typically will pump up truck tires that hold up tons of weight. They have to be pretty powerful to accomplish that. And something inside me says that a gas station compressor will not only reach the magic 120 psi but it will also blow your tire to smithereens. The compressor in my garage will blow your tire to smithereens and it isn't even industrial.

BTW, no bias AGAINST Presta. I just think it's a road bike thing and pure marketing for everybody else.

that story is why you use a schraeder adaptor with hand pumps...just makes more sense than some wobbly handpump stressing you presta nut.

Let me get this straight.

You buy a handpump that will do presta/shrader for your shrader tubes. THEN you buy a presta adapter that will screw in and turn it into a Presta, thereby minimizing the inherint fragility of the Presta design. Then you can use the SHRADER side of your Presta/Shrader pump to avoid damaging your high performance Presta valve.

And all this is for:
a) making your bike look more expensive and more attractive to thieves
b) avoiding the use of a $.05 plastic cap in dry conditions
c) being tube compatible with your road bike that uses different size tubes
d) being pump compatible when all the pumps out there are either Shrader or Shrader/Presta combos.
c) Saving a gram or two of weight on the valve while adding a gram or two of weight in material that wasn't drilled out rim valve hole.
d) Being more "aerodynamic" on a surface that is 100% shielded from your vehicles air stream.

Do I have this right???? Or am I the one who's nuts???? Besides fitting nicer into narrow rims, I really don't see any advantages.

Don't drill out a presta hole for shraeder, the rim wasn't designed for it.

Aren't Prestas lighter? I really like that screw thingy that I forget to tighten, or tighten until it breaks. Great fun.

We need a better valve.

if Prestas are so good why is then that when I connect my little brass adapter thingy and then the floor pump that all the air starts immediately rushing out of the tube- I am lucky if the tyre doesn`t have less pressure at the end than at the beginning ?