What are the different types of bike tire valves?

This bike tire 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 tire 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 tire 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 tires with inner tubes".

Advantages:

With this bike tire 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 tire. 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 tire.

Another advantage is that the Presta valve is thinner than any other bike tire 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 tires 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 tire 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 tire.

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 tire 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.

Advantage:

This bike tire 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 tire quickly, you'll need a special tool to remove the tire 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.

The Woods valve was widely used in the early days of cycling to compete with the Presta valve. This bike tire 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.

Advantages of the Woods Valve:

• Robust and resistant to corrosion – ideal for humid regions.

• Compatible with Presta pump heads – easy inflation.

Disadvantages of the Woods Valve:

• Larger diameter – requires a stronger, heavier rim.

• Difficult to adjust air pressure – once the cap is unscrewed, air escapes quickly.

• Rarely found on premium road or MTB wheels.

The Regina valve is a bike tire 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.