Of course, if they work as advertised...

Reserve, the component brand of Santa Cruz bicycles, has released a new tubeless valve Fillmore designed to solve some of the problems faced by users of tubeless tire systems.

The uniqueness of the Fillmore tubeless valve is that it does not have an inner core. Instead, the valve opening where the air enters the tire is placed on the outer edge of the rim but at the bottom of the valve stem inside the rim.

This allows Reserve to have a larger port and increase the potential air flow, which is said to make tubeless inflation easier. In addition, it is said that it can effectively close the valve stem to prevent the ingress of sealant, which is one of the main causes of tubeless inflation problems, because the glued sealant affects the airflow of the conventional Presta valve.

Reserve claims that Flowmore's lid can be slightly unscrewed and pressed down to make it easier to adjust tire pressure. At the same time, the risk of damage to the valve is smaller because its overall structure is stronger. In the end, Reserve said, because there is no valve core, the valve stem is less crowded, so it is easier to inject the sealant into the tire.

We believe (otherwise it would be completely crazy) that Flowmore is used with standard Presta pumps-the top cover is removable.

At BikeRadar, we have a love-hate relationship with tubeless tires.

Of course, we like the reduction of punctures and their ability to reseal themselves (usually, but not always). We are also fascinated by lower rolling resistance, lower pressure, greater grip, and we did not drag 400 grams of extra rubber tubes in our 1,000 gram rubber tires.

However, tubelessness is not without frustration.

First, getting the tire out of the rim bead usually relies on air passing through the valve quickly. After using pumps and valves several times, we often turn to plan B and plan C-removal of high-pressure air reservoirs and spools.

This is not a problem, but considering the 50/50 nature of "normal procedures"/plan B and plan C, it adds trouble to the program, especially if you lose the small core removal tool and rely on a pair of pliers to take out the core.

Then there is continuous maintenance. Depending on the design, the best tubeless sealants are designed to block small holes-convenient (or not, as it happens), holes similar in size to the internal passage must pass through the traditional Presta valve port.

Therefore, tubeless valves are prone to blockage regardless of the quality.

This will lead to slow deliberate deflation and re-inflation. Yes, they can be removed or replaced, but who wants to encounter this kind of trouble in their lives?

The spool ejected from the top of the valve stem is also easily damaged, especially when you lose the small cover in the parking lot.

So why are we excited about Reserve's new Fillmore valve?

Well, if (this is a big assumption) Reserve's statement is credible, then the new valve can solve many of these problems to some extent.

Fillmore's valve does not fix the spool in the stem, but runs to the bottom of the stem. Pushing down on the top of the valve will open a port at the bottom of the valve stem, in the air chamber of the mountain bike tire (we are sure they are also suitable for gravel bike tires!).

This means two things. One-The sealant is largely (although we assume not completely) away from the inside of the stem, otherwise it may block the smaller ports, because when the valve is closed, it prevents the sealant from moving up the stem. Therefore, clogging should not be a problem.

Two-the airflow is less restricted. Air passes through a wider, more open valve at the bottom of the stem without having to force through a much smaller port in the stem that may be blocked. As a result, airflow is improved, which means that popping a tubeless tire onto the rim should be less troublesome. Obviously, some tire and rim combinations require some extra grunt, and you may need to make sure that your rim tape (that's another column!) meets the standard, but we hope it will help.

Reserve says that because the valve system is more open, you don't need to remove the spool to add sealant. Just pop your applicator hose out of the top and inject the sealant.

In addition, the top of the valve is protected by a wide cover. The cap itself can be used to adjust the air pressure on the trail-called flow control: release the touch, push down, and air escapes without spraying sealant.

These valves are available now for £39.99. Yes, this is forty pounds for a tubeless valve. Just like Reserve mountain bike wheels, they provide a lifetime warranty, if that makes it easier to bear.

In the mind of the person in charge of BikeRadar's technology, we think so-of course in the field of bicycles. If there are other changes, please let us know in the comments.

However, there are other "luxury" valve systems. Muc-Off’s V2 tubeless valve (£25) has cutouts at the bottom of the valve stem to help airflow around the tire insert, and is equipped with a series of gaskets to accommodate different rim contours.

Milkit's system (£45) has some of the advantages of the Reserve system. The one-way valve at the bottom of the valve stem allows the sealant application tube to be inserted directly into the air chamber of the tire to add or remove the sealant, and helps reduce the amount of sealant entering the valve stem.

Well, if you want to believe in the promise of Reserve, for those struggling in a tubeless setting, Fillmore seems to be the valve of choice. We have a set here and will install them on one of our long-term test bikes within a period of time to see how well they resist jams. Maybe it's really time to stop using Presta valves...

Tom Marvin is the technical editor of BikeRadar.com and MBUK magazine. He pays special attention to mountain bikes, but also spends a lot of time on gravel bikes. Tom has written for BikeRadar, MBUK and Cycling Plus, and was previously the technical editor of What Mountain Bike magazine. He is also a regular host of BikeRadar's YouTube channel and BikeRadar podcast. With more than 20 years of mountain bike experience and nearly a decade of mountain and gravel bike testing experience, Tom has ridden and tested thousands of bicycles and products, from ultra-light XC race cars to the most powerful brakes on the market. In addition to testing bicycles, Tom has also participated in a wide range of mountain bike competitions, from multi-day endurance races to 24-hour endurance races in the harsh winter of Scotland-pushing bicycles, parts and legs to the limit. He also calculated that when testing aerodynamics in a wind tunnel, shaving leg hair can save 8 watts. When he is not riding a horse, he will appear on the climbing wall, in the garden or cooking food.

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