Are bicycle tire valve caps necessary?

I googled this and some say yes and some say no. I dislike airing up my tires (I have three of them), and the caps for me are an annoying waste of time. I have ridden for a year with one tire with the cap on and one tire with the cap off. No difference.

The argument for caps on is that it keeps mud and stuff out of the valve stem. I do not see much mud or other dirt on the inside of my rim, so I do not understand how it would get inside the valve stem. If muck does get in there, what harm will it do?

So, what is the opinion of my fellow Chainlinkers?

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Permalink Reply by djm on July 14, 2016 at 5:27am

If muck does get in there, what harm will it do?

The valve may not seat and the tire wont maintain pressure.  This is primarily a problem for Schrader (car-type) valves.  Presta valves dont have an opening to catch debris once they are screwed down.

Are bicycle tire valve caps necessary?

They prevent the valve from puncturing the tube when deflated and rolled up.

Permalink Reply by Shawn A Conley on July 20, 2016 at 2:16pm

I have presta valves and I don't put the valve covers on my tires.  I don't find that the valve cover does anything once the tire is on the wheel.  Just my 2 cents.

Permalink Reply by David Altenburg on July 20, 2016 at 5:06pm

I use them on my commuter bike where gunk getting into the valve (presta) has been an issue in the past. I ride that bike through some nasty conditions, and I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, which are nearly flat-proof, so a single tube tends to last a really long time, to the point where failure of the valve becomes of lifespan limiter. 

For my other bikes, I take them off.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on July 21, 2016 at 5:30am

I took mine off and I can't believe the difference it made.  I immediately picked up an extra 2-3 miles an hour when climbing 10-degree grades.

OK, I made all that up.

Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on July 23, 2016 at 5:01am

LOL awesome!

Permalink Reply by Jeremy Bloyd-Peshkin on July 21, 2016 at 5:35am

I keep 'em on until I lose 'em. There are so many other things out to kill my tubes that the valves are the least of my worries.

Permalink Reply by David Barish on July 21, 2016 at 10:54am

 Yup. That is pretty much  the story. I use 'em until I lose 'em.

If I find a cap laying around and  see an uncapped tube I am likely to screw it on.

If I have an uncapped tube I think to myself how fortunate I have been to have that tube long enough to lose the cap and still be getting good pressure.  

I have not given a second thought to the thousands of times I have held the cap in my mouth while topping off the tube with my floor pump.

Permalink Reply by Tiberculosis on July 21, 2016 at 6:34am

First thing I do when I unroll a new tire, pitch the cap and the nut. Not needed and slow down flat fix time. 

Permalink Reply by Jeremy Bloyd-Peshkin on July 21, 2016 at 6:53am

Oh don't even get me started on that stupid nut. It always works loose and rattles around until I get mad and throw it away. I just do it preemptively now.

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on July 21, 2016 at 9:17am

I only use the nuts if I have a short stem - that I'd need it in place for pumping air the first time. But otherwise, I don't use them and save them. I have used some of these as spacers for bike racks, etc.

Permalink Reply by S on July 21, 2016 at 8:50am

The cap adds some protection from salt and water getting onto the valve and possibly corroding it. Also, it protects the rubber seals on the valve from sunlight and oxygen (a little bit) slowing down the deterioration  of that bit.  I think that's about it.  It might help a bit with maintaining pressure since the rubber at the top of the cap might form a secondary seal on the valve but I'm not sure how much, if any, this helps. 

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on July 21, 2016 at 9:14am

The answer is completely up to you.

But for you having three bikes, do you ride all three at the same time? Do you air all 6 tires at the same time? Or even every day?

If you find no issue without them so far, then leave them off, if they're too much of a hassle for you.

To me, unscrewing the valve caps is just part of the ritual of airing my tires on my commuter - every three to four days. I have 4 bikes. And when I need to ride the other bikes that's been sitting for a while, then I'll air the tires on that bike.

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