Originally Posted by PatrickGSR94

Why give up on them? I bought my first "real" adult bike around 2007, my 90's KHS MTB, but before I started really riding again in 2012 I used those adapter things. And yeah they were a PITA to deal with. But then I got a floor pump that would work with Presta valves and never looked back. They're WAY easier to deal with. All 3 of my bikes use Presta valves. My wife's bike, kid's bike, and cargo trailer tires use Schrader and I hate them.

Are you using cheap tubes? I've never once had a Presta valve wear out or break, or feel otherwise delicate or finicky, and my road bike has over 13,000 miles on it currently. Schrader valves, on the other hand, have failed on me twice. I went to pump the tires, pulled the pump head off and the entire valve ripped out of the tube, still attached to the pump head.

Now my floor pump, which works with both valve types, has a replaceable seal inside. It's starting to leak a bit while the pump head is attached to the Presta valve. I can usually get the tire pumped up before too much air leaks around the seal. But I really just need to replace that seal in the pump head and all should be good.