For more than 100 years, American cyclists have ridden bicycles equipped with one of two* common valve types, Schrader and Presta. In 2025, however, riders have a new option - the Clik Valve, a Schwalbe product. Clik Valve promises to address some of the shortcomings of the Presta valve, which historically been the standard on performance-oriented bicycles, especially racing models.
What it the purpose of the Clik Valve?
The Clik Valve system claims some key advantages over Presta and Schrader valves: it's easy to add or remove the pump head onto the valve, the design is highly durable, and the design is high-air-flow, which makes it ideal for seating and inflating tubeless tires.
One key advantage of Clik Valve is the ability to put the pump head on the valve with only one hand. You just push it on and pull it off. Another is that the Clik Valve is portable, and can be moved from inner tube to inner tube - for example, in the event of a puncture.
There's also (claimed) no air loss when placing the pump head on the valve, or removing it. If you hear air escaping after removing the pump head from the Clik Valve, it's likely from the hose - no air is actually lost from the tire.
Finally, there's a "cross hole" design, which claims compatibility with tire inserts, like CushCore (some tubeless valves don't work with tire insert systems.)
Backwards Compatibility
It's possible to inflate Clik Valves with a standard Presta pump. The "click" feature won't work, but you can still inflate them. Depending on your specific pump, you may find that built-in pressure gauges don't work (but you can still add air.)
This means that you can use shop inflators designed for use with air compressors (such as the Arundel Shop Inflator and Prestacycle Prestaflator) with Clik Valves - for example, for installing and seating tubeless tires - but their built-in valves may not work for setting tire pressure. Instead, you'd need to use a separate gauge to verify the pressure.
There are also adapters available for Clik Valve to other types of pumps, but this means you need to tote the adapter around - maybe even multiples for saddle bag, toolbox, workbench.
Upgrading to Clik Valve
Can you "upgrade" to Clik Valve? Probably. Assume you have Presta valves with removable cores, the core can be removed and replaced with a Clik Valve type. That's going to include most (although not all) makes and models of Presta tubeless valves, and also, Challenge tubular tires with removable Presta cores.
Some Presta Valves - sort of a rarity - lack removable cores, and those can't be swapped out. You'd need to replace the entire tubeless valve, inner tube, or tubular tire in that circumstance.
So that's the valve end - what about the pump end? Recall the pump head must be Clik Valve compatible as well. You can get replacement pump heads for many, but not all pumps.
How about off-the-shelf options for new pumps? Those are available as well. Wolf Tooth Components, for example, offers their EnCase mini pumps in Clik Valve compatible versions, as well as tubeless valves featuring Clik Valve cores.
Is Clik Valve expensive?
A kit with 2 Clik Valve compatible tubeless valves, plus a Clik Valve pump head to retrofit onto your existing pump sells for about $50. Just a kit with 2 Clik Valve cores for installing into your existing Presta valves sells for $12.
Downsides of Clik Valves
- To maximize the system, you'd need to change over your entire fleet of bikes, wheels, and pumps. Not a big deal if you have one bike, but could be prohibitively expensive for riders who own decades worth of bikes, pumps, and multiple sets of wheels.
- Limited selection of minipumps and floor pumps available with the Clik Valve compatible head (at least as of this writing, July 2025)
Downsides of Schrader valves
- The base of the Schrader valve is pretty wide, requiring a larger hole in the rim. This in turn limits how narrow rims can be, so the Presta valve has worked better on narrow rims.
- Slightly harder to release air, you might need the tip of a screwdriver or tire lever to press the pin. Presta valves, on the other hand, allow you to release air using just your fingertip.
- Doesn't handle the highest pressures as well as Presta
Downsides of Presta valves
- Needing to unthread the top nut before adding or removing air can be confusing to some riders.
- It's pretty easy to bend (or break entirely) the top nut.
- Can't readily use "emergency" pumps - like those intended for cars with Schrader valves at a gas station - without an adapter.
* Dunlop valves
Yes, I know about Dunlop valves. They're very uncommon in the United States and I'd venture a guess that even serious American cyclists have never seen one in person.