Review – Muc-Off Big Bore Tubeless Valves

Muc-Off Big Bore Tubeless Valve
Tubeless tyres are now widely accepted to be the best choice for gravel bikes, mountain bikes and even road bikes; but whilst tubeless technology has come a long way in the last decade, tubeless valves remain one area that has been ripe for improvement.

Tubeless bicycle tyre set-ups usually use a Presta style valve, with a removable valve core to allow you to inject tubeless sealant into the tyre without removing the tyre from the rim. Yet, Presta valves have two disadvantages: First, their relatively small valve opening reduces the airflow that can be pumped into the tyre in one go, this is problematic when you want a large whoosh of air to 'pop' the tyre bead onto the rim when seating tubeless tyres. The second disadvantage is that tubeless sealant tends to clog up the delicate valve core, leading to problems inflating and deflating the tyre.

Muc-Off have a solution to the downfalls of Presta valves, with their new Muc-Off Big Bore Tubeless Valves. Designed to maximise airflow into the tyre, and reduce moving parts that could become clogged.

The Big Bore Valves come in two varieties: Presta (Lite) and Schrader (Hybrid). Both designs use the same 'straight through' coreless design, with an external shut-off lever. This new design claims up to 264% more airflow than traditional Presta valves, while the lever-operated ball valve also greatly improves airflow control.

The design takes some getting used to; for example, when topping up with air, you need to connect the pump to the valve securely then pre-pressurise the pump before you open the ball valve lever, this is to avoid the compressed air within the tyre dissipating into the pump. However, inflating the tyre, adjusting pressures on-the-fly for on and off-road riding, and filling the tyre with sealant all become significantly easier. There are also far fewer moving parts to bend and break.

Be careful when selecting the length of Big Bore Valve that you require, as it may need to be longer than your existing valve length due to the increased space on the valve stem required by the lever design.

Overall, the new Big Bore Valves from Muc-Off are a great evolution on the traditional Presta valve design for tubeless tyres. With no clogging, a faster tubeless setup, and more adjustable tyre pressures, these are a winner on all terrain.


Muc-Off Big Bore Tubeless Valve

Disclaimer: Muc-Off supplied a set of Big Bore valves for testing. The above link is an affiliate link to Amazon.co.uk
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