rsbob 

Contentious? Best Foods Mayonnaise versus Miracle Whip. There is no in-between.

terrymorse 

Whether or not new bikes are shipped with Presta valve caps does not change the fact that they serve no practical purpose.

Trakhak

If you're in the "Presta valve caps and nuts are superfluous" camp, you deserve to know that the knurled nut atop the valve core is superfluous, too, so snip that off!

That way, you'll never again see the handle of your Silca frame pump explode out into the street. As long as the pressure is maintained at some minimal level, it'll be fine---and you'll be able to simply discard the punctured tube (or tubular) with a clear conscience instead of worrying about repairing it.

Jeff Neese

It simply means that the manufacturers have a different opinion than you do. They put them on there for several reasons, which I've already explained. It keeps the valve clean, provides protection, and it certainly looks better. Two out of those three reasons are practical, the other cosmetic.

I don't find them "fiddly" at all. Screw on, screw off - easy. I don't get flats very often, and also can't relate when someone talks about the need to top off their tires every ride. (Is that a tubeless thing?) I also don't worry about dropping them and chasing them around on the garage floor. Even if you do drop one and it rolls behind the workbench, just grab another one from the bin. I buy the silver ones (to match the valve stem) by the dozen, for mere pennies. They're as close to being disposable as it gets.

In keeping with the spirit of this thread, I contend that the "I'm too cool to bother" attitude is just posturing. And valve stems without caps just make a bike look ghetto.

seypat

What about valve stems that are different colors? Maybe that should be called Burl Ives Syndrome? You've got matching silver or gold ones, but the one you pull out on the road to use is the opposite color. How do you cope?

livedarklions

If you want it to be needlessly contentious, make it a debate between Hellman's vs. Best Foods.
​​​​​

PeteHski

Depends on the bike. Road race bikes without valve caps just look normal since most racers don't fit them - not here anyway. They are considered a bit like dork discs i.e. something you just discard straight away. On a casual cruiser bike they are just a cosmetic choice (at least for presta valves). But I always fit caps on my mountain bike just to keep mud/grit/sand away. I have one with an integrated valve core remover, which can be handy.

PeteHski

Here's another contentious topic - the use of modern technology on bicycles. Especially if it involves electricity, computers or the internet.

livedarklions

Think you need a remedial reductio ad absurdum course. You're straining here. No reason why I can't find one useful and the other superfluous.

PDKL45

In ****** subforums and Facebook groups, it's always guns while riding and helmets. The gun question is too easy to troll, and the guys who ask usually lack the degree of self awareness necessary to shrug off the trolls. Helmets is just dull these days, as is the lycra vs. street clothes in commuting discussions, aka "won't someone please think of the scrotums."

Trakhak

I'd argue that's true of people who discard valve caps as well. And yet several of the guys I rode with in the sixties cut the knurled nuts off the valve stem cores of their tubulars as a matter of course. When Silca frame pumps were all we racers carried, there was a pretty good chance of the handle blowing out of the pump body every time you used it, at least until you mastered the technique of holding the pump at an undeviating 90-degree angle to the valve.

How well I remember the hollow pop as the handle sailed into the air. Good times.

Jeff Neese

That's the main thing, for me. Even my road bikes get dirty though, and wheels and valves pick up a layer of dirt and contaminant, even riding paved roads. And I don't always clean my wheels - most of the time I clean and lube the drivetrain and then ride. I like to know that when I do need to pump up the tire, I can just unscrew the little cap and have a nice, clean valve. It keeps the inside of your pump head cleaner too since you're not sticking dirty valve stems into it all the time.

Cosmetically, seeing a bike without valve caps is like seeing a car that's missing its hubcaps. Sure, they're not functional, but the car still looks ghetto.

seypat

That's a regional or state choice decision. In Virginia and most of the south, it would only be some type of southern mayo, never salad dressing. Using anything other than Dukes or Blue Plate would be a major faux pas.

https://www.southernliving.com/food/...-southern-food

seypat

smd4

Not to mention that east of the Rockys, Best Foods is called Hellman's.

shelbyfv

Yep. Hellman's vs Duke's around here.

livedarklions

Brands within the mayo category are definitely debatable. But it is divine truth that Miracle Whip is an abomination in any context.

livedarklions

Sorry, I see no value in this discussion other than the opportunity to type knurled nuts a few times. Do you have a specific tool you'd recommend for the removal of knurled nuts? What's the best way to dispose of knurled nuts?

If I have knurled nuts, should I see a doctor or a mechanic?

Trakhak

A valve cap thread gatekeeper!

livedarklions

I have posted that I have drawn an irrational line that I will not have any part of the drive train electrically powered as it violates my sense of what a human-powered vehicle should be, and that includes me not wanting electronic shifting as I want the actual motion of the derailleurs to be powered by my muscle. I will state that this is a purely esthetic preference choice on my part--the sense that I am powering everything other than the boosts from gravity and wind--and that I am not advocating for that line, just noting that I have it. I use electronic navigation and I use my phone to monitor my speed and record my ride on Komoot.

This invariably gets someone to post a "refutation" that states that that line is "irrational". Yup, that's literally what I said.

livedarklions

Do you prefer your knurled nuts salted or unsalted?

Do valve cap threads have gates? I must have missed that.

genejockey 

Except for the fact that you need to screw it down to keep the small amount of air in the tube to give it shape when you're feeding it into the tire.

rsbob 

Is an “internet” a new hidden (inter) bike part that’s made of carbon fiber? Does it require batteries?

terrymorse 

These are such ridiculous and false arguments in support of the useless valve cap, that I figure this is almost certainly trolling.

But I'll take them on, one at a time:

1. Manufacturers are pro-valve cap.

No, they aren't. See any valve caps in they marketing photos of their best bikes? Surprise, you don't.

Specialized:



Cannondale:



Trek:




2. It keeps the valve clean.

Irrelevant. A Presta valve doesn't need to be kept clean. A little dirt does not render it non-functional, and what dirt might be there gets wiped off when you unscrew the top nut.

3. It provides protection

Protection from what, sunburn? A Presta valve doesn't need protection, as long as the top nut is secured.

4. It looks better

A purely subjective opinion, one which is not shared by major bike brands and the vast majority of avid cyclists.

PeteHski

No contention there. The usual contention to any new tech is "I don't need no stinking new tech and anyone who does is just a slave to the evil bike industry" usually followed by references to their vast wisdom and how they survived before whatever new tech arrived. Then for good measure topped of with a list of reasons why the new tech is obviously inferior to whatever it replaced and pros are only using it because they are paid to do so. etc.