Tube and Valve Types: Presta, Schrader and Tubeless

Most e-bike wheels have one of two valves: a thick one like a car's, or a thin one with a small nut on top. A third kind turns up in some places. Telling them apart takes a few seconds and saves you buying the wrong pump fitting.

The three common valves

Schrader. This is the same kind used on automobile tires.¹ Sheldon Brown calls it the thick kind, the same as used on motor vehicles.² Michelin points out one handy result: a compressor at a service station can adjust a bicycle's pressure if the tires are Schrader valve-equipped, and the compressor has settings for cyclists.³

Presta. This one is thinner, and it has a little knurled nut at the top. To let air out, Sheldon Brown's steps say to unscrew that nut and push it down.² The same source says Presta valves are used on most high-performance bicycles.¹ Take care when inflating a Presta valve not to bend the pin or break it off.¹

Woods, also called Dunlop. A Woods valve has a bottom similar to a Schrader.¹ Most Woods valves aren't rated for high-pressure use, unlike Schrader or Presta valves.¹ If you spot one on your wheel, read the tire's pressure limit with that in mind and check the bike maker's advice.

Which pump fitting?

Presta and Schrader valves need different pump fittings, though most newer pumps have dual fittings.¹ If your pump head won't seat on the valve, the valve type is the first thing to check.

Looking at your wheel's valve also tells you where you can inflate. Michelin's note about service-station compressors applies only to Schrader valves.³

Inner tubes and tubeless

A bicycle tire isn't airtight by itself, so it uses an inner tube.² The tube has a valve so you can inflate it.² If you're swapping a tube, check the valve type against your pump fitting and the advice for your wheel.

Tubeless is the other approach. A tubeless tire is fitted without an inner tube, and it needs specific rims.³ Wikipedia adds that tubeless tires require tubeless-compatible rims.⁴ With no tube, the rim is already fitted with a valve.³

"TLR" is one of the build codes on the sidewall page, the sidewall guide. If your tire says "tubeless" or TLR, check both the tire maker's page and your rim maker's page before you remove or add a tube.

If you're not sure

Take the valve cap off and look. Thick like a car's: Schrader. Thin with a small nut at the top: Presta. Thick at the bottom and thin at the top: Woods.² Then check your bike's manual or the wheel maker's page for the valve your wheel is meant to use.

Flats and their causes have a page of their own: how punctures happen.