Schwalbe introduced Clik Valves in July of 2024, presenting a novel new design with the goal of creating a new standard and replacing the ubiquitous Presta valve. It is one of a number of new valve designs to hit the market in recent years, including the Reserve Fillmore, Muc-Off Big Bore, and a handful of others, trying to improve the way we deliver air into our tires. But like any new “standard” in the cycling industry, change doesn’t happen overnight, and there are plenty of skeptics and naysayers.
After all, Presta valves have been around for over a century and are used on nearly all of the tubes and tubeless valve stems on performance bicycles. And while they occasionally get clogged with sealant or the tip gets bent, they usually work just fine. Plus, all of our pumps are already made to work with them. But just because they work and are super common doesn’t mean that our tire inflation experience can’t be improved. However, the ubiquity of Presta valves means that acceptance of the Clik Valve will be an uphill battle.
I received a set of Schwalbe Clik Valves last December and put them in a box on my cluttered workbench, where I promptly forgot about them. While reorganizing my garage recently, I rediscovered them and decided it was time to give them a go. After all, brands like Wolf Tooth Components and now Lezyne are on board, offering pumps with Clik Valve-compatible heads as well as valve kits and tubeless valve stems. So, I finally decided to find out if Schwalbe’s claims of user friendliness, increased airflow, and limited air loss are valid and sufficient to justify making the switch.
Schwalbe Clik Valve Details
We covered the Schwalbe Clik Valve when it was introduced in July 2024, so check out that article if you’re interested in learning more about how it works. The very short version is that Clik-compatible pump heads simply “click” on and off. It has a spring-loaded valve sealed with an internal o-ring, and it is claimed to provide 50% better airflow than Presta. No fiddling or unscrewing is required, and there is no fragile tip to bend.
Additionally, the valves are backward compatible with all existing valve types. You can simply remove the Presta valve core from your tubeless valve stems or tubes and replace them with Clik Valves. As long as you have a valve core removal tool — which is also included with a set of Clik Valves — it takes about 2 minutes to swap them out.
Schwalbe also makes a replacement for Dunlop Valves and an adapter for Schrader valves.
A set of Clik Valves sells for $13, or $17 for a set of valves and a Clik Valve Pump Head Adapter. The threaded adapter can easily be attached to any threaded Schrader pump head or clamped in any non-threaded Schrader pump head.
It’s important to note that there are actually two different pump adapters – one is plastic, the other is metal. The metal one is a bit shorter which will make it easier to use in certain situations, but it also should be more durable. Both attach to a Schrader valve pump head rather than presta.
Schwalbe also sells a set of complete valves with a pump head in their premium kit that is meant as a more permanent thread-on replacement for your floor pump head. If you go this route, you may still need a separate adapter for your hand pump if you’re not buying a Clik-specific version.
Schwalbe claims that Clik Valves limit air loss when detaching the pump head while also limiting wear on the pump head, too. The Clik Valve itself is smooth — not threaded or textured — and the pump head doesn’t need to be clamped or squeezed onto it, so there’s nothing to really wear out. Additionally, Clik Valves also seem to work with some non-threaded Presta pump heads, just without the “click” function.
Using Schwalbe Clik Valves
I don’t really have a problem with Presta valves. I’ve been using them my whole life, and I’m just so used to them that I’ve just come to accept whatever faults they have. Sure, I’ve bent a few tips when attaching/detaching pumps; they occasionally get clogged with sealant, and they require a few seconds of fiddling when adding air to my tires. I’ve been living with that for so long that I don’t really even notice or care.
Until a couple of years ago, that is, when I used the Reserve Fillmore valves for the first time. I realized that tubeless valves could be better than what I had accepted as the norm for so long. The increased air flow and lack of clogging are a major step up from Presta, but $50 for a set of valves is a tough pill to swallow. Still, they work exactly as advertised, they seem to last a long time, and might be worth the expense for some riders.
Compared to the Fillmore, upgrading to Clik Valves is significantly cheaper, and its ease of use sets it apart, placing it in a class of its own. Swapping the valves out is the most challenging part of the operation, but realistically, it is an incredibly simple task for anyone who has removed a valve core before. Deflate your tire, remove the old Presta valve core with a valve core tool — included with a set of Clik Valves if you don’t already have one — and install the Clik Valve in its place. Continuing with the Fillmore comparison, Clik’s airflow isn’t quite as good, and you’ll still need to remove the Clik core to add sealant through the valve stem.
Assuming you have a Clik Valve pump head or adapter on your pump, attaching it to the valve is as easy as can be. Just push it on until it clicks into place. It’s so easy that a child could do it. Now, I’ve never thought attaching a pump head to a Presta valve was all that hard, but this is exponentially easier. When you’re done pumping, just pull the pump head off. The ease of use is truly on a whole new level. It is significantly quicker and easier, while also eliminating the opportunity for user error that might result in a bent or broken valve tip — a problem that most of us have probably experienced.
When pulling the pump head off, there is the tiniest little release of air that occurs before the valve seals. The volume of air that escapes is minimal and seems to be less than with my Presta valves — although that is admittedly hard to quantify. Likewise, the claim of 50% more airflow is equally challenging to verify. That said, using the same floor pump, it feels noticeably easier to move air through the Clik Valve than a Presta valve.
With the Clik Valves installed on my trail bike, I haven’t noticed any real changes to the amount of air loss overnight or if the bike sits for days. Every couple of rides, I’ve had to add a couple of psi to my MTB tires, which is par for the course for me. I’d say that air retention seems to be pretty much exactly the same as a well-sealed Presta valve. I haven’t been using them long enough for them to get clogged with sealant, but given that air moves through them more easily, I’m willing to bet that they will take slightly longer to clog. I highly doubt they’ll be completely immune to it, however, but time will tell.
So What’s the Rub?
From a performance standpoint, my biggest complaint about Clik Valves is that it’s slightly more difficult to release air, given how short the little valve nub is. I have to use my thumbnail to press it, and it takes a little more concentration to hit it compared to other valve types. Beyond that, I think one of the biggest issues with people getting on board the Clik Valve train is that the valves we’re already using work well enough. I know that I often find it hard to justify spending money to replace something that is functional, especially a minor component as mundane as a valve. Are Presta valves perfect? No. But do they work? Yes. Do Clik Valves work better? In my opinion, absolutely yes.
And related to that, upgrading to Clik Valves is certainly more expensive than continuing to use the functional valves that are already on your bike(s). At $13 a set, they are a lot more expensive than Presta valve cores (usually around $12 for 6), but are still among the least expensive upgrades you can make to your bike. And, they’re definitely less expensive than Fillmore or Big Bore valves that go for $50 a set.
But, you also need a Clik Valve Pump Head or Adapter to enjoy all the advantages of the system, so that means you’re up to $17 (valves and adapter) or $20 (valves and pump head) to get started. Again, not a huge expense, but more expensive than not buying them at all. Of course, if you decide you like them, then you might end up spending a bunch more to convert all your bikes and pumps over to the new system. Right now, that’s my biggest issue. I want to replace the valves on all of the bikes in my garage.
One of the other issues with acceptance was a relative lack of compatible pumps. Yes, you can use an adapter like I have been – which works well enough – on certain pumps. If you have a hand pump or floor pump that isn’t Schrader compatible, the adapter will not work.
Thankfully, more brands are starting to produce pumps that come with Clik pump heads. Thankfully, some non-threaded Presta pump head works with Clik Valves, too, so you can still use other pumps in a pinch.
Other Considerations
If you’re interested in converting to Clik Valves, as mentioned, you’ll probably want to convert all of your bikes to Clik Valves. If that includes kids’ bikes, that will likely mean using the Schrader to Clik adapters. Zach found that these worked well enough, though he did have at least one tire that leaked down after installing them (removing it and reinstalling it tighter seemed to fix the issue).
But that presented another issue with the valve adapter and the pump adapter. It didn’t fit. The added length of both parts made getting it into a kid’s wheel much harder. In these situations, you’ll pretty much have to buy one of the kits with a dedicated pump head, which is much shorter than the pump head with an adapter.
However, kids’ bikes are the perfect candidate for Clik, as it’s often challenging to wrangle a pump head into the small wheels in the first place. So as long as you have the shorter pump head, it’s worth the conversion.
My Takeaway
Clik Valves — and some of the other new valves on the market — should be the death knell for Presta valves. Other than a few dollars difference in price, I believe Clik Valves are superior to Presta in every way. From a user-friendliness standpoint alone, Clik not only beats Presta but every other valve type I’ve used. To be clear, using other valves isn’t that hard, but the difference really is night and day — Clik Valves are significantly quicker and easier to use. In my experience, airflow appears to be an improvement over Presta, and air retention is comparable to that of other options. It remains to be seen if they get clogged with sealant, but by all accounts, that is another improvement.
Whether that’s enough to convince everyone to switch to Clik Valves remains to be seen. I’m generally quite skeptical of new, “game-changing” designs, but after using Clik Valves, I’m convinced of their benefits, and I’d be happy to make the switch.
But while I believe Clik Valves should kill off Presta Valves once and for all, I’m not going to hold my breath. In order to make the switch, you’ll need to dive in 100% and convert all your bikes, spare wheels, and possibly adapt or replace some or all of your pumps. It’ll probably take a very long time, but I believe they stand a good chance of becoming the new standard, assuming enough people are willing to give them a try.
