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Fluff question of the day - use valve stem caps on Presta?

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Fluff question of the day - use valve stem caps on Presta?

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Old 07-20-05, 06:12 AM
  #1  
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Fluff question of the day - use valve stem caps on Presta?

Is there any need to put a valve stem cap on a Presta valve?
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Old 07-20-05, 06:24 AM
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sydney doesn't, and gets a warm fuzzie from a the rotational weight saved.
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Old 07-20-05, 07:36 AM
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My Trek 1000c came with 'em but I decided the reduced weight was much more important
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Old 07-20-05, 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by shane45
Is there any need to put a valve stem cap on a Presta valve?
Ya gotta keep them on! Oh, also keep the reflectors that come on your wheels and handlebars.

Cap and nut, pitch them both. Not a weight savings issue to me, to be they are just two more things to have to remove when I'm on the side of the road changing a flat with sweaty hands.
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Old 07-20-05, 07:54 AM
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yes, of course, but run carbon fibre ones to save weight and make sure they are gram matched to keep wheels in balance. Nothing worse than having your valve come unscrewed spontaneously and then have some sort of abberation in the laws of the universe occur that allows the presta valve to open against the force of the air in the tube and you get instant deflation. Happens to me all the time
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Old 07-20-05, 08:00 AM
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On my roadster, no valve caps or stem nuts.

But on my mountain bike, I have some chi chi red anodized aluminum valve caps for the pure pimpin' bling of it.
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Old 07-20-05, 08:09 AM
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Originally Posted by capwater
...they are just two more things to have to remove when I'm on the side of the road changing a flat with sweaty hands.
plus, they're easy to accidentally leave behind. I'm no environmentalist, but there's no reason to litter either.
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Old 07-20-05, 09:51 AM
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Originally Posted by capwater
...Cap and nut, pitch them both...
err... gain some style points
save up enough to make your own bikie version "pooka shell necklace" to be worn at the next hootenanny in your area - chicks dig-em!
I'm keeping mine soz I can be a pool-side extra for the inevitable remake of "laugh-in", the movie... I don;t have a trike anymore, so the artie johnson role is over my head
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Old 07-20-05, 11:22 AM
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You officially classify yourself as noob if you put the cap on.
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Old 07-20-05, 11:54 AM
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Are you talking about those little dice things?
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Old 07-20-05, 11:58 AM
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Why not use the nut? It seems to make it easier to put the pump on if the valve is immobilized against the rim.

peace,
sam
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Old 07-20-05, 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by operator
You officially classify yourself as noob if you put the cap on.
Well, I've been commuting since '76 and I keep 'em on. How much longer until I'm not a noob any more?

I like to keep the dust out of any teeny parts that are supposed to move.

I put the toilet seat down too...
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Old 07-20-05, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by eubi
I put the toilet seat down too...
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Old 07-20-05, 01:08 PM
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half the time i don't even bother doing up the valves after pumping my tyres
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Old 07-20-05, 01:15 PM
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Originally Posted by shane45
Is there any need to put a valve stem cap on a Presta valve?
Just stuff your tires with straw, no tubes or valves to worry about then!
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Old 07-20-05, 02:19 PM
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The nuts stay on mine. Nothing drives me crazier than noises on my bike, and without the nut, the stem tends to rattle around in the hole. No thanks.

I also keep the caps on. I color coordinate my caps with my cable housing. It's a OCP thing.
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Old 07-20-05, 02:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Toefuzz
My Trek 1000c came with 'em but I decided the reduced weight was much more important
You're honestly concerned about the weight of a valve cap? That's some next level sh*t!!
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Old 07-20-05, 02:34 PM
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Originally Posted by cmfx_2
You're honestly concerned about the weight of a valve cap? That's some next level sh*t!!
You know how much a cap weighs? It's a lot.
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Old 07-20-05, 03:16 PM
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The cap is for transporting the tube in the box to keep the stem from poking a hole in the tube. If the valve is closed there's no place for dust to get in.
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Old 07-20-05, 03:24 PM
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Originally Posted by shane45
Is there any need to put a valve stem cap on a Presta valve?
I leave the plastic caps on so I don't jab my hand when I lift my bicycle up by the wheel.
Sometimes I forget to look where the stem is when I grab the rim.
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Old 07-20-05, 03:56 PM
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My mech at the LBS always rolls his eyes as he says, "Oh yeah, you're one of those nut and cap guys" as he puts them back on. Yesterday he left them off again and I said nothing.

This morning, with some trepidation, I rode for an hour and a half with no caps and only two nuts (neither of which were bike parts). Nothing untoward happened. No noises. No valve failures. Nothing.

Well there is one thing. I did notice my average speed went way up.

I'll probably leave them off.
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Old 07-20-05, 04:23 PM
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I spin the wheel slowly, if it stops with the valve at the top then I add the cap and/or the nut, if it stops with the valve at the bottom then I leave it (them) off. No AR's in my family.
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Old 07-20-05, 04:38 PM
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How do you get the nut off? Mine stops when it's fully unscrewed. Do you Dremel it? Besides, it seems a little too easy to bump the stem and deflate your tire a little without the nut.
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Old 07-20-05, 04:46 PM
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Originally Posted by sestivers
How do you get the nut off? Mine stops when it's fully unscrewed. Do you Dremel it? Besides, it seems a little too easy to bump the stem and deflate your tire a little without the nut.
He is talking about the stem nut, not the valve nut.
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Old 07-20-05, 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by cmfx_2
You're honestly concerned about the weight of a valve cap? That's some next level sh*t!!
I drill mine.
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