The Goldilocks Principle: Valve Stem Length

Keep it short and clean…

The Goldilocks Principle is under assault, balance is lost. Without balance, we are reduced to savages. Steerectile dysfunction is spreading like wildfire; socks are quickly becoming knee-highs and the line between shorts and knickers continues to blur.

We spend considerable time making everything on our loyal steed fit and look perfect. Bar tape and tire color are carefully coordinated to frame and decals; the tape is wrapped and finished expertly. Saddles are positioned with a spirit level. Cables are cut to the shortest length possible to allow for smooth and friction-free braking and shifting. Cable ends are trimmed to the shortest sensible length. Tires are mounted with labels mounted directly above the valve. And yet the valve stems themselves have recklessly been allowed to grow ever longer.

The Prophet and De Vlaeminck didn’t ride around with 5cm of valve stem sticking out of their rims. Granted, they only had one length to choose from, but that one length stems were made in was obvious: as short as possible. Valve stems need to be managed just like everything else on our bikes. They need to protrude from the rim enough to allow for a pump head to be securely attached to it; anything more is ugly and dead weight. (Incidentally, if you are using a pump with a screw-on head like a Lezyne or Silca, then this means all you need is the threads of the valve core plus a few millimeters to allow for the head to securely thread on.)

For those among us riding deep section rims, forget the long-stem inner tubes. Buy tubes with 32mm stems with removable cores and use the shortest valve extender possible. Under no circumstances should one use an inner tube without removable cores. It is important, however, that upon removing the tube from its package and before installing it or placing it in your kit, that the core be removed and reinstalled using a small wrap of plumber’s tape; this will ensure that the core does not unthread with your pump head, causing a disappointing deflation of both spirit and tire.

Bring back the balance. Stop this long valve madness and get thee to your local bike shop for some fresh, short-stemmed tubes.

We are not savages, my children. We are the Velominati. Vive la Vie Velominatus.

[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Goldilocks Stems/”/]

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

gaswepass says:

Jan 13 2014 at 9:10 pm

@scaler911

@gaswepass Well, It's pretty simple really. Air pressure keeps a presta valve, or Schrader valve "closed" wether you've screwed the valve closed or not (side note, when I pump up the tyres, I tap the valve core once to make sure it seats, just like I was taught by my old Dutch sensei). So pump it up with the valve extender, take the extender off, call it good. Unless something pushes on the core, you've got nothing to fear (except fear itself).

thats a lotta trust. the front wheel for my tt rig didn't hold pressure with just an extender without core. like a lotta things, riding smooth has a lot more to d with something like this than it being a good idea. u will prolly continue to "get away with" this...
sthilzy says:

Jan 13 2014 at 10:15 pm

@frank @Nate

@frank

@Nate

Where was this article before?

Most of those stems are a wee bit too short to get a Silca pumphead onto.

My silca that @Scaler911 gave me screws on there just fine, but it's possible that the old silca pump heads that sucked ass don't work.

Proper Silca heads neither screw on nor suck ass.

Love my trusty old Silca! My Cycling Sensei gave it to me back in the 80's. I've only changed the leather washer a couple of times. Needs new head rubber due to threaded valves.

No ride starts without Silca checking pressures/topping up.
sthilzy says:

Jan 13 2014 at 10:47 pm

@scaler911 Nice way to roll!
edster99 says:

Jan 14 2014 at 1:23 am

@Chris

Vittoria tubulars. They come with a stubby little screw thread onto which the appropriate valve stem is the attached. Perfect stem lengths. No excuses. Simple.

Hence both summer and winter bike have Vittoria tubs - Pave Evos for the winter, Evo Corsa CX for the summer.

That is all.
Mike_P says:

Jan 14 2014 at 1:26 am

@Teocalli Nice!
TimJ says:

Jan 14 2014 at 2:10 am

C'mon folks, using a short valve plus valve extender on deep(er) dish rims adds almost 2 grams of increased weight per wheel! You'll have to dump nearly 4 milliliters of water out of your bottle to compensate for the increased weight. Or shave your sideburns off.
VeloJello says:

Jan 14 2014 at 5:22 am

@scaler911

On my "regular" width rims, I've always chosen the proper length stem for the wheel set in question. For my offset carbon tubs, the tyres come with the same length stems, and the valve extender is just part of the inflation process. HOWEVER, I've gone away from leaving the extenders on the wheels. I just inflate them with the extenders, remove it, put it in the little repair kit I carry in my kit pocket. There's no valve or extender hanging out of the wheels at all.

You win.
wiscot says:

Jan 14 2014 at 6:56 am

@unversio

@Gianni Do you use the "valve extender" to smoke the fake cigarette?

Steampunk sure looks different now that he's shaved that mustache off. Still got the "professorial" look though!
Buck Rogers says:

Jan 14 2014 at 7:26 am

@wiscot

@unversio

@Gianni Do you use the "valve extender" to smoke the fake cigarette?

Steampunk sure looks different now that he's shaved that mustache off. Still got the "professorial" look though!

Ha! Chapeau!
frank says:

Jan 14 2014 at 8:47 am

@scaler911

I just inflate them with the extenders, remove it, put it in the little repair kit I carry in my kit pocket. There's no valve or extender hanging out of the wheels at all.

Woah. That's pretty sweet.

@Eddie Bruner

I ride tubulars, nothing to see here, so I am just going to move on......

The tires on both sets of CafÃ© Roubaix wheels with the Velominati branding are tubs. The same issues apply, except then the issue becomes choosing the right length valve extender rather than the right length valve.