The Goldilocks Principle: Valve Stem Length
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/”/]
No, no, no!
If you are running deep rims, just get the right size valve stem for your rims. Or spend your whole life pumping. This will look exactly as pretty as the solution above, but will save you a tubelifetime of slow leaks from a weak point that doesn’t need to be there. You wouldn’t splice in pointless chunks of chain, or tie in loops of cable, why would you stick on a valve extender?
@Kevin Morice
I concur, valve extenders are the devil’s work!
@frank You’ve just thrown down the gauntlet. Various wheel sets with little uniformity in my collection at the moment. One to deal with over the coming months. I could just say “screw it” but you already know that would leave me feeling disrespectful. Curse you!
Where was this article before?
Most of those stems are a wee bit too short to get a Silca pumphead onto.
It’s called Teflon tape, you plebs.
@TBONE
May be but Teflon smile doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Finally, someone has spoken the unspoken. Rejoice.
It’s actually called PTFE tape
@Kevin Morice, @Michael Brown
Have some self respect for Merckx sake. Get a descent valve extender and the pumber’s tape and there will be no leaking. Problem Solvers makes a great one. Claiming your incompetence in being able to make a seal is hardly a reason to avoid a sensible product.
Among the advantages, they are lighter, you can use one standard tube in your kit and just move your extender across from the punctured tire to the spare regardless of if you’re riding deep or shallow section rims, they look better, and they are way lighter.
Put that in your tub glue pail and sniff it.
@Nate
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.
@TBONE You forget that what they call things in Canada is usually wrong.
@frank
Proper Silca heads neither screw on nor suck ass.
@frank
Surely this is over complicating matters. Simply ride with the correct length inner tubes for the wheels you are riding on. I have two types of wheel…shallow and mid. I ride short stems on my shallows and mid stems on my mids. I also have two sets of spare inner tubes and carry the correct length inner for the ride in question. This ensures that the correct amount of pokeage is occuring on my rims at any particular moment in time…
This is not rocket science, and people it is very simple and aesthetically pleasing. It also works perfectly for those using Co2 (light the blue touch paper I am out of here!)
@Kevin Morice Second that. I’ve had roadside changes on flats where the valve hung open and/or the valve extension wouldn’t seal. It was mostly due to one lot of tubes I bought, but all the same, headaches avoidable with just enough exposed valve stem to get a chuck on.
I dunno. Valve extenders are just adding an unnecessary part to the mix and something that could go wrong/malfunction. A single, unextended valve seems to be the true way – the way of simplicity and efficiency.
I don’t know how long my valve stems are, for me they are the right length to slip the head of my floor pump over and they are smooth barreled so there are no threads to ruin the rubber gasket.
Last year I did almost 10K kms with nary a puncture on the road. I carry a co 2 cannister and the wee chuck part. It it ain’t broke, I ain’t fixing it.
@Deakus
And if you have an asymmetrical wheelset, carry two tubes ? Four on long rides…
I call bullshit on the ‘way lighter’ comment though Frank.
If 28mm of added stem is a significant problem then I’m not sure whether to congratulate you on eliminating every other milligram of weight over your bike or commiserate on your pathetic weakness that a few grams should so adversely affect performance.
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.
I have accepted the look of 48 mm black french barrel Chambre 0.73 mm innertube from Mavic. What else is there to say, “They’re smooth and black!” And if there is any superstition about this, then I expect no flats any time soon. It’s been over a year.
I like Mavic.
Oh dear Lord, I think Frank just ran out of things to write about. Spring cannot come soon enough.
What are these “valve extenders” you people speak of?
If I needed to extend valves, because I fell into a pair of sweet carbone deep section rims, which I haven’t, I would buy the Lezyne extenders. Because they look the da’ bah.
The idea of adding valve extenders to my kit seems to be fixing a problem that (for me) doesn’t exist in the first place, but then again I ride with an EPMS so I suppose my argument is invalid.
Timely. I have had cause to wonder recently whether some folk I have seen are making up for a lack elsewhere with their valve length.
@ChrisO
Excellent point, old boy, the extenders transfer and if you have even a small degree of competence and a good extender, its no more likely to go wrong than any other adjustment/repair you might make on the road.
Not to mention the likelihood that I’d grab the wrong tube and then be really buggered.
(Queue me having valve stem issues on tomorrow’s ride.)
It is literally fractions of hundredths of grams lighter! No denying it! Alu vs brass! I say again: literally fractions of hundredths of grams lighter!
@Chris
I don’t ride Vittoria tires but now I kind of want to. That should shut down any discussion of valve stems leaking; the tires are designed that way for Merckx’s sake!
@Gianni
You need to establish that need, my friend.
That said, the Lezyne extenders look like the kind of troublesome design that all these whiners are talking about; with this one, you’d open the valve before installing the extender, meaning that it could leak and also that the valve inside might rattle closed (which I’ve had happen in the past).
The Problem Solvers that I use are pretty sweet; you pull out the core, screw it into the extender, then screw the extender into the valve. It’s fool-proof. I have them on several wheelsets and have been using them for years – with no leakages ever.
Again, queue my problems next time out on extenders.
Christ, now there’s going to be a world shortage of short-stem tubes.
I have some serious issues, non of my local bike shops sell tubes with 32mm stems and removable cores.. What to do?
Much research must occur to find the short stems, even online!
Anyone riding those Fulcrum (or are the Mavic?) rims with the counter-weight on the other side of the wheel to theoretically balance the valve weight? Better?
Has anyone felt that their non-counter-weighted rims are out of balance?
@Gianni Do you use the “valve extender” to smoke the fake cigarette?
On one point I agree. Valve extenders, a bit of tape, done, elegant and no ugly threads on the stem for the useless nut they insist on providing. That is except ofcouse the good people at Michelin who’s latex tubes come with smooth valves. The upshot of this that you all are missing is the shorter stem tubes are cheaper! I would suggest that extenders for road side repair are asking for trouble so personally I have a long stem tube butyl to use on the road, which is remove again for a new latex upon returning home and the long stem goes back into the ziploc for next time.
The point I would hazard to disagree on is the correct length of the stem. Goldilocks principle calls for both “not too short” as well as “not too long”. There is an asthetic middle ground and Frank I am afraid to say, you have missed it. To say “short as possible” leaves you with an ugly little stubby thing hanging there, like a pimple that shoud have been poped a weekago or something. To apply the same theory to socks would have you wearing tennis socks!!! The second 404 (short) is looks rediculous, too short and no, I’d say Veloflex have got the right length on that one.
@frank
That is true. Moving the valve out is a good solution. Having said that, I have yet to have a valve close up on me and appreciate the extra tidiness that not having the valve locking screw visible gives. As you know Frank, it’s about the small details.
I simply apply locktite (superflous to requirement IMHO), undo the valve on the tub all the way, then give another 1/4 turn with pliers to lock it in place.
I had a feeling this was going to come up at some point. And what better time than the bleak mid-winter. Goldilocks, Schmoldilocks. Part of the problem are the darn LBSs. Some of them only stock one size. Too long. Solution: Order in the size you need for your rims. Stock up. Now’s the time. And yes. Plumbers tape or Loctite on the cores.
Any fully threaded 20mm length valve extender exist in this world? I need it for my tubeless setup on Bullet 50mm wheelset…
@ClydesdaleChris
You may have just stumbled upon the only workable business model for Velominati: buy up the entire supply of a product, and then publish a Rule or Edict stating that is the only product allowed for use.
@Jaap
They should be able to special order them.
@Beers
I think 35 or 40mm would be acceptable in a pinch.
I’ve only noticed it in really lightweight wheels. Even on my 1300-odd gram Arenbergs, I don’t notice it. At least not with the litterally hundredths of a gram savings that my valve extenders provide.
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.
@scaler911
ok wtf
@Puffy
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.
@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).
I ride tubulars, nothing to see here, so I am just going to move on……
@scaler911
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…
@frank @Nate
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.
@scaler911 Nice way to roll!
@Chris
Hence both summer and winter bike have Vittoria tubs – Pave Evos for the winter, Evo Corsa CX for the summer.
That is all.
@Teocalli Nice!
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.
@scaler911
You win.
@unversio
Steampunk sure looks different now that he’s shaved that mustache off. Still got the “professorial” look though!
@wiscot
Ha! Chapeau!
@scaler911
Woah. That’s pretty sweet.
@Eddie Bruner
The tires on both sets of Café 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.