Schrader or Presta valves for mtb tubes?

Hi there,

I just got my first mountain bike and have a question about tubes.

My road bike takes presta tubes. The frame pump I use does well with presta tubes, and does not seem to work well with the Schrader ones, even though it is advertised to work well with both.

Is there ANY reason to keep the Schrader tube in my mountain bike? Is there a durability issue? Are Schrader mtb tubes easier to buy if I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with a flat and no extra tubes?

The wheel has a larger, Schrader sized tube opening. I'm told that a presta valve might 'move around' too much through that hole, but that it's easily correctable by screwing on a little adapter plug. In fact I already got the plugs from my bike shop.

Thanks!

You can buy both just as easily in most bike shops but you can buy Schrader in Walmarts etc. You can purchase an adaptor to go on the presta valve stem but that seems like alot of effort. Just carry a Schrader tube.

If there some reason why you don't want to use Schrader since the wheel is built for Schrader?

PS I would buy a mountain bike pump anyway - it's really hard to inflate a MTB tube with a road pump and something not geared towards mountain bikes. I recommend the Topeak MTB Morph Pump.

[QUOTE/]Are Schrader mtb tubes easier to buy if I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with a flat and no extra tubes?[/QUOTE]

Hmmm... I haven't run across a Walmart on the trails I ride...;)

If you want to buy a new pump, stick with the Schrader. Otherwise go with the presta and carry an xtra tube or two AND a patch kit.

BCIPAM: What's the difference between a "road" and "mountain" pump? I never heard there was a difference.

I don't think it matters either way - my mountain bike came with presta tubes (mavic xm117 rims) and the rims have an insert or sleeve I take out if I have to put a schrader in. You can also buy pumps that do both - some are automatic others have to be fiddled with first.

It's easier to put slime in schrader tubes

Presta's are easier to deflate.

It's easier to inflate a flat presta tube (courtesy of the thing that screws it to the rim). There is a way to put slime into presta tubes as well but a little fiddly.

Presta tubes are lighter - you can buy 125g ones and even sub 100g ones - shaving up to 200g or so off your bike weight if you're a weenie.

I like to carry a spare tube (whatever I've got) and a puncture kit as well just in case. I also carry the presta to schrader adapter, they're only a couple of dollars and small so why not.

Only thing is my air pressure gague doesn't work with prestas even when the little adapter is on, oh well I just check them with my floor pump before going out.

Always use presta - on all my bikes. I used to use schraeder when I first got an MTB but when I met the SO I eventually changed to presta - can't remember what the justification was but all the people I ride with use them.

That doesn't mean that they are better than schraeder at all. Use what your are happiest with. I find presta easier to work with for inflating but I'm sure that is probably because that is what I use all the time. I have Mavic rims on my mtb (317s or 717s) they have schraeder sized valve holes but the presta work just fine.