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Reserve wants to change the future of tubeless valves: With the introduction of the Fillmore valve for tubeless tyres, a new system for tyre fitting is coming onto the market that aims to greatly simplify tubeless fitting with three times the air flow compared to standard valves. Most tyres should be able to be inflated without a compressor and the valve channel should no longer clog so easily.
A continuous pin automatically closes the base of the valve when the dust cap is tightened, preventing sealing fluid from entering the tyre. Adjusting the air pressure also changes: the pressure in the tyre can be easily adjusted by pressing the slightly open dust cap. However, this harbours the risk that the valve can no longer be closed if the cap is lost and air escapes while riding.
The 40 Euro expensive valves are available in three different lengths. Reserve also offers a lifetime guarantee on the Fillmore Valves.
Reserve Fillmore Tubeless Valves - Info
- Weight: 5,55 gram
- Valve length: 46 millimetres
- Available lengths: 50/70/90 millimetres
- Valve head: Presta-compatible
- Outlet openings / insert-compatible: 1 / yes
- Special features: Continuous valve core, micro-adjust by turning the cap, core closes valve base, can be filled directly
- Price: 40 Euro >> available here at a reduced price
Assembly & handling
With their conical rubber seal, the reserve valves fit most standard rims. The knurled nut is comparatively small, but runs smoothly on the shaft and can still be tightened easily.
There is an aha experience when inflating the tyre: the air flows much more smoothly than through standard valves and you hardly feel any back pressure on the floor pump.
Clever: The air in the tyre can be finely adjusted with the dust cap in place. Simply open it slightly and deflate the tyre by pressing on the cap. However, if you lose the cap off-road, you will be left looking foolish, as the continuous valve pin is secured by the cap.
This pin is also responsible for ensuring that no sealing milk can clog the stem because it closes the valve from the bottom - a pretty good solution.
Rating & Conclusion - Reserve Fillmore
| Category | Grade |
| Weight (20%) | 1,5 |
| Handling (20%) | 1,8 |
| Airflow (30%) | 1,1 |
| Protection against clogging (30%) | 1,5 |
| BIKE NOTE | 1,5 |
Conclusion: Reserve Fillmore
The special design with continuous valve tappet helps the reserve to significantly increase the air flow. By tightening the dust cap, the valve base closes tightly and effectively prevents sealing milk from penetrating. In addition, the air pressure can be finely regulated with the cap in place - quite a clever solution. However, if you lose the cap, the expensive valve is worthless.
This is how we measured the air flow
To find out which valve offers the best airflow, we carried out extensive series of measurements. However, the effect can be most clearly demonstrated directly on the wheel. The basis is a 29 x 2.4 inch wide MTB tyre, which is inflated to 2.0 bar using a digital pressure gauge. In several runs, we measured how much air escapes in five seconds when each valve is fully open.
While all Presta valves - with deviations of +/- 2 per cent - are in the range of 34.1 per cent, twice the amount of air flows through the Topeak valve in the same time. At Stan's we measured an air loss of 78 per cent, at Reserve 87.4 per cent. The coreless Muc-Off achieves 100 percent air flow, which means that after five seconds there was no measurable pressure left in the tyre. This makes it by far the best tyre in this comparison.
Stefan Frey
Editor
