ThermionicScott 

I suppose, but now we're talking about a case where multiple things have gone wrong (flat tire and pump breaks while riding alone) but while near a gas station.

I'll post it here if I find myself in such a situation and need to pay penance, but my point earlier was that gas stations shouldn't be a substitute for being prepared.

tjspiel

Or you could carry an adaptor, and make sure you have quarters or cash. Plus you might want to bring a along a spare valve and hose for those things because a bunch seem to be missing them.

I don't know. It seems to be a lot simpler just to make sure you're carrying a working pump rather than hoping a gas station with a working compressor is somewhere close by.

Most cyclists that use gas station pumps seem to use them in place of having a good floor pump at home rather than as a way to deal with flats. That's fine but if you have a good floor pump and a pump to carry with you that would seem to eliminate the need to fill at a gas station in most circumstances. Plus, like many have said, if you want to fill at a gas station, there are cheap and small adaptors that will let you do it.

noglider 

That is an amazing video!

What is the black/red debate? Is this something that occurred in the days of the Ordinary?

harshbarj

Outside of a racing bicycle, there is no need for presta valves. They were designed for skinny racing wheels. Your average commuter style bike will have a 700cx35 tire which can accommodate a schrader valve. I simply see no benefit to presta whatsoever on a sufficiently wide rim.
That and if your pump breaks, you can stop at any gas station and use their pump. You may not get to full pressure, but you don't need to. You just need to get home where you can use your floor pump.

noglider 

All of this is true, but having presta valves isn't a big liability, either. Most of my bikes have them, due to my inertia. I don't plan to convert, as I have no reason to do so.

None of the reasons in favor of presta or schrader is terribly compelling. It doesn't matter. The reason we ask and debate it is because we can, not because we need to.

rumrunn6

I carry pump, co2, tubes, patches & quarters. I like options ... That video is insane. I had no idea what was going on until the end & then I was amazed the "tire" stretched & stuck together!

harshbarj

Other than schrader is a standard use on nearly everything and presta is non-standard used only on some bikes (non-standard when looking overall and not just bicycles). In a pinch If caught without tools you can use automotive tools to fill a bike tire with schrader valves, but not presta. My choice of schrader has saved me from walking home many times. Had I had presta, I would have had no way to fill my tubes. As both will otherwise preform the same, I chose the one with more options in an emergency.

wolfchild

No problem... If my pump failed then I have an presta/schrader adapter in my tool bag and some spare change, I could air my tires at a gas station.

noglider 

Again, that's all true, but it's also not very compelling. We are grasping at straws to think of really bad situations that are (1) unlikely and (2) not that bad.

ThermionicScott 

It's the trivial things that get debated the most fiercely.

CharlyAlfaRomeo

Pardon my presumption if you've already tried this but if you flip the lever to the lock position after unscrewing the retaining cap on the head of your pump it should push the internals out far enough to get a hold of them.

noglider 

Or carry a small prying tool such as a small screwdriver. Pliers might get the parts out, too.

wolfchild

Or just carry a multitool.

noglider 

Those are good, too. Or if you know you always carry your keys and it would do the job, there you are.

ThermionicScott 

I configure the pump for the particular style of valve before leaving the house.

dynaryder

Smack it into your open palm a couple times. If it doesn't pop out,it should come out enough for you to grab it.

Ditto.

Hey I-Like-To-Bike,question. What do you suggest for people running skinny,high pressure tires? Many gas stations limit their compressors to around 40psi or so,since most car tires max out around there and they don't want people blowing their tires off the rims. 40psi in a 100+ psi tire is asking for a pinch flat. Or are they just riding the wrong kind of bike?

I-Like-To-Bike

"Running skinny,high pressure tires"for commuting purposes is not my thing, so I will leave the expert advice to those who know or care about that issue.
I'm not so sure that gas stations compressors "limited" to around 40psi for car tires aren't capable of bursting any bicycle tube with overinflation if the cyclist doesn't take care. With care, I've never had a problem inflating 27 x 1 1/4" tubes to 75PSI at a gas station.

noglider 

Some of them have pressure limiters, but I'm too scared to test their effectiveness.

When I was in high school, I went to the local gas station to fill up my bike tires. This was Manhattan, and gas stations are rare. This one is indoors, like a cave. I blew my tire, and the explosion in the cave-like space was louder than usual. The owner told me never to come back. This was before coin-operated pressure-limiting compressors.

Matariki

No, just a bit of contrived humor to mirror the Presta Schraeder debate. I imagine that the old high wheelers could have argued it though.