Note: The Clik Valve Gauge was purchased by Guitar Ted and was not provided to him by Clik Valve. All opinions and images are Guitar Ted's.
Now on with the impressions of the Clik Valve Gauge. The gauge is available in digital or analog formats. I chose the analog format because, typically, they are more accurate, and I won't ever have to deal with a battery going bad. This is one tool that does not need to be electronic.
The price was actually less than the digital gauge as well, being sub 20 bucks at 18 dollars which is 8 dollars less than the digital gauge. It took almost a week to get it into my hands, but when I did open the box I was impressed by a few things.
The gauge was housed in its own storage pouch, not unlike those you may be familiar with which come with some ear buds/headphones. The small fabric loop on top has a mini-D ring for attaching the pouch to whatever you want so it can easily be found, I suppose.
Then once unzipped you will find the actual gauge which is quite nice. I was expecting a cheaply made, brass bodied gauge with a minimalist nozzle and gauge face which would not be all that inspiring. I mean, this thing is sub-twenty bucks, right? You just don't usually get much for a twenty spot these days which amounts to anything to get excited about.
Well, the Clik Valve Gauge is different. The brass nozzle is chunky and heavy in the hand. I doubt that this gauge body is a thin piece of brass either, but it is hard to tell. This is because it is completely covered in rubber. Which, if you hadn't guessed, is a very good thing. The gauge face looks great, and the needle indicator actually rests on the zero peg on the gauge face, which is also a good thing. I was not expecting this gauge to have any of this.
Then I noticed the gauge holds the reading you get until you push the brass button on the top. Nice! Especially for older eyes such as what I have!
So, I was very pleasantly surprised by the gauge, and being something of a tool-hound when it comes to bicycles, I appreciated the quality gauge at a very reasonable price. All right. Enough about this gauge. On to what my conclusions are regarding the Clik Valve and retention of air pressure. Also, a somewhat of a testimonial to the Topeak Joe Blow pump here.
The Joe Blow pump read out something over 20psi on my tires which prompted me to be a bit suspicious because 20psi is waaaay lower pressure than I normally can get away with at my weight. I immediately assumed the gauge on the Topeak pump had to be misbehaving.
I did add air pressure with the Joe Blow right then, so I was reading out around 30 on that gauge before I came back with the Clik Valve Gauge to verify the pressure. The Clik Valve Gauge is supposedly calibrated to ANSI B40.1 Standards. So, that's a good thing. Well, when I checked the Clik Valve equipped wheels with this gauge I read out right at 30psi on one wheel and about 28.5 on the other. So.....
I must have been riding at 20psi or slightly above that when I had the bike out last. Amazing! And it means the Topeak gauge wasn't lying. Maybe it is not as accurate as the Clik Valve gauge, and it is definitely not as easy to read finer measurements of psi, but it is still good after all these years of use and abuse.
As for the Clik Valve cores I can now confidently say they did not enhance air retention capabilities for the tires on the Honeman Flyer. That part is just normal. So, now I can move on with that part of the review figured out conclusively now.
NOTICE: Keep in mind there is a Sea Otter related post coming out at 10:00am CST today with a review I was able to conduct while this product was under embargo. Please check that out later. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!
5 comments:
That gauge looks very similar to an Accu-Gage, no? Which works really well, if you aren't familiar with them.
@Derek - It looks similar, yes. I didn't see one right off the bat when I Googled it which has the rubber coated dial casing though. But the Clik Valve Gauge could come from the same source.
Interesting. I am concern with my Topeak’s analog gauge. Look like it is only ok with high preassures, ok with my commuter but not with the Jones.
@Pedro - It is not uncommon for many floor pumps with high pressure capabilities (120psi+) to have poor, inaccurate low pressure readings. They were not meant for low pressure applications, and in the past, no one really needed this.
There are pumps which focus on the low range and are more accurate. I have the SILCA Terra floor pump which was designed for fat bike/plus bike/gravel use. I'm quite pleased with it. I would suggest you might search out a low pressure pump and try it. I think for the Jones bike it would be worth it to you.
Thank you!!!
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