VeloChampion Tubeless 3 in 1 Presta Valve

The VeloChampion 3 In 1 Presta Valve is a decent enough set of tubeless valves, with a nifty integrated valve core tool in the caps. Coming in 40 and 60mm lengths, it should suit most wheels.

Tubeless valves are pretty hard to get excited about – until they stop working, when they take on importance out of all proportion to their size, weight and cost.

The main issue people face out in the wild is when air is needed, but the valve is blocked with sealant. If you're lucky it's the valve core itself that's blocked, and unscrewing it to pinch the cloggage out should sort things. If you're really unlucky, the valve body itself is clogged, in which case you'll need to remove the core and also clear out the body with something long and of appropriate diameter (top tip: always carry a zip-tie you know is narrow enough to pass through).

Removing a long-in-place valve core in the cold/wet, with bare fingers, can prove an impossible task – trust me, I know. Increasingly, multi-tools are including valve core removal functionality, but what VeloChampion has done is include one in the valve cap itself. It's a simple slot that the core is passed through and then pulled into a narrower end that fits either side of the valve core's flattened sides, allowing the cap to be used to twist it undone.

In its documentation VeloChampion mentions a second wider indentation to be used to undo a valve extender section – but there's nothing provided in the 60mm version box.

There's nothing particularly special about the valves themselves apart from that they have decent rubber seals either side of the rim, to minimise any possible leakage.

> Tubeless tyres: 14 hidden pitfalls you should try to avoid

The price is rather steep for the luxury of a nifty cap tool. The Muc-Off Presta Tubeless Valve Kit is five quid cheaper for the 60mm version, comes in various cool colours, and features additional tech such as spanner flats and hex inserts to aid in removing the hardware if stuck.

UK brand Peaty's has collaborated with Chris King and offers tubeless valves with not only a valve core tool but a 3.4mm spoke key tool as well, in a huge range of colours, and is also £5 less than the VeloChampion set.

You can also find decent tubeless valves with good rubber seals and valve tools for a tenner online. No, the tools aren't built into the cap the way VeloChampion or Muc-Off have, but if you're like me and normally run with no valve cap anyway that's not an issue – you'll need to stash the cap someplace.

A final downside is that the internal diameter of the valve body won't fit a syringe tube down into the tyre – so you can't use the rather good MilKit system with these valves to check sealant levels.

If your heart is set on having the tool in the valve cap, the VeloChampion offering is functional, if expensive for what it is and does (though it is currently reduced to £19.95), and is only available in black.

Verdict

Functional but expensive for what it is – there are cheaper, more colourful options