A question I've wanted to ask for a while now. From a personal point of view, what have you found to be the positives and negatives of these two valves?
The gold standard now is Presta because it is smaller more aero dynamic than Schrader valves in the past but there has been a lot of advancements now that make the weight issue and "air secureness " null between the two valves, I think the bike industry just stopped adopting the changes at this point and decided to stick with presta as the more premium option available to mid to high end wheel sets.
Personally I'd like to have an option to have access to gas station pumps in times of emergencies without having to screw in adapter, but until the whole industry adapts Schrader and makes it use available to even the top tier stuff, I'll stick with presto for now
Thanks for that. I agree with the fact that we can go to a garage and pump our tyres with a Schrader without a problem. My experience with a Presta is that it brakes a lot easier. I've never had an issue with either leaking from the inlet.
Car, motorbike and bicycle tyres with the same valve make sense to me. I can't see an obvious advantage of the Presta over the Schrader
My fat bike thankfully came with Schrader valve tubes and rims. When I went to buy emergency backup tubes, they only had them in Presta valves. Fortunately, these Presta tubes still fit my rims, and I just carry a Presta-to-Schrader adapter for pumping air.
That said, I’m always a bit nervous pumping air into a Presta valve because it feels flimsy, and I worry I might break it or cause a leak where it connects to the tube.
One big advantage I’ve noticed is that a Presta tube will fit a Schrader rim/hole, though I’m doubtful the reverse is true.
Plus, the fact that I can pump air into my Schrader valve almost anywhere without needing an adapter is a huge convenience compared to always having to carry one for Presta.
From this, I guess the consensus is that Schrader is more the favourite, as for one thing, it's easier to get a pump for them, less likely to break, and there is not a strong benefit of a Presta.
(06-15-2025, 06:52 AM)Flowrider Wrote: A question I've wanted to ask for a while now. From a personal point of view, what have you found to be the positives and negatives of these two valves?
What would your preference be?
Schrader always, presta are to fragile, no one has a pump or the best is when you have a presta in the front and Schrader in back. F the prestas. Why reinvent the wheel. No pun
@Jackchuck, I agree with you on "why reinvent the wheel?'. Just curious, why you think that it's best when you have a presta in the front and a Schrader in the back? What's the thinking behind?
Thanks.
(07-16-2025, 01:12 AM)Jackchuck Wrote:
(06-15-2025, 06:52 AM)Flowrider Wrote: A question I've wanted to ask for a while now. From a personal point of view, what have you found to be the positives and negatives of these two valves?
What would your preference be?
Schrader always, presta are to fragile, no one has a pump or the best is when you have a presta in the front and Schrader in back. F the prestas. Why reinvent the wheel. No pun
The benefit of presta valve has to do with rim profile, they are the stronger choice to use with a V style hoop, the threaded stem with the lock washer is also a major plus when it comes to pumping a flat tire without pushing the stem inside the tire when mounting the pump head. So with that in mind take the best part of a presta tube and add to the schrader you have a clear winner. The conti tube for schrader valve. The only one to use!
There are two kinds of people in the world, "Those who help themselves to people, and those who help people!"
I personally use Presta valves for both my road and mountain bikes. They’re the standard for road bike tires and 29ers around here. Great pressure precision and slightly lighter (not significant, though). I haven’t had any real issues with their durability - no complaints there!
My experience with pumps and valves has been quite the opposite to others', though. Both of my previous mini pumps were Presta-only, which was enough for myself. But I switched to a dual-valve mini pump just in case, since my fiancée’s old MTB has 26" wheels with rims that have larger valve holes and Schrader tubes. My floor pump has a dual-valve option, and that's the main pump I use. The mini one is for emergencies.
Well, then there's Dunlop as well ...
Merida Scultura 5000 (2015)
Merida Big Nine 400 (2019)
Another plus of Presta, is that when you are installing a tube, with the presta, you can put the stem thru the rim, put on the nut, and it helps keep the tube in the proper position. Also I believe the tube loses less air as you pull the pump head off the stem of a presta tube.
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