Help needed regarding inner tube valves

[drevil]

@cvcalhoun 157253 wrote:

I got a flat today. And when I went to REI, they said they didn’t have a tube that would fit my wheel. I’m trying therefore to order new tubes online, but am having trouble figuring out exactly what I need.

The problem is that a Presta valve is too small for the hole in the wheel. However, a Schrader valve wrapped in rubber, like the one on the left, is too large. What I need is a plain metal Schrader valve, like the one on the right:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14350[/ATTACH]

The tube that got a flat–which had the correct type of valve–was a Specialized. But I’m not sure whether all Specialized tubes have that design, or whether there is some particular model I need to ask for. Does anyone know?

Of course, the next question is why someone designs a wheel that only works with a tube you have to special order. But that’s a rant for a different day.

Remember this?

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?3077-My-Morning-Commute&p=149922#post149922

If you had the grommet, you can use Presta valve tubes without any worries or hassles.

Another thing you can do (or have a shop do) is drill out the rim slightly. When I worked at a shop, we even had a reamer the mechs sometimes used because it was easier.

I didn’t watch this whole video, but it looks like he does it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8DHcR_0RHo

[peterw_diy]

@drevil 157257 wrote:

Another thing you can do (or have a shop do) is drill out the rim slightly. When I worked at a shop, we even had a reamer the mechs sometimes used because it was easier.

Where’s vicegrip? I expect the reamer hand tool is also safer, less likely to damage the rim (e.g., cause stress fractures) than a power drill.

I’d just wrap some electrical tape around the base of a Presta valve so it fits tighter and doesn’t wiggle much when you need to add air. Consider wrapping the first layer sticky side out so you might be able to move the tape wrap to another Presta tube as if it were a proper valve shim.

[cvcalhoun]

@drevil 157257 wrote:

Remember this?

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?3077-My-Morning-Commute&p=149922#post149922

If you had the grommet, you can use Presta valve tubes without any worries or hassles.

Another thing you can do (or have a shop do) is drill out the rim slightly. When I worked at a shop, we even had a reamer the mechs sometimes used because it was easier.

I didn’t watch this whole video, but it looks like he does it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8DHcR_0RHo

Reaming sounds like my best bet. It avoids:

* Having to get a grommet, and having to remember to make sure the bike shop moves it over to the new tube any time they change a tube.
* Having to special order tubes that fit.
* Having Presta valves on my front tire, and Schrader ones on my back tire.

And meanwhile, I’m seriously not pleased with the bike shop that did this to me. I was irritated when I thought they’d merely stuck me with two wheels that required different types of valves. I was more irritated when I discovered that the Presta valve they had installed broke off within a few days, because it was the wrong size for the valve opening. I was further irritated when I discovered that I either need a special order tube or a separate grommet. And all of this is in addition to the fact that after being charged more than the value of the bike for repairs, I discovered they had screwed up in at least five OTHER ways.

[anomad]

Presta will work fine. I use small piece of the old tube as a shim if I’m feeling compulsive.

Enlarging the hole doesn’t help valve stem longevity.

[cvcalhoun]

@anomad 157276 wrote:

Presta will work fine. I use small piece of the old tube as a shim if I’m feeling compulsive.

Enlarging the hole doesn’t help valve stem longevity.

Last Presta valve broke off entirely within a few days. I’ve never had a Schrader valve just break off. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I’m not inclined to chance it again.

Enlarging the hole wouldn’t directly help valve stem longevity. But it would enable me to use a Schrader valve again.

[honestmachinery]

@cvcalhoun 157280 wrote:

Last Presta valve broke off entirely within a few days. I’ve never had a Schrader valve just break off. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I’m not inclined to chance it again.

Enlarging the hole wouldn’t directly help valve stem longevity. But it would enable me to use a Schrader valve again.

A reamer may leave a sharp edge which will cut a Schrader valve. File it smooth. I have a pair of wheels so reamed by the prior owner. I use presta valves, no grommet, lockring snug but not tight. Check after inflating.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Harry Meatmotor]

@cvcalhoun 157280 wrote:

Last Presta valve broke off entirely within a few days. I’ve never had a Schrader valve just break off. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I’m not inclined to chance it again.

Enlarging the hole wouldn’t directly help valve stem longevity. But it would enable me to use a Schrader valve again.

What type of rims are these exactly? Like, brand and rim type? I can honestly say that I’ve only seen a handful of rims that use a non-standard (e.g. mostly on French bikes) valve stem hole.

Anyhow, I agree that reaming out the valve hole is the right thing to do, and also either file down the reamed hole, or, if it’s a “good” shop, ask them to deburr the valve hole with proper deburring tool.

[cvcalhoun]

@Harry Meatmotor 157301 wrote:

What type of rims are these exactly? Like, brand and rim type? I can honestly say that I’ve only seen a handful of rims that use a non-standard (e.g. mostly on French bikes) valve stem hole.

Anyhow, I agree that reaming out the valve hole is the right thing to do, and also either file down the reamed hole, or, if it’s a “good” shop, ask them to deburr the valve hole with proper deburring tool.

I’m not sure of the brand and rim type. My suspicion is that it was meant to have a hole for a Schrader valve, but that there was some kind of manufacturing defect. And that when the bike shop saw this, instead of either using a different (nondefective) one or reaming out the hole, they just decided to put a Presta tube in there and call it a day. Given the shoddy way they did the rest of the repairs, this seems like the most likely scenario.

[vvill]

Get these and just stick with all Presta tubes
http://wheelsmfg.com/presta-stem-savers.html

I vaguely recall having some similar issue years ago and using these… or at least buying them. I may have bought a new wheelset as well instead and forgot about these.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@vvill 157521 wrote:

bought a new wheelset as well instead

This is always the correct answer.

[cvcalhoun]

@vvill 157521 wrote:

Get these and just stick with all Presta tubes
http://wheelsmfg.com/presta-stem-savers.html

I vaguely recall having some similar issue years ago and using these… or at least buying them. I may have bought a new wheelset as well instead and forgot about these.

Why would I want Presta tubes? I’m not aware of them having any advantage over Schrader ones. And you have to do some weird thing before inflating them, which you don’t need to do before inflating a Schrader. Yes, I could undoubtedly figure it out. But unless there is an advantage to a Presta, I don’t see why I should.

[dkel]

@cvcalhoun 157530 wrote:

Why would I want Presta tubes? I’m not aware of them having any advantage over Schrader ones. And you have to do some weird thing before inflating them, which you don’t need to do before inflating Schrader. Yes, I could undoubtedly figure it out. But unless there is an advantage to a Presta, I don’t see why I should.

Unless unscrewing something is “some weird thing,” I don’t see what the big deal is.

[cvcalhoun]

@dkel 157531 wrote:

Unless unscrewing something is “some weird thing,” I don’t see what the big deal is.

I suspect it’s not a big deal. (Since I have never used one, I have no idea whether it’s always simple, or whether they sometimes get jammed or are hard to twist off.) And remember, I’d also be unscrewing and screwing a separate gadget–one that I fear could be lost–any time I wanted to change a tire. As I said, I’m sure I could learn. But I’m back to the question of why I would want to. Is there any advantage to a Presta?

[ShawnoftheDread]

@cvcalhoun 157532 wrote:

I suspect it’s not a big deal. (Since I have never used one, I have no idea whether it’s always simple, or whether they sometimes get jammed or something.) As I said, I’m sure I could learn. But I’m back to the question of why I would want to. Is there any advantage to a Presta?

The advantage is you won’t be online asking where to find the proper tube because it will be widely available.

[cvcalhoun]

@ShawnoftheDread 157533 wrote:

The advantage is you won’t be online asking where to find the proper tube because it will be widely available.

Well, a Schrader tube is widely available. And I think I got the answer I wanted–that the existing wheel could just be reamed out to allow for a Schrader valve. So I’m trying to figure out whether the later advice indicates that there is some reason not to use that approach.

And remember, if I were using Presta tubes, I’d also be using a gadget I screwed onto them to make them fit. I can easily see that gadget getting lost if I were having to change a tube in the dark of a trail.

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