Note: Guitar Ted received a suite of products from Clik Valve for test and review at no charge. Guitar Ted is not being bribed nor paid for this review. All opinions are Guitar Ted's.
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| Image courtesy of Clik Valve |
I have now received several items from Clik Valve to test out to see if the claims are true. Is this really better than what we al know and which is tradition? This review will aim to discover this and more through usage over a longer period of time.
My plan is to convert a pump I have to Clik Valve. Then I have in mind to convert a wheel to Clik Valve cores which I am already using a lot this Winter. That would be my Titanium Mukluk. Then, after things warm up a bit, I plan on using the Click Valve tubeless valve stems and seeing how those do.
This will take several months to get to the bottom of things, so for now this post will serve as an introduction and technical data post on the Clik Valve system. I will also give you my initial impressions as well.
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| Clockwise from far left: Clik Valve pump head converter. Click Valve cores with rubber caps, Clik Valve tubeless stem with metal cap, Clik Valve pump head. |
What It Is: Clik Valve is a new way to introduce air to tubeless tires and wheels. With the replacement cores, you could also convert standard butyl rubber Presta tubes to Clik Valve, although you would have to remember to keep the cores if the tube fails. There are also a couple of ways to convert legacy pumps to Clik Valve also which I will get into in a bit.
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| You can think of this as a mini-Schrader Valve |
Clik Valve is a sort of amalgamation of a Presta Valve, Schrader Valve, and a click-disconnect which makes engagement of the valve and pump head really easy. It doesn't use a collet type connector, like many air tools, instead, it simply pushes on, and when you hear a click, it is ready to use. When you are finished, you simply pull the pump head off.
You can see in my image here a close-up of the Clik Valve head. This is from a Clik Valve tubeless stem, by the way. The black portion is anodized aluminum. The silver portion is a plated brass core with a spring inside which holds the Clik Valve in a closed position.
The Clik Valve pump head has a metal center pin that engages the center sprung portion of the valve core, pushing it inward, opening the valve up so air can be introduced.
Sounds much like a Schrader Valve, but it is probably more correct to say that it is a sprung version of a Presta Valve core. At any rate, this is how Clik Valve works. The valve cores are retrofittable to current Presta valve standard tubeless valves and tubes. The pump heads are retrofittable to most currently used Presta valve pumps. So, if you wanted to convert your "fleet" of bikes and pumps, you could do that.
So, this all begs the question: Why convert to Clik Valve? Well, for one thing, it is easier to use. That's apparent once you get the product in hand. No holding the pump head on, as with Schrader, and no unscrewing a valve core, as with Presta. No locking pump lever to flip either. Now Clik Valve will also say that this valve of theirs has higher air-flow, which is great for setting up tubeless tires. I'll be testing that later.
You can also try Click Valve with a Presta pump. I tried this, and it works, but it isn't ideal, perhaps. You could easily switch up a current pump to utilize a Clik Valve pump head adapter or complete head. If you have a spare floor pump or mini-pump with a hose you want to check this out with, that might be ideal for you.
Prices: there are a few kits available to get you going. First is the Premium Tubeless Valve Kit which is pictured in the first image in this post. That gets you a Clik Valve pump head, a pair of valve stems, and spare bits and bobbins for $52.00 USD.
You will be able to get just the valves in a kit in five lengths. These will sell as pairs and will have the metal caps and extra rubber seats for rim interface from $28.00 USD and up.
There are Clik Valve cores for Presta valves. A pair goes for $12.00 USD. There are converters for Schrader Valve to Clik Valve also. A pair of these goes for $12.95 USD. (Note - I did not receive these for testing) The Premium Clik Valve Pump Head Adapter is $12.95 USD and the Clik 2-in-1 Right Angled Pump Head & Removeable Pump Adapter is $20.00 USD. You can check all of their products out HERE.
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| Converting this SILCA floor pump was easy. |
Impressions: Clik Valve is an intriguing solution for inflation needs. I definitely can see the appeal for some folks in the simplicity of operation of the system. I can see how this system might have been a better alternative to Presta valves, and it still is but...
Valve standards are pretty entrenched. What Clik Valve needs is OEM cooperation to really take a hold of this and adopt it. That's if all the claims hold up for this product. I think it is still to early to tell.
For instance, how many inflation cycles does it take until the "click" is not so clicky? Does this system gum up with sealant like Presta valves do, or is it better in that regard? Will we end up changing out valve cores as often as we have to with Presta valves, and if so, what does that cost the user?
These are the things that might be an issue that would make the ease of use feature not so much of a big deal to riders. Of course, a lot of these questions are not answerable now, nor will they be, until a decent amount of time has passed in usage.
So, this is why I stated at the onset of this review that it will take some time to sort through these questions and to get some sort of clearer picture in regard to whether this Clik Valve system is worth switching over to. I really like the idea of just popping on a pump head and then popping it off just as quickly. No fussy locking levers, no unscrewing and screwing back on, and hopefully just a seamless experience. That is my expectation. Now let's see if that holds up over time.
Stay tuned....
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