I’ve been running some new Fillmore tubeless valves since Sea Otter and today’s post is about sharing a report on how these valves deliver on their claimed benefits. The video at the top of the page from Reserve wheels does a nice job of explaining the new valve design and has all sorts of nice charts and photos that demonstrate their one-two punch of no-clog and high flow.
The Field Test
The increased airflow of the Fillmore valve is undeniable. Setting the beads on tubeless tire setups can be done with a normal air-chuck and I’ve had zero issues with adding sealant on the Fillmores. I had to get used to the increased airflow when I dump air out on the trail, but I like the way that you can remove air in a more measured burst by loosening the valve cap and pressing down on the cap. With normal, unclogged Presta valves, I use a one-second equals one PSI formula. With a semi-clogged Presta valve that equation sort of goes out the window. The first time that I dumped air on one of the Fillmore valves, I learned that they let out air much faster than a standard Presta valve. I haven’t experienced any clogging of the new valves. Clogging is pretty normal with standard Presta valves. The kind of cog that makes your floor pump initially read a much higher PSI before passing the restrictive clog to register the accurate PSI.
I’m running the Fillmore valves on both fat bike and gravel/Mtb wheels and they’ve done a great job at holding air. Maybe the best thing that I like about these valves is the fact that they work extremely well with the threaded air chucks on Lezyne pumps. Lezyne is my pump of choice for my fatty and that chuck can sometimes remove a standard Presta valve core. Since the Fillmore core does not unthread, the Lezyne air-chuck works flawlessly with them. I haven’t had any compatibility issues between the Fillmore valves and the variety of different pumps and CO2 inflators that we have around the test lab.
I’ve run the Fillmores long enough to confirm my initial thought that Reserve designed a better tubeless valve. Or as they say “designed a better mousetrap”. I think that the Fillmore tubeless valve is going to change tubeless tire setups from here forward. Scott from Corvus Cycles compared the Fillmore with the first Cane Creek Threadless headset. Something that will change the tubeless valve across the entire bike industry. That’s a pretty bold prediction, but I agree that it is one of the best new innovations that we’ve seen in the last couple of years. Like the video says….This is an article about a valve stem…pretty high-level bike-nerdery!
A pair of Fillmore valves runs about $50.
You can get a pair for yourself or learn more by visiting – https://shop.reservewheels.com/products/fillmore-tubeless-valves/
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