lostforawhile

I've got some really nice original rims coming for my 71 supersport, of course they will get brand new tubes,gum wall tires,and rim strips, should I stay with the standard Schrader valve or convert to a presta valve type tube? I know they make adapters for the larger holes for the schrader valve, What are the advantages and disadvantages of each one? I do know the presta seal better,but thats the only one I know of, we have a nitrogen tank at work, so of course the new tires will be filled with that.


can someone fix the misspelling in the title? sorry

10 Wheels

Bill Kapaun

I wouldn't bother with an adapter to use a PV in a SV rim. Why deal with the hassle?
Do you then buy a Presta to Schraeder adapter so you can top off the tires at the gas station if needed?

Tubes are going to seep air no matter which valve is used.

John E

I disagree, having had far too many tubes fail at the base of the valve stem. If this happens on Presta-drilled rims, the problem must be even more acute for Prestas in Schraeder-drilled rims. (I have also had Schraeders fail at the same locus.)

puchfinnland

In Europe woods valve is king,
when changing a tire, you can't dump the air out faster.
if the valve is bad, just change it.
They are available, and worth it.

busdriver1959

Large aircraft use nitrogen in their tires. It's a good idea there because of the huge temperature extremes they see. - 60 C at altitude to +900 C after an aborted takeoff. For a bicycle or car tire I prefer a custom blend of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% trace elements. This blend is easy to find if you know where to look.

rootboy 

Or, if not, just ask the King of Valves in the European woods.

kaliayev

Hope that bend does not come to hard to source.

10 Wheels

banerjek

I have also found this blend to be optimal for cycling and strongly recommend it.

ChrisM2097

They both have their advantages and disadvantages. You'll need to weigh them yourself, and decide which is better for you.

Personally, I use Presta on all my bikes, but carry a Schrader adapter on one of my wheels, just in case. The only reason I'd go with a Schrader valve would be for the ability to replace the valve itself - but those rarely fail, so I'm not too worried about it.

auchencrow

I top off my tires before each ride, and like the fact that I don't have to fiddle with or burp my Schrader valves - but most of my bikes are Presta.

ClydesterD

I usually use presta tubes with a presta-valve-to-Schraeder-rim adapter. This lets me take the same road pump on rides and not have to reconfigure the pump if I need to use it. That's a small reason to go all-presta, but I can't think of any reason to mix valve types beyond C&V purity, and this is an acceptable trade-off for me.

lostforawhile

I work in a small aircraft factory, we use that blend on the aircraft tires, so we always have a tank, it's a little different then on the large aircraft ones, the large aircraft also use almost 100 percent in case of a tire fire, no oxygen to promote it, those airliner tires and brakes can get really hot, i want to get this bike on the road and sorted out, i might use the schrader for the moment then switch to better tubes later on

JesusBananas

I prefer to fill my tires with hydrogen, which is even lighter than helium.

It also makes the possibility of a flat a more exciting prospect.

prathmann

Not really. Neither valve will leak unless it gets dirt on the seal and personally I've had that happen more frequently with Presta (but it's rare in any event). Thin bicycle tubes slowly lose pressure by diffusion through the walls of the tube, but that's a function of the material and thickness, not the valve type (using N2 will slow that process slightly). Schrader valves are less likely to break if you exert sideways pressure on them when pumping and don't require that you 'burp' the valve before adding air; Presta valves make it easier to release air when rolling up a tube for compact storage and come in different lengths to fit various depth rims. Either will work fine. I use Presta on my bikes for compatibility with those I ride with so we can use each others tubes and pumps.

jimmuller 

Most of my bikes have Presta, but that's by historical happenstance.

I have had Schrader valve stems pop twice, the rubber de-laminating from the metal core of the stem. It occurred on two different bikes so I can't blame it on one flawed rim. Once was while the bike was just sitting - we came home from vacation and I found a tire flat due to the burst valve stem. The other time was while I was riding - I heard a big bang behind me, felt the bike wobble a bit, stopped and found the burst stem. A Presta's solid metal stem wouldn't fail that way. Schrader valves probably didn't either back when tires ran 70psi. Now that inexpensive tires can run 115-120psi it is probably closer to the design limit of the valve, or so I surmise.

Velognome 

^ dats a Schrader with a cap

Dis is a Woods or Dunlop

IMO, stay with the Schrader...they day you need air at a service station....you'll thank me

repechage

I like presta, they are slimmer. Might as well go for aesthetics.

Use prestas for the mtb, too, Only bike with Woods/Dunlop is my old Phillips Roadster, still has the original tubes too. I finally had to retire the Dunlop tires on it, the wire came free of the casing, almost 50 years, kind of amazing.

And I wish the BF forum tech folk would customize the spellcheck to keep a number of terms from changing so helpfully.
Presta, chainstays to name a few, it finally learned derailleur. There's a New Year's wish.

lostforawhile

I know about the valve stem issues, I work with small high pressure tires 8 inch ones with high pressure, aircraft tailwheels, I've built thousands over the years. the old tubes that were made here didnt have issues, but the new chinese tubes always want to seperate where the stem attaches to the tubes. I think the tube quality makes a big difference, you can actually smell the difference, the Chinese tubes have a funky smell to them. On this subject anyone have a reccomendation on quality tubes not made there? if there are any left? even the tubes we get marked Dunlop and Goodyear all say made in china and are the same crappy quality, They also lose air faster, I used to be able to air up a tire, put it on the shelf, and even months later it still had most of it's pressure, now they are flat in a week

Captain Blight

I live and work and ride in North America, so I'd say go with the Schraeder.

Of course, on my bikes, I've ended up with mostly Presta. Not by plan, but by chance, because I'm a scavenger.

JReade

..Stick with whatever the rim is drilled for. presta to schrader adapter is a dollar, or really close. Why is this a serious question?

Bill Kapaun

Huh?
My point was why bother using Presta in a Schraeder rim? Use Schraeder.

IF you have "too many tubes fail", it's either operator error or you need to source your tubes elsewhere.

T-Mar

My preferred solution is to use rims drilled for Schraeder and install a grommet adapter to use Presta. Carry a Presta to Schrader valve adapter and spare grommet. That way you have the both options open, if something drastic happens on a ride.

The valve adapter allows you to fill up at a gas sation if your Presta pump malfunctions.

The valve hole adpater can be popped out if you're out in the boonies, have used your last spare and can only get a Schraeder hybrid tube at the local X-Mart.

The spare grommet can be popped into a riding partner's Schraeder rim to allow him to use Presta, if necessary.

rootboy 

Or, carry one of those little 2 dollar adapters and you can use a service station air hose.