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What are the different types of bike tyre valves?

What are the different types of bike tyre valves?

Tips and advice bicycle

The bike tyre valve is the part screwed or welded to the inner tube that allows air to flow in or out. There are four bike tyre valve types, and some are more common than others. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? We shed some light on this in this article. 

Valves for every purpose 

Depending on whether you have Tubetype or Tubeless-ready tyres, the bike tyre valve may be different. For Tubetype (inner tube) tyres, four bike tyre valve types are available: Presta, Shrader, Woods or Regina. For Tubeless-ready tyres, only the Presta valve is available. 

Let's take a closer look at each of these valves. 

Presta valve 

The Presta valve can be fitted to tubetype or tubeless-ready bikes

The Presta valve can be fitted to tubetype or tubeless-ready bikes

This bike tyre valve, which can be fitted to tubetype or tubeless-ready bikes, is adopted by most enthusiast customers who ride with a Presta valve, whether on the road or on a mountain bike. 

Assembly specifications for Tubeless-Ready:

This bike tyre valve must be fitted to the rim by the user. To do this, it is necessary to perforate the rim base (and not cut it out) at the location of the valve hole with the Presta valve. Simply remove the cap and tap lightly on it after inserting it. The tip protrudes sufficiently to pierce the TLR rim band. 

It's important to make sure that the little rubber ring at the base of the Presta valve comes to rest on the hole afterwards so as to seal it completely. Once the bike tyre valve has been inserted, screw the nut onto the inside of the rim to tighten the valve against the rim until its rubber surface is held firmly over the hole, ensuring a good seal. 

For Tubetype, please follow our assembly instructions in our article "Fitting bike tyres with inner tubes". 

Advantages:  

With this bike tyre valve, you can adjust the pressure very quickly and easily by unscrewing the upper part, called the shell, without the need for any tools. A little pressure will let a little air out. If you press harder, more air will come out in one go. By unscrewing the shell, you can also inject air to re-inflate the tyre. The shell can be completely removed, so you can quickly deflate an inner tube or, in the case of tubeless use, optimise the air flow to help inflate the tyre. 

Another advantage is that the Presta valve is thinner than any other bike tyre valve, such as the Schrader valve, allowing a smaller hole in the rim. This is an important criterion in the cycling industry, as it helps to guarantee the solidity of rims, particularly for road use where they are quite thin. 

Disadvantage: 

The disadvantage of the Presta valve is its relative fragility. As we have seen, you have to unscrew the shell to adjust the pressure. And once this has been done, the bike tyres valve's thin stem can be damaged during inflation, when a pump or compressor connector is screwed onto it. Take great care not to damage the valve during this procedure. 

Note that the Presta valve is a bike tyre valve that can be smooth or threaded. Michelin recommends a threaded Presta valve for tubes used for extreme gravel or mountain biking. The threaded valve allows the tube to be tightened to the rim and prevents the tube from rotating inside the tyre.  

Given that these activities tend to be carried out at low pressure, the risk of the inner tube rotating would be greater with a smooth bike tyre valve rather than a threaded one. 

For road use, we recommend a smooth valve. In this context, the pressure is higher and consequently the risk of inner tube rotation is reduced. 

Standard valve (or Schrader valve) 

The Standard valve is the same as for cars and motorbikes

The Standard valve is the same as for cars and motorbikes

Advantage:  

This bike tyre valve, which is the same as for cars and motorbikes, is compatible with service station compressors, so you can adjust the pressure anywhere, even if you don't have a pump. 

Disadvantages:  

If you want to add sealant or deflate the tyre quickly, you'll need a special tool to remove the tyre shell. Also, adjusting the pressure isn't easy because if you've put too much air in, you'll need a point (such as a paperclip or small pin) to press on the valve shell to remove it. 

Note that for rim manufacturers, the Standard valve means a bigger hole. Premium lightweight rims therefore don't have one because it's too restrictive. 

schrader valve opening and closing on a tire

Woods valve (or Dunlop valve) 

The Woods valve is a bike tyre valve that was widely used in the early days of cycling

The Woods valve is a bike tyre valve that was widely used in the early days of cycling

Originally created by Dunlop, the Woods valve was widely used in the early days of cycling to compete with the Presta valve. This bike tyre valve is still widely used in several countries (England, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Japan, Russia, Poland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, etc.) but is less common in French-speaking countries. It can be inflated with a Presta pump tip. 

Advantage:  

As with the Presta, its mechanism is very simple to ensure an airtight seal. Very robust and efficient, it won't seize up in humid regions, which are prone to valve oxidation. 

Disadvantages:  

Its diameter is equivalent to that of a Standard valve, which requires solid, heavy rims. That's why it's not often found on premium mountain bikes and premium road bikes. It's also difficult to adjust the pressure, because when you unscrew the shell, there's a constant, rapid flow. 

Regina (or Italian) valve 

The Regina valve is used exclusively in Italy on city bikes

The Regina valve is used exclusively in Italy on city bikes 

The Regina valve is a bike tyre valve that is used exclusively in Italy on city bikes.  

Disadvantage: 

It is a little restrictive because you have to screw the steel cap back on very quickly after inflation to avoid losing air. Initially designed to compete with the Presta valve, the Regina is less and less widely used because of these inflation problems. 

Can I fit any type of bike tyre valve on my tyres? 

The limitations are imposed by the rims. A Standard (Schrader) valve has a much larger valve hole in the rim than a Presta valve (8.5mm for Standard and 6.5mm for Presta). So if you have a rim that can accept a Standard valve you can fit a Presta valve in it using a valve hole reducer. 

On the other hand, if the rim has a hole designed for a Presta valve, it's impossible to fit a Standard valve, which will be too wide for the hole. 

That's why it's simpler and more advisable to stick with the same type of bike tyre valve you originally had. 

Sealing and inner tubes 

When you change a tyre, we advise you to use a new inner tube rather than reusing the old one. But if you want to reuse your tube, be sure to check its condition. Why should you do this? Because an inner tube "lives" in the tyre, it can have cyclical movements which over time can generate cracks around the bike tyre valve. Check that this is not the case, as it could lead to air loss over time. 

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