Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
Last October I did a sneak peek of two interesting new types of tire valves, one from the company Muc-Off called Big-Bore Valves and one from the company Clik Valve and also called Clik Valves. You can read that story here: https://www.roadbikerider.com/new-valve-technology/.
After that piece ran, our editor Sheri Rosenbaum tested and reviewed the Muc-Off Big-Bore valves. Her review is here: https://www.roadbikerider.com/muc-off-big-bore-tubeless-valves/.
And now, thanks to a kind reader named Rick, who hails from Michigan, I can share a review of the Clik Valves that Rick sent in. Thank you Rick!
Equipment
Rick rides a 2012 Waterford SR with SRAM Red eTap rolling on I9 rim brake wheels. And that’s the bike he converted to Clik Valves. He runs Continental GP 5000S 25c tires with tubes.
Rick says he will also be converting his Cannondale Silk Tour 700 (his utility bike) as soon as he gets the additional cores. He’s had that bike since 2000. He’s riding Specialized Sawtooth tires (37mm) on that rig.
Rick’s review
“I finally managed to buy a set of Clik Valve cores and a pump adapter all from https://clikvalve.com/.
Back Story: The Clik Valve concept was interesting to me because I have arthritic wrists and somewhat arthritic hands. Sometimes it’s difficult to manipulate the lever on my Serfas FP 500 pump.
Installation: I removed the presta cores in my tubes and installed the Clik Valve cores on my road bike. Simple. I then installed the Clik Valve Pump Adapter (nice, small light, well-machined) to my Serfas pump head and Clik-ed it on. As advertised, you click (push) it on, pump up the tire and click (pull) it off. Simple, easy and there were no issues connecting or disconnecting the pump.
Does the Clik Valve work with a standard Presta pump head?
To determine if a standard Presta pump head will work on a Clik Valve core, I removed the Clik pump head adapter and found that I was able to use the native Presta pump head to inflate the tire with the Clik Valve core. It did take some finesse to get everything aligned, but after a couple of tries, I was able to inflate the tire with the Clik Valve using the Presta head on my pump.
Note that the Serfas FP 500 pump head is a thumblock type with a rubber grommet that constricts as you close the lever for an airtight seal.
What about inflating spare tubes when you flat?
In my world, 100% of the time that I have used a CO2 inflator, it has been when I have flatted and need to inflate a replacement tube. All of my replacement tubes have Presta valves and I’ll leave it that way. This enables me to use my CO2 inflator or mini-pump in the event of a flat. When I get back home, I’ll replace the Presta valve core in the spare tube with the Clik Valve from the punctured tube.
Verdict on the Clik Valves
I really like the ease of mounting and demounting the Clik pump head on the Clik Valve. I’m 75 and ride 3,250 to 3,750 miles each year. With the arthritis in my wrists, I switched to the eTap so I could keep riding. eTap allows me to shift the front derailleur when I could not after 30 – 45 minutes of riding with the manual SRAM Force levers. Now, the Clik Valves, just add another dimension of pain free movement, keeping me riding.”
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
Are these Clik valves the same that I think Schwalbe was promoting or co-developed? Or am I thinking of a different product from Schwalbe?
Hi Karl, to the best of my understanding, they are the same valves Schwalbe is promoting.
Rick
Clik valves seem like a small innovation for a small audience.
Small, perhaps, but I took note that the reviewer found them helpful because of limitations caused by arthritis. I also have arthritis in my hands, and I will keep this in mind. I suspect there are many riders who (like the reviewer, and like me) are reaching the age where this kind of innovation will make a large difference in the ability to continue riding and enjoy it.
Hi Drew,
That may be true but I’m not a marketer, just a humble rider. I know that they minimize an issue for me. I hope enough others find the valves useful so they stay available!! Beside my issues, ease of use is another that I find helpful.
Rick
Thanks for the comments!
Jim
After reading Rick’s review of Clik Valves, I decided to try them myself. One reason is that my wife struggles with the Presta valve. The web site was offering a special, so I was able to purchase 4 sets for the price of three. When they arrived I installed them and consider them an improvement over the Presta valve. I had also ordered the adapter, but it would not fit on my Topeak JoeBlow Pro X floor pump, However I had no problems inflating my tires with the new Clik Valves and my existing pump. One other observation is that once the tire is inflated with the Clik Valve installed, I could not see any way to bleed just a small amount of air out of the tire. I suppose that’s a small point. My hope is that these valve stems will be durable and therefore last a long time.
Hi David – I had to ‘fiddle’ with the adapter to get it to work on my Topeak Floor pump. The adapter didn’t slide in as I expected, I had to screw it in, gently, and then lock the handle to (just as you would to inflate using Presta) and it worked. Unlock and unscrew to go back to original. Hope this helps.
Rick