I am not a big fan of the Presta valve. It seems so delicate, I'm always affraid of breaking the little twisty bit off the end and ruining the entire tube (did it once). Maybe my $20 pump is just a POS, but I have a hard time getting my tires inflated. I usually have to try two or three times to get it work properly. With my kids bikes with the Shrader the pump works perfectly the first time. I was wondering if these adapters are any good https://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._400013_400234 ...or maybe I just need a better floor pump.

Presta valves are good. Schraders suck.

You either need a better pump or better technique.

Get a pump with a single head that fits both valves.
I like my Serfas FP-200

I always keep one with me at all times. I don't like pumping short presta valves, shrader is so much easier.

For along time I used the adapter and it works fine. Now I use a Blackburn Airtower3 and it has one valve that can be used with Schrader (90 degree flip) and Presta (180 degree flip) and it works great too. Adapters are inexpensive, just open the presta valve put the adapter on, take the adapter off to close the presta valve .... does get old 2 tires every time you air up.

Just fill your tires with RTV and solve all your problems.

The adapter won't make the Presta valve any sturdier and is much less convenient than using a pump with the proper style head.

Most of my bikes use Presta valves, but if you prefer Schrader then why not just ream or drill out the holes in the rims and start using Schrader tubes? (Make sure you don't leave any sharp edges on the holes that could cut the base of the valve stems.)

+1

I dont know what all of this presta is "better" is all about. Better at what?

IMO one advantage of carrying the adapter is that you can top your tires off with any neighborhood mechanics air compressor or at a gas station. When this is an option, it sure beats pumping your tire manually.

I use one at home for use with my portable compressor.

Sometimes the presta valves stick, so give the valve tip a quick tap or "burp" to make sure it's loose.

If you use you gas station to fill up your tires, the adapater is useful. Otherwise it's not a good solution.

Get a good pump, and HTFU.

i used the adapter when i first got my bike, before I bought a floor pump

1) it's lighter.

2) it's mechanicaly simpler, i.e. less **** to fail.

3) it puts a smaller hole in the rim.

4) going to a gas station to fill your tires is a) a PITA, and,

b) not a very good way to regulate your pressure. (gas station pumps are made for cars not bikes).

5) you need a solution that allows you to fill your tubes when there is no gas station around.

6) high quality light, tubes are available in presta, not so much in schaeder,

7) high quality, light, are rims don't come sized for schraeder.

Did I miss anything?

Exactly! On the road, a friendly shade tree mechanic can make life much easier if you have the adapter with you. Other wise, have the CO2 cartridge and hand pump ready.
For home use, I have adapters for shrader use. I have both a compressor or floor pump at hand and don't expect to replace either till they go bad.

Those are the adapters i use. I really like them, and have given a few away to friends. So far nobody has said anything bad about them. You just have to make sure to put them on the valve properly first. if you do everything right, you will have no problems with them. But then again I've only been using them for about 6 months now.

i agree!! all my bikes have presta valves but it might be a good idea to keep an adapter on hand or in your seat bag just in case you need air from somewhere that doesnt have a presta friendly pump.

Good stuff. I think I'll pick one up and put it in the road bag. I'll also look for a better floor pump.

The adapters are $.99 at my lbs. Every cyclist should carry one in their saddle bag. I have carried one for years, but I've never used it on the road. You never know when it's gonna come in handy though.

I also sometimes use the adapter on my removable valve core tubes when pumping with my Lezyne floor pump.

1) True, but most of us can manage to carry the extra few grams without noticing.
2) Yes, it is simpler, but I've seen far more Presta valve failures than Schrader - and the Presta ones have failed completely while the Schrader ones were just slow leaks.
3) Again, technically true, but I have yet to see a rim fail at the valve hole so this doesn't seem to be problem. I do see lots of rim failures at spoke holes and due to brake surface wear, but not because of large valve holes.
4) Nothing about Schrader valves that makes it necessary to use a gas station pump since hand pumps and CO2 work just as well with them as they do with Presta. But having the option to use the gas station pump is surely a plus if your hand pump fails or you run out of CO2.
5) And with Schrader valves you have as many solutions as you would with Presta.
6) Good tubes are available with both unless you really want to use latex (and need to pump up your tires all the time). If you find yourself stranded in some rural area in dire need of a tube it'll probably be easier to find a Schrader one that you can get to work even if it's not quite the right size.
7) But within a couple minutes I could convert any of those rims to Schrader size - and they still won't fail at the valve hole.

As mentioned before, most of my bikes use Presta valves and I have no real problem with them. But I also see no clear advantage. And if someone does have a clear preference to working with one type of valve or the other then I'd suggest just switching to using tubes with that type of valve.

For the OP - When I first started riding, I had the same problems. I was especially good at bending the shaft the little nut goes on when inflating the tire. Then, after about six months, I no longer had problems. It's just something you get used to.

Get a better floor pump. I've got a Park Tool pump with two holes in the chuck, one each for presta and schrader, and an air gauge built in. Makes it so much easier.

8) If you ride 700/23c wheels, you'll have a hell of a time finding tubes.

9) Unless you still ride box rims where the shortest stems will do, forget about finding tubes at all

10) They are easier to use

I've ridden for decades on both schrader and presta, and I strongly prefer presta. I can't say I've ever had a problem with a presta valve, and the only people I've heard complain about them had somehow managed to not figure out how they work.

As far as using a compressor or a gas station pump, I know I can fill my tires completely even with a crappy mini pump long before you can even get to a compressor or gas station (neither sounds attractive to me since the vast majority of my riding is many miles from either). But as has been mentioned already, you can use the $1 adapters, though you still have to operate the presta valve properly. The advice about tapping the valve to make sure it's loose still applies when using the adapter.

A good floor pump will solve your problem. Untwist the valve, give a little burp as mentioned and you're done.

Another thing to consider is threaded vs. threadless stems. I'm a fan of threadless since the head is so easy to release afterward. I've never had an issue with it popping off. My wife's tires have threaded stems and they are a bugger to release the head sometimes.

I went through a few pumps that were terrible with presta valves, but worked fine with schrader. Now I have a pump that works well with both.

Uh....no. Thankyouverymuchthough.

I've never needed one in my entire life. Nor will I.

I will run out and get a saddle bag though. When monkeys fly from my a$$.

I started out using the adapter when I bought my current bike since I have a BF compressor in the garage with a Schrader air chuck. Then I bought a PrestaFlator to do the Prestas directly. Found out why its a good idea to carry the adapter with you on a ride. Had a flat and when I went to change it discovered my spare tube did not have a long enough stem (new wheels) for my CO2 inflator to fit over it and push down. I walked a ways to an LBS that grabbed an adapter, screwed it on and pumped the tire right up