If you’ve never heard these two unusual phrases before, it may come as no surprise (bearing in mind that you’re reading this on a valve cap website) that they relate to the two main different types of tyre stem valves that are available. In reality there are actually at least two more variations but the schrader and the presta are the most commonplace across the entire globe. 

There are a few reasons why the valves differ and each has it’s own pro’s and con’s – we will get into this in more detail in a later feature – but for now, here is what you need to know:-

Schrader valves are fitted to almost all cars, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, RV’s and plant machinery… and most bicycles up to a certain value. Presta valves, on the other hand, are fitted to most mid to high-end bicycles.

Each valve type requires a different fitting when it comes to a pump for inflating and many commercially available pumps come with adapters for each. 

And there you have it in it’s simplest form! The majority of our valve caps are therefore schrader type valve caps and are universal in terms of fitment. However, we are also adding a selection of presta valves in the coming months so… watch this space!