Valve Cap Mea Culpa

by Marc Basiliere December 19, 2020

As a designer, it's easy to get to deep into your own head and dismiss out of hand something that others would consider essential.

Take valve caps.

As someone who takes tire pressure seriously ( it's the easiest & cheapest way to improve ride comfort and reduce rolling resistance) and rides in a world filled with goathead thorns and broken glass, I tend to check my tire pressure before most rides. It only takes a moment and has become part of my pre-ride routine.

But this isn't about tire pressure, at least not directly. You see, as I check 10-20 tires' worth of pressures every week valve caps inevitably go missing. It doesn't matter if they're utilitarian plastic or fancy anodized aluminum: inevitably they wind up left on a bench and from there disappear altogether. So I don't personally tend to value them.

Others, however, are more meticulous in this area and feel that a wheel is incomplete without a set of matching caps. And there's nothing wrong with that, any more than there is making sure that your anodized bits match well or your helmet matches your kit. Joy is where you find it.

Terske titanium valve caps with oil slick caps and nuts

So that's why our Terske titanium valve stems haven't come with matching Ti or aluminum valve caps: they add cost without always adding value. We do ship our stems with plastic caps, as much to protect the cores as anything else, but those are ubiquitous and cost fewer pennies than most folks have fingers.

But we've taken riders' feedback on board and now offer valve-cap'd stems in select colors, matching our anodized nuts. Of course, you know that they couldn't just be decoration: our valve caps have a slot machined in the 'skirt' that acts as an emergency core remover, allowing you to whip out your Refresh Kit and replace a valve core mid ride if needed.

The slot is designed such that only one side engages the flats, which helps to prevent accidental core damage during removal or installation. Beyond that, they're frankly good looking and we hope will bring a bit more joy to your day. Because who doesn't want that?