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

Puffy says:

Jan 14 2014 at 5:33 pm

@scaler911

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).

Really? Doesn't the leakage between the valve extender and the vlave stem bother you? I hate it when I am reduced to confirming tyre pressure by listening to when the valve opens because the air leaks around the extender and the pressure in the pump/gauge drops immediatly one stops pumping, and obviously the reading is high whilst you are. Gas tape around the threads seals it nicely, but it's a once only thing. Screw the extender off in my experience and the seal is never the same again.
Puffy says:

Jan 14 2014 at 5:35 pm

@scaler911

I should also add, the daily tyre pumping would become needlessly bothersone having to install/remove and extender twice. Regardless, I see you have taken the issue to its logical conclusion. Nothing visible at all.
Puffy says:

Jan 14 2014 at 5:40 pm

@frank

This is why you are still but a Pedalwan, my son. Comparing valve stem length to sock length is a hopelessly rookie move. They are different things entirely, but I understand your confusion; it is in the nature of a Pedalwan to strive to draw connections between the unconnected.
The middle ground lies between a valve that can not be engaged to function, and one which it superfluously long. The stems in question are perfect.

Pedalwan I am, but question I must since it is the question that leads to knowlege, not the answer.

How are sock length and stem length theory not connected? Too short a stem is unusable, as is too short a sock. We look for a higher than ankle length sock for no functional reason, merely good form. In the same way, a valve stem need not be so short and stubby. A little length looks good.
pistard says:

Jan 14 2014 at 6:09 pm

Finally! Good to see the V getting back to important topics after the silly season. And by important I do mean the minutiae and metrics of mechanical aesthetics.

Spent the past month in remote wilderness with only occasional internet access. Obviously I used those brief windows to check in here, rather than communicating with loved ones, but it was all moustaches, dirty MTB desires and self-spanking apologia for rule violations. Could have squandered my meagre bandwidth allotment on porn.

A month off the bike has me fat and cranky, but my valve stems are pure Goldilocks.
geoffrey says:

Jan 14 2014 at 7:02 pm

@TheVid

I have a perfectly functional floor pump, which sadly does not have a nifty head such as those on a Lezyne or Silca pump. In order to properly engage the head requires some downward pressure on the valve before locking it on. In order to keep the valve stem as short as possible whilst still providing enough length to be functional (See @Frank above), I require the use of the little threaded nut (gasp!) to keep the valve stem from burrowing into my rim like a whack-a-mole critter.

I had this problem. Try this. Instead of using the threaded nut, just push on the outside of the tire with your thumb while you engage the pump head. Works for me.
pistard says:

Jan 14 2014 at 7:37 pm

@Puffy

@frank

This is why you are still but a Pedalwan, my son. Comparing valve stem length to sock length is a hopelessly rookie move. They are different things entirely, but I understand your confusion; it is in the nature of a Pedalwan to strive to draw connections between the unconnected.
The middle ground lies between a valve that can not be engaged to function, and one which it superfluously long. The stems in question are perfect.

Pedalwan I am, but question I must since it is the question that leads to knowlege, not the answer.

How are sock length and stem length theory not connected? Too short a stem is unusable, as is too short a sock. We look for a higher than ankle length sock for no functional reason, merely good form. In the same way, a valve stem need not be so short and stubby. A little length looks good.

However negligible, definitely lighter and more aero, a shorter valve stem is. Socks may or may be not, so purely aesthetic, their length is.

The longer the valve stem, to flop around and make noise the greater potential. Socks, not so much.
frank says:

Jan 14 2014 at 11:07 pm

@pistard

Finally! Good to see The V getting back to important topics after the silly season. And by important I do mean the minutiae and metrics of mechanical aesthetics.

Spent the past month in remote wilderness with only occasional internet access. Obviously I used those brief windows to check in here, rather than communicating with loved ones, but it was all moustaches, dirty MTB desires and self-spanking apologia for rule violations. Could have squandered my meagre bandwidth allotment on porn.

A month off the bike has me fat and cranky, but my valve stems are pure Goldilocks.

Solid fucking gold.

Obviously I used those brief windows to check in here, rather than communicating with loved ones, but it was all moustaches, dirty MTB desires and self-spanking apologia for rule violations. Could have squandered my meagre bandwidth allotment on porn.

It sounds like that's what you did. Plus One badge to you, matey.
frank says:

Jan 14 2014 at 11:09 pm

@pistard

@Puffy

@frank

This is why you are still but a Pedalwan, my son. Comparing valve stem length to sock length is a hopelessly rookie move. They are different things entirely, but I understand your confusion; it is in the nature of a Pedalwan to strive to draw connections between the unconnected.
The middle ground lies between a valve that can not be engaged to function, and one which it superfluously long. The stems in question are perfect.

Pedalwan I am, but question I must since it is the question that leads to knowlege, not the answer.

How are sock length and stem length theory not connected? Too short a stem is unusable, as is too short a sock. We look for a higher than ankle length sock for no functional reason, merely good form. In the same way, a valve stem need not be so short and stubby. A little length looks good.

However negligible, definitely lighter and more aero, a shorter valve stem is. Socks may or may be not, so purely aesthetic, their length is.

The longer the valve stem, to flop around and make noise the greater potential. Socks, not so much.

Your month off has done you well, my son. Exceptionally strong work.
Ron says:

Jan 15 2014 at 6:46 am

Interesting timing. My pal who rides to get around flatted last week and was trying to get a long enough valve to work with his Mavic CXP33s. Need something like 42mm or more. He was all excited to get the wheel back together, then realized he couldn't inflate the tube.

Hmm, what to do. Vredestein latex tubes have really long valves, something approaching 50mm. How they look on Open Pro rims has bothered me, but I otherwise really like these tubes. They're okay on deeper rims, but not ol' short lads.

I'm a big, big fan of smooth valves, and gold valves too.
TheVid says:

Jan 15 2014 at 11:56 am

@frank

I would submit that ideal length is (a) subjective and (b) that mine is dependent on using a Lezyne or other pump that screws on and (c) not to take any of this crap too seriously. Except the bit about the nut because that's just crazy talk.

Go as short as is reasonable with your pump.

The moment I start taking any of this too seriously is the day I go insane and get on a recumbent...:shudders: