My friend Mike and I walked past a bike shop in Irvine, California the other day after lunch.

Because he knows about this site, we were discussing presta valve tubes. It was a high-end bike shop, so nearly all the bike wheels were using presta tubes.

First we talked about why these bikes didn't use standard valves. My understanding is that the smaller diameter valve allows for a smaller hole in the wheel rim, which keeps the rim strong.

He thought that most people would prefer to buy the right kind of pump, rather than buying an adapter for a Schrader pump. I wasn't so sure.

Anyway, it was nice to see the Internet meet a real world bike shop.