This video is about Presta Valve tips tricks and hacks. Lots of info on how to inflate a tire with a presta valve with someone using this style for the first time to a few tricks a long time user may not be aware of.
I got a free bike and went to ride it, but the tires needed air grabbed the trusty air compressor and went to give them air and discovered this wonderful new invention, what happens if you get a flat and need air at 7-11 start walking......
Great video, thanks. The only video I've seen that actually takes the Presta valve apart and explains how it works. Best way to understand how things work is to take them apart!
Just bought a trek rosco 7 a couple months ago, havent been into any real riding in 20yrs, went ti cheak tire pressure for 1st time last night to find this valve, had never seen thease so this bid for me has some great basic info like how to put air in, g uess i need to go get an adapter, thanks for the info bud
You just gave the best tip or hack for a Presta valve. I came here hoping to see how to make one and use it. This guy knows nothing can't believe he didn't mention that hack!
great video! I discovered earlier today, that when I got my bike tuned, they installed a presta valve. Riding bikes for over 30 years, I didn't understand wtf was going on. luckily, the bike pump in the complex's bike room had a dual head, so I figured that part out. I didn't understand what I specifically had to do to get air to stay in the tires. I was MAD. also glad that I didn't walk up to the gas station and find that I could not get air. thank you!
Very informative. Most people do not realize you must push the stem in slightly to break the seal which you explained twice. Also, I learned to not tighten the nut down too tight along the stem against the rim because any slight movement of the tube inside the rim will cause the stem to be torn away from the tube.
Joey Mesa - I don't have a need for the presta and from what I've seen it's much more convenient to air up at a gas station not having one. Plus, depending on the type of pump you carry on your bike, you can snap the presta.
@@blipco5 Seriously, you use the gas station to inflate your bike? Get a pump man! Generally, I use a Co2 dispenser to inflate my Presta valves if I'm out on the trail/road and get a flat. Unless you've got some kind of whack ginormous fingers, Presta valves don't just "snap". Use your brain, it's in there somewhere!
The standard hollow tube extenders are useful if your innertube valve is long enough to poke out of the rim but not long enough for your pump head to grip. Open the valve, break the seal, and screw on the hollow tube extension. Inflate. Screw off the extension. Close the valve.
great video especially the part about the deep dish rims i have 808's n my Cervelo on the rear and 404 on the front the 808 is a real pain because i have that extender but when i put air in it the screw thing tightens down and you can't get air in the tire it's pain in the ass.
I have had multiple cases of a pinhole at the base of the presta valve. One bike shop mechanic told me don't tighten the nut all the way snug, because it pulls the tube up tight against the hole in the rim, and movement of the stem collar against the rim during pumping causes the failure. Any thoughts on that?
Ooh! I never thought about unscrewing the valve and adding tyre sealant, that sounds like a great idea. One tip I would offer (only applies if you have a pump or adapter that screws onto the valve core - e.g. as shown at 8:00) before you install the inner tube, unscrew the valve core and thread lock that sucker in place. Otherwise you'll be out on the road, get a flat, fix it OK, pump up the tyre OK, but when you unscrew the pump it will unscrew the valve core instead. This happens because there is an internal 'O' ring seal on the pump connector (which you can see in the adapter shown at 8:00) which grips the valve core. Also can anyone explain why presta valves can be so resistant to letting air get pumped into the tyre? I find this feature of the valve really annoying, it requires me to unclip the connector and reattach it multiple times before I get airflow. Before you ask, yes I do tap the valve first to let some air out and unstick it.
Thanks for the excellent video...I bought a couple of Contis with Presta valves and the valves just don't appear to work straight out of the box..the centre of the valve core just appears to be loose and won't operate the valve locking mechanism. All I have ever done with prestas is just loosen them off and inflate the tyre and close the valve, no problem...but these just don't work...am I missing a trick? I've tried taking the core out but I can't see anything wrong with it other than it doesn't work. Thanks for your help.
I never thought having a bike with presta valve tubes would be so difficult! Bought the Schrader adapter so I could pump air and now I have it stuck and won't come out! Not sure what to do at this point!
No worries! Yeah, working at a shop with lots of triathletes running tubulars with deep rims, I've seen it frequently. Trust me, it's no fun. The valve extender I was referring to is the type where you unscrew the valve and thread a tube over the stem where the valve cap threads on, leaving the valve and relying solely on air pressure to keep the valve sealed. The preferred extenders are the type where you remove the valve core, thread the extender into it's place, then thread the core on top of the extender. Those type work very well.
I made diy fuel hose connector to canister from presta valve. NBR rubber seals in required. And one direction air valve for get compensation air in it.
Hello I need help I just bought a new bike and on the one wheel the valve is with this security Ring that means is removable right?? But in the other wheel it doesn't have it I mean is without pimple it can be removed??? Thanks.
I want to use Stan's sealant inside my presta tube but I'm a little concerned about the possibility of the sealant leaking out of the presta valve and getting into my pump, or getting into my digital pressure gauge, such as when inflating the tire or when checking the tire pressure. Is this a real issue or just an unfounded fear on my part? I noticed in one section of your video, when you unscrewed the presta valve, so as to then inflate the tube, some sealant came out when you manually depressed the valve core part (you did this before you put the pump head onto the valve). Looks like my fear might not be unfounded. And ideas or suggestions? Thanks
Line the valve them at the 3:00 or 9:00 position when inflating. The tubeless sealant can clog valves if you get a bunch stuck in the valve, but it's not as bad as Schrader valves or using slime sealant. Worst case, if it gets clogged, just remove the valve and clean it or replace it.
I'm not sure if I heard it right so I need you to help me with that, you said you squeeze the sealant through the valve into the tube to avoid punctures? If I heard it right, could you tell me why please? Thank you for the illustration of the valve I've never seen till I bought my bike couple of weeks ago. Your tips goes a long way.
@@holyduckr7700 You put the sealant into the tube before you get a puncture, not after. The sealant won't prevent the tube from being punctured, but it can seal the puncture almost instantly. Some punctures are too big for the sealant, such as a 2 inch gash on the sidewall, or a puncture from a long nail that stays in the tire, with the jagged, rusty nail half sticking out of the tire, kind of a thing. But most smaller punctures are almost instantly sealed when there's already sealant inside the tube before you ride. You can also search on RU-vid under "Stan's sealant" and see instructional videos, or do similar searches
Bike valves are such useful things ----- turn them into nice old fashioned lighters ; Schrader ones make great re- fillable ports for those "disposable" fountain pens! ; the internal threading even allows you to make them into paint lining tools---- for bikes of course! I'll stop now, I may have spent rather too much time fiddling with valves. 🤔
thanks for the tape tip on my tt bike i dont hev a ring and that noise drives me nuts, so i have rubber that pulls it onto one side but look if it is awful.. :D
I have a mountain bike that comes with a 1 piece Presta valve. Is it possible to replace that with a Presta valve with the removable core? Makes putting slime into the tube much easier!
But how do you remove the stem without a tool? I'm supposed to ride shortly and discovered no stem in back tire. Got an inner tube to use its stem and cannot get it out. So no ride for me.
I have an old fashioned pump for my presta valves. After I pumped my tyre up and when I unscrewed the pump, the lock nut was stuck in the pump and I could not get it out. Any advice would be appreciated.
You'll probably have to disassemble the pump head if that's possible. Most all pump heads will come apart to replace/service the rubber bits that wear out. Once disassembled, you should have better access to unscrew the stuck Presta valve tip.
If the valve core threads into the valve stem, you can simply just replace the valve core. You can tell if the core is removable if there are flat sections on the threaded part where the plastic cap threads on. If the core is not removable, you just have to replace the tube.
Q. What if you buy a new removal Value core presta. Open the small part to put air in the inner tube attach the brass adapter pump up the tire. Then go to remove the adapter to tighten that small peice on the presta value and the whole value stem comes out letting all the air out. I know crazy glue can't be the answer it eats rubber.
it is really hard for me to get air into my tire. even with compressor, i still dont get enough pressure. everytime i hop on my bike, my tire is slightly deflated. is using bigger tube will help or is it just the valve that is lame?
Since I only change the tube every five years or so. I reckon my Presto is not removable so I can’t put slime in it? So I need to buy a presto that I can remove and then I can put slime in it? Thanks
Yeah, chances are if you have and older presta valve tube, the core is not removable, but it's not hard to check. I'd recommend a sealant like Stan's, Orange Seal or Bontrager TLR instead of Slime. From my experience, slime seals up punctures, but it also fouls up the valve and causes a slow leak in your valve core or making it difficult to inflate. The sealants designed for tubeless tires work much better in tubes than Slime.
I’m having a problem trying to put air on presto valve . I have been watching videos to see what Im doing wrong...but still nothing happened ... maybe you can give me some tips
@Melissa. You may need an adapter for your bicycle pump. Many pumps are designed for Schrader valves, not Prestas. And as shown in the video, the little “latch” on the pump head must be in the vertical position to allow air to pass, which for me, seemed counterintuitive at first.
Hey Melissa, what type pump are you using? The tips I can offer are, unscrew the the top of the valve, give it a quick tap to break the seal, push pump head down, lock it in place and pump it to the desired pressure.
I can’t understand how my valve stem got pushed inside the while the tire was inflated? Ever seen this before and how in the world do I fix this problem?
Sort of. Sometimes valves will get crooked under hard braking if riding a tire with very low tire pressure. The tire will rotate a little on the rim pulling the valve up and sideways. Other than that, it's hard to say without knowing what type setup you have. Presta or Schrader valve? It's possible the tube is overlapping itself at the point of the valve? I would probably start by letting the air out, resetting everything and make sure the tube is correctly installed, then reinflate.
I wish I could let the air out. The tube must’ve spun on the rim. The stem is gone, and the tire is fully pumped up. Strange! Thanks for the reply though!
@@robburke8867 So are you talking about the top part that unscrews? Sometimes those can break off and you can let the air out with a small Allen wrench by sticking it inside.
Well I'll be G.. D.. ed. Who knew the presta cores were removable? Watched another vid right b4 yours, from Slime I think, and shaking my head about where ya gonna find those. But you showed how they actually came out, so, I go look... And I'll be a monkeys uncle! Thanks so much
The biggest mystery to me is the valve nut. I get that it's in aid in keeping the valve stem from sinking into the rim when you are attaching your pump, but what do you do with it after your tire is inflated? Take it off? Leave it on?
If you believe it's a bad idea to snug it down, you can back it up all the way to the top and lock it back against the plastic valve cap. I'm not convinced that tightening it against the rim can rip the inner tube.
You remove the valve core, just like I demonstrate in the video, unless you have Presta valves without removable cores, in which case you'll need modern Presta tubes. Also, tubeless sealant in tubes works way better than slime.
If the core is replaceable like the tubes in the video, you can remove the broken core and replace it with a new core. If the core is not replaceable, you just have to replace the entire tube.
Yes, as long as it's inflated already. Sometimes inflating a tube with the tip broken off will result in the lower portion of the valve falling down into the tube.
Tubular tires won't have a threaded valve stem nor do the alloy valve extensions for deep clincher rims. I guess from a weight weenie perspective, tape is lighter as well, but for the most part, I think it's more of a style thing. Most stylish roadies wouldn't be caught dead with a retaining nut on their wheels, but in the grand scheme of things, a retaining nut would work fine if your valve stem is threaded. Thanks for the question!
To all you old riders n new there's supposed to be a washer with treds that supposed to go on the presta valve where he put tge tape and that noise is cancelled
Im trying to understand. I am a 57 year old woman with a flat tire. So when I push the attachment, it must have to push in and lock, in a circle around the part that you push in to let air out. All I have is a air mattress pump, Ive been down a week. I have no hardware store. I need an attachment that presses down, around where the thing that lets out air, so I can inflate. There is, only, a Dollar General here. One gas station/fonvenience store. Antly ideas?
Before the valve core was removable, we used to force the little brass tip off, let it drop, but hold it in the tube while installing sealant and then work the pin back and reinstall the brass tip. I think that is the process you're thinking of? On most modern Presta valve tubes, the complete valve assembly threads out in one self-contained unit. Nothing to possibly fall into the tube, but easy to add sealant. If you have 2 wrench flats on your valve stem where the valve cap threads on, you have a removable core.
My bike is partly pumped (has not been used for a while) but valve won't allow the air from the tyre to be released or for it to bepumped up. I can't replace the inner tube as it is partly pumped up! What should I do?
Valve tip unscrewed all the way and the seal still won't break free? If the valve core is not removable, you can cut the valve stem in half or if the tire needs to be replaced, just make a cut in the tire.
Yes, it's not necessary. It can be helpful if the air is very low and you're pushing the pump head onto the valve to inflate, it will hold the valve in place.
The weakest point of a bicycle rim is where the valve hole is. Not a huge deal with fat rims, but for narrower rims, it is. You can deflate a Presta valve much quicker than a Schrader valve (not a factor for the home hobbyist mechanic, but it is for the production mechanic trying to squeeze 10 hours of work into an 8 hour workday). More options in valve stem lengths for Presta, and valve stem extenders for different rim depths and profiles. Sealant doesn't clog the valves as easily in Presta valves as it does with the spring in Schrader valves. Presta valves have been around since the mid 1930's. At the bike shop where I work, basic butyl rubber tubes are the same price for either Presta or Schrader tubes.
I’ve been working on cars for 8 years and I never seen this until today I just picked up a new bike intertube for my sister and I lost my mind over this
Cool! I've been working on bikes since the 70's and cars since the 80's. To me the Presta valve is the better option for bikes and Schrader valves are better for cars.
It really depends on the tire width, what the bike will be used for and your reasons for going tubeless. For mountain bikes, or any tire wider than 2" or 50mm, it's really a no brainer, because tubeless is the way to go. If you have a road bike with 28mm wide tires or less, and your primary reason to run tubeless is to avoid flat tires from punctures, I'm still not 100% on board with tubeless. There's not really an exact standard in the bike industry with different tire and rim manufacturers. Some rim/tire combinations are extremely difficult to mount and some are too loose and easy to burp or even come off the rim completely in a high-speed cornering situation. Other times, it's just a pain and you're constantly fighting a slow leak situation, not to mention how much of a hassle it can be to fix a flat on the side of the road or trail if you do happen to get a flat on a road tubeless tire. The bike in the video is my all-weather commuter bike. In a perfect world, I would probably have 3 wheelsets with different tire combinations, all set up tubeless. The problem is, currently I don't have extra wheelsets, nor the place to store extra wheelsets in my apartment. I probably swap the tires once or twice a month during the winter, which is not a good option dealing with the sealant mess and such. I don't really need super low air pressures either, so having tires with sealant in the tubes makes tire changes super easy with no mess, so in this particular situation, for me, a tube with sealant works better.
Joey Mesa Thank you a lot for your response. I’m going tubeless in my MTB and with your method in my gravel. Makes a lot of sense what you said. Happy Thanksgiving.
You probably need a new inner tube if the tire lost air pressure. Check your pump on a known good tire to isolate the issue. The pump may be fine, but the tube just won't hold air.
If you're running a deeper carbon rim, you may have to use an extender which is not threaded. Also some folks don't like the nut directly against the rim.
@@JoeyMesa Interesting about the nut. I've been riding for over 50 years and still snug down the nut. Are you suggesting it will damage a rim? I've used the nut on my Scram 80's, Profile Design 60's, and my off-brand 50's with no adverse. They seem to stop the chatter when I use them. Regardless, nice article.
OMG, you need to put a nut on the presta valve to keep it in place,NO TAPE NEEDED. Also when you push on the valve with a pump it will not be pushed into the rim !
Many deep carbon rims require a valve extender, which is not threaded, so a presta nut is not an option. Same for tubular tires on carbon rims. The tape keeps the valve stem from clacking against the carbon fiber and keeps things quiet.
Presta is French made nonsense, no one needs. Over complicated and prone to leave you in the middle of nowhere, without any way to add air. Not to mention the poor souls in comments below stuck with these monstrosities. Sometimes we all fall for “different” as it’s actually better, when it’s not. Case in point, this video drones on and on about how terrible this design is. Don’t fall for it, the Schroeder valve is the king for a reason, no rattling , Mickey mousing it with electrical tape, a bunch of tools to lose, and other nonsense.
It sounds like you saw that the valves were "different" and automatically decided they were terrible. Presta valves are actually less complicated and easier to inflate when you get a flat in the middle of nowhere and have to change a tube. Tire inflation technology has come a long way since the 70's. Not sure how you would use Schrader valves in a deep carbon wheel?
Yeah, you should probably just get some of those solid rubber tube replacement things... Then you'll never have to think about how to inflate your tires at all!!!
I don't hate the Schrader valve, I'm just showing some of the benefits of the Presta valve. I could probably say "don't hate the Presta " much more often.
@@brucegaylord1318 you don’t have to disassemble presta valves either, unless you’re adding sealant, but you have to do the same with schrader valves. Presta valves deflate quicker using just your finger. They take in air quicker as well. It sounds like your experience with presta valves is pretty limited, you don’t really understand them, therefore you dislike them.
If you own a bike with presta valves, and actually ride it, there’s no excuse for not owning a good pump as well. It’s the most commonly used tool for general maintenance…
Someone who is new to the Presta valve might find the information helpful. Presta valves probably cost less to produce since there are fewer moving parts, so I don't think it is about any company trying to make more money, but then again, I can tell you're an idiot because you edited your comment, but your punctuation is still awful.
I hate presta valves. They just frustrate me to no end, maybe im retarded that way. What is the purpose of them anyway? Ill take a Schrader AND a kickstand anyday
I guess I've just been exposed to both types of valves for so long, I'm indifferent. Presta valves are faster to get air in and let air out if you're swapping tires. On a narrower rim, from a strength standpoint, Presta valves are really the only options. There are more valve lengths available in Presta for a variety of rim depths. The part where the valve joins up to the tube is generally more durable on Presta valves than Schrader, at least from what I've experienced. All in all, it doesn't really matter. If you prefer Schrader valves, go with them. This video isn't about what type of valve is better, it's just about ways to better utilize the Presta valve. Anyway, thanks for your question and feedback!
Just went to let the air out of my front tire and had the whole valve shoot out towards my face at 60psi, never to be seen again.. !$&* presta valves >.
Oh well, too bad you feel that way. I've been dealing with them for 35+ years at my day job and never had any major issues with them. Definitely no more than Schrader valves, but you do you.
@@JoeyMesa So, the very 1st time I went to pump my new bikes tires, the valve broke off. I paid someone like 80$ to fix it and the same exact thing just happened. There's no way I'm paying that amount again and I feel like I got ripped off the 1st time even though it was a friend of my dads. Is it difficult to replace? Apparently the entire tire has to be taken apart and a new tube put in?
Joey, let me get this straight, the original poster says there terrible and they break, you blame him as if he doesn’t know how to inflate a tire, and you do all of this, after spending 10 minutes, talking about all the pitfalls of the design, even at one point recommending electrical tape, not to mention the countless horror stories of almost every commenter of your video, having a whole range of problems. ITS A TIRE VALVE! Spending anytime explaining the pitfalls of a tire valve bears out what the original poster is claiming. Just because they are on expensive bicycles doesn’t make them more worth a damn. The irony of it all. Great video by the way.
