Presta

If there is a consumer device less fit for purpose than the Presta valve for bicycle tubes, I have not encountered it.

It has been around forever apparently and survives because it is the standard for road bikes and this is not an industry that likes too much change.

It also has the benefit of being very slender (6 mm) so the hole required in the rim for ingress does not impact rim strength too much.

But pumping these things is an ordeal. Just about every time I try to pump, no matter which pump I use, the thing flicks off, or leaks, or just doesn’t work. And they have a tendency to bend and break.

It’s so bad that I am sort of scared of the job and often ride around under inflated as a result.

You can screw on an adaptor (the Presta Valve Nut) which makes the job easier but that also makes the job take longer. And you have to keep track of the valve adaptor between uses.

In fact I just had an idea. I will screw on two valve adaptors to the two valves on the bike and just leave them there. Brilliant. I will report back.