[bike] Am I the only one in the tri-state area who loathes Presta valves?

[mattkime]

this usually works with -

"because some italian guy did it this way"

[kap]

mattkime wrote:
this usually works with -

"because some italian guy did it this way"

I thought because ohlala, c'est francaise.

[ztirffritz]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/presta-schrader.html

[M A V I C]

Wow, I've never broken a presta valve. How did you do that?

FWIW, I always inflate mine with a hand pump (except way back when when I worked at a shop with a compressor.)

[deckeda]

mattkime wrote:
presta valves are "standard" because they screw shut....hm, why wouldn't cars need that? ...

Because car tires are tubeless, the valve isn't ... er, attached to a tube. It plugs in/presses into the wheel from the inside. That's why, when the tire is completely flat or airless, the valve still looks the same as if the tire were fully inflated.

[Black]

As noted, switching from presta to schrader is usually not possible because the hole in the rim is too small.
Switching from schrader to presta is a recipe for disaster because the hole is too big.
Also, the screw-on nuts to hold the valve stem firmly in place are not always beneficial and can cause damage.

How do you break the Presta stem off? By pulling or jerking the pump head recklessly to the side while inflating, or by yanking the head off the valve at an angle. They only break when the stem is unscrewed. Occasionally they come out when unscrewing as well.

[davester]

Pray tell, which "tri-state area" are you talking about? Berkeley isn't a state.

[Seacrest]

davester wrote:
Pray tell, which "tri-state area" are you talking about? Berkeley isn't a state.

It's a state of mind, my friend. Of mind.

I suspect I break the Presta heads with the pump, yes.
It's a floor pump, and I'm probably not gentle with it.

[M A V I C]

Black wrote:
How do you break the Presta stem off? By pulling or jerking the pump head recklessly to the side while inflating, or by yanking the head off the valve at an angle. They only break when the stem is unscrewed. Occasionally they come out when unscrewing as well.

When using a hand pump, I put my left hand around the pump with the side of my hand against the tire. Then I use my right hand to pump. With my left hand I make sure it stays right against the tire, that way the stem doesn't get any pressure on it. When I push, my hand keeps the pump from moving in that direction. When I pull, I have to more actively keep my hand against the tire, making sure it doesn't get pulled away from the pump.

Seacrest wrote:
[quote=davester]
Pray tell, which "tri-state area" are you talking about? Berkeley isn't a state.

It's a state of mind, my friend. Of mind.

I suspect I break the Presta heads with the pump, yes.
It's a floor pump, and I'm probably not gentle with it.
Oh come on, don't you hate it when people don't give answers. There's quite a few "tri-state" areas.

[thermarest]

GGD wrote:
[quote=Dennis S]
I am about to buy 2 new tires and tubes. My current ones are Presta valves. I'm ignorant about this, so can I get Schrader valves on my new tubes and be set, or is there more to it than that?

The valve holes in your rims might not be large enough.
Agree, they are definitely not large enough if the bike came with Presta originally. Nothing a drill and 5 minutes can't fix.