larryforgy

I have an older bike that I have replaced the wheels with two used ones. Wheels have the same tires, but one tube has a Presta valve and one has a Schrader valve. I wanted to replace the Schrader tube with a presta tube, but one guy told me that because the hole in the rim is larger, I needed a little nipple-like insert to make the hole smaller, or it might damage the tube.

I can't find such an insert on-line, and the proprietor of my local bike shop has not heard of this. So, can I just replace the tube with a presta tube, or is there something I need to do to the rim.

Thanks,
Larry Forgy

nathand

I've put Presta valves in rims drilled for a Schrader valve several times and never had a problem. I do recommend using the little locknut that comes with most Presta tubes to help hold the valve tight to the rim and seal the opening.

shelbyfv

This


Disappointing your shop wouldn't know of these.

Iride01 

New tube with the correct valve stem won't cost you much more if any than the adapters. You might can make your own. But unless you need to be innovative to feel good, just toss the tube and get another.

Or is it that one wheel will be different than the other? Hmm, yeah, in that case I'd buy the adapter too or engineer my own grommet or something. I might be tempted to drill the other rim and use all schrader.

runner pat

Same here though I use two locknuts for added support.

larryforgy

Thanks! Don't know how I missed this. If you type just "presta valve adapter" into Amazon, you just get shown the pieces to screw into presta valves so you can use a schrader pump.
Larry

79pmooney

BITD I heard of people using washers that fit nicely over the valve stem. A quality washer with rounded edges on one side; that nice side toward the innertube should do the job well. (And shouldn't cost more than about 10 cents at say Ace Hardware. I'd bring the tube and look at both English and metric and buy the best fit You might need to bend the washer a little to fit the rim and perhaps file two flats if the washer is wider than the channel. You don't want gaps or sharp edges.

larryforgy

Perfect! I probably already have one in my jar of stainless fasteners. Definitely wife approved.
Larry

cyccommute 

If you search for “Presta adapter nuts”, you’ll find these. They are a bit simpler than the inserted adapters. Both work.

shelbyfv

^^^Those look very much like the nuts that come on Conti tubes.

cajunpedaler

Continental presta tubes have nice little washers that facilitate this.
They have a little rim where they seat nicely in a schrader hole.

cajunpedaler

Continental presta tubes have nice little washers that facilitate this.
They have a little rim where they seat nicely in a schrader hole.

thook

a brass grommet inside the rim through the schrader hole could work, too. hmmm...(off to the shed to find grommets)

HillRider

I hope you can find a better bike shop. Adapters to sleeve a Schrader rim hole down to fit a presta valve are made in several configurations including the Wheels Manufacturing shown in the Amazon listing, rubber grommets to reduce the diameter, valve nuts with a ridge to center them in the rim hole, etc. Any worthwhile bike shop should have one or more of these and certainly should know what they are.

Buy the adapters and use Presta tubes in both wheels. It greatly simplifies tube inventory, pump heads, etc.

larryforgy

To be fair, I assumed it was the proprietor. He was the only guy in the shop, and was of course working on a bike. He first showed me one of those presta to schrader fittings you screw onto the end of a presta valve. When I explained that I wanted a fitting for the rim to go schrader to presta, he looked a little confused, consulted his computer, and told me that his suppliers don't have anything like that. He was nice enough, but I think he wanted to get back to his bike repair.

bikemike73 

Bike shops are so busy with repairs that they have little time for small issues sadly.

This is due to no inventory so everyone is "dusting off" their bikes and getting them rideable.

Some bike shops are 3 WEEKS out on repairs!!!!


It's a crazy time for sure.


Glad you were able to resolve with the " wealth " of knowledge by this awesome site and its members

79pmooney

Schraeder to presta adopters (so you can use a presta pump to inflate schraeder valved tubes) - we used to make them but I cannot for the life of me remember how. (1977. The shop I worked at was a regular early evening stop for a guy named Sheldon Brown: friend of our equally odd mechanic.) My TBI was that fall. I just now remembered that the two of them used to make those adapters. I did too and I made some. Just now remembered I think we used the common presta to Schraeder screw on adapter and an innertube presta valve. Did we use the fully threaded valves and simply screw the adopter onto the innertube end? If that worked, easy, small and light! Going to have to go through my old tubes and find a good candidate.

Oh, the universal name for those adopters in that part of the mid-'70s Boston bike world was the very PinC "damsel in distress" valve or adopter. We carried them to be able to assist women (who in that era were almost all on Schraeder) with flat tires.

cyccommute 

They come with various tubes but not with all tubes.

DiabloScott

It'll almost certainly be fine without any adapters - especially if you're careful with removing the pump.

JoeTBM 

Yep, we salvage the nuts from damaged Presta valve type tubes for this reason, got a small drawer full of them

Badger6

It almost certainly is an unnecessary risk. An adapter nut, linked above, is the safest answer, and the only way I'd ever recommend anyone attempt to use a Presta valve in a Schrader hole..

DiabloScott

Six years I rode my commuter bike with presta valves in Shrader holes just like that photo. Never once had a valve stem issue. Those little nuts are fine - they're just not as necessary as you think.

Badger6

Maybe you can make it seven...I won't even try for one day. To each their own.

They aren't necessary when the Presta valve is poking though a Presta sized hole...back when I used tubes, I never used nuts...but I was pushing the valve through the holes they were deigned to fit through. The same is not true for Presta valves in a Schrader hole. I'm not saying it won't work, I'm saying there is some risk involved, more than I am willing to accept and more than I am willing to recommend anyone accept when the solution to remove that risk is readily available for pennies.

grizzly59

I've used rubber grommets from a real hardware store before, prob cost 32 cents each. I reamed my mtb rims for schrader tubes just in case, but used presta tubes with a grommet.

Ryno317

I also heard of cutting the top off of a presta valve stem cover and flipping the cap upside down, screwing it all the way down it will fill the hole in the rim and prevent rattling of the stem in the hole.