I have Vittoria latex tubes to go along with my recently purchased 808 FC clincher. Due to different brands and lengths I’m not certain on what to buy. Seems like I would need at least 75mm of extension. Thanks for the help.
Yep a valve extender from say 75mm to 80mm should be fine. I use this https://www.hedcycling.com/valve-extenders/, the 80mm model.
Regards,
I love my Silca extenders. And, they have a handy sizing chart to tell you exactly which extenders to match with your tubes and wheels.
https://silca.cc/products/presta-valve-extensions-for-all-presta-valves
It probably doesn’t matter but I’ve always stuck with the same brand for tubes and extenders - Vittoria tubes w/ Vittoria extenders. I think the valves on the tubes are 51mm and extenders come in 20, 40, and 60mm. Zipp had a guide for extender length for their rims, but I think the Silca chart above it better.
I bought silca. There was some sticker shock but very nice. Holds air very well.
A solid rule of thumb is that the valve on your tube + extender length should be at least 10mm greater than your rim depth. This will result in a minimum of 16-18mm of exposed valve when installed, which is enough for all common pump heads to seal on.
On my 808’s I’m running a Vittoria latex tube with 51mm valve stem and a SILCA 45mm extender and it’s just perfect, but with other combinations remember that it’s better to be long than short!
First, decide whether you want RVC or not. Then, you figure out desired length. Finally, pick if you want to spend more and be fancy (Silca) or save money and get probably just as good.
I’ve gone with vittoria and problem solvers RVC. Both have worked, no leaks. I put 2 wraps of teflon tape on all threads. I don’t hear them rattling, so I never bothered with a wrap of electric tape on the outside.
I have Vittoria latex tubes to go along with my recently purchased 808 FC clincher. Due to different brands and lengths I’m not certain on what to buy. Seems like I would need at least 75mm of extension. Thanks for the help.
Just make sure you don’t buy the screw on extenders and by a true extender. Frankly, whenever I order valve extenders I order a bunch of sizes to play around + the rubber seal wears out at the end and they always come in handy. My preference is the standard Contis but the Silca Speed Shield are a nice touch. I ended up using the Speed Shield piece with the standard conti ones and use the 3m tape
I like the Topeak extender. It has a plunger which fits around the knurled presta nut on your valve and allows you to open and close it with the extender fitted. Ok, it is threaded which not everybody loves, but unless you are inflating your tyre the presta valve is closed anyway. No need to piss about removing valve cores. I’ve had no problems using this with Michelin latex tubes. I guess it is possible that it will work better with some manufacturer’s presta valves than others if there are slight size and texture differences in the presta nuts.
I do put a little bit of PTFE around the valve threads (and do the same on my spares) to help keep the seal under inflation.
Another vote for the Silca extenders. https://silca.cc/products/rvc-removable-valve-core-extensions
I only have experience with Silca from some of my flo wheel orders where they were given as freebies. I haven’t had any problems with them and if I were to buy any extenders in the future I would purchase the same ones.
I like both Silca and Conti extenders. Both do not require the use of pipe tape on the threads to seal. Tried Tufo extenders, and they leaked even with thread sealant.
I’ve only used the Zipp ones on my generic rims and never had a problem. I’m not sure about others, but the Zipps have a hex head that you can use to secure them nice and tight. Just be sure to use plenty of thread tape and I’d say they’ll all work fine.
Conti is $10 for 2 extenders… Silca is $48+ shipping for 2. Decisions, decisions…