Peaty's x Chris King MK2 Tubeless Valves

The Peatys x Chris King MK2 Tubeless Valves are a high-quality way of jazzing up your wheels. The materials are excellent, the design is well thought out and compatible with rim liners, and they're easy to install or remove. They even have valve core removers and spoke keys built into the valve caps. They are pricey but look it too... if you've got fancy wheels, surely they deserve a set?

These valves, like the original version, are a high-quality affair machined from 7075 aluminium. That's some strong stuff, and Peaty's is clearly confident – it offers free replacements if you manage to bend or break one. They come in 42mm, 60mm or 80mm (tested) lengths and a vast array of anodising options – okay, 12 – to perfectly colour-match with other Chris King components.

> Buy these online here

> Find your nearest dealer here

If you're after even more bling, there's an accessory kit with lock rings and dust caps for £5.99, so you can mix and match colours.

These 80mm ones are for wheel rims deeper than 50mm, and I've been testing them on both 50mm and 60mm-deep wheels. It's worth noting the stated length is actually the coloured bit, and 6 or 7mm will remain in the rim bed. Consequently, on anything deeper than 60mm, you might struggle if you use a push-on rather than screw-on pump.

One of the main selling features of these Mk2 valves is that the base is designed to work with tyre inserts. For us roadies that's of limited interest as kits such as the Vittoria Air Liner are still fairly uncommon, but it will be of more use to gravel riders and mountain bikers. It also futureproofs the valves in case road tyre liners suddenly are all the rage, and doesn't affect the air volume you can pump through.

If after a few years the locking nut is a bit stubborn, there are flats for an 11mm spanner to aid removal.

> Buyer's guide to tubeless tyres — find out all about new technology rubber

You may have noticed that the dust caps differ from each other slightly. This is because one doubles as a valve core remover (as seen on the the very similar Muc-Off Tubless valves), while the other doubles a spoke key. It's 3.4mm key but, although that's a common size, it's still worth checking it fits before you need it; Shimano and Campagnolo wheels usually use larger nipples, for instance, which will make this feature redundant.

Many tubeless valves come with a range of rubber bungs to fit different rim shapes, but to be honest I always find the regular cone-shaped ones (as found here) work fine anyway. As you'd hope and expect from any tubeless valve these are airtight, and I experienced no sealing issues... then again, I've used plenty of cheaper ones and had no issues then either.

Value

£28.99 is a lot for a pair of valves (£26.99 for the two shorter options), but these still aren't the most expensive we've seen: the Velochampion 3-1 Presta valves are £29.90 – a full 5p cheaper than when we tested them! – but offer no extra quality or functionality.

It's slightly more than the latest Muc-Off Tubeless Valves V2 at £24.99 though, and those are now also 7075 alloy, are also insert-friendly and come in almost as many colours (10). Unless you already own something Chris King and want a perfect match – or simply want the extra cachet – it's hard to think why you'd spend the extra cash.

Overall

These are excellent. They use high quality materials, are machined and anodized to a high standard, and they look the mutt's nuts. Are they really going to transform your life compared to a set that costs a tenner? Probably not. But sometimes you just want to treat your bike, and yourself – and the adoring crowd that really should form around your bike – to something special, and these MK2 valves are brilliant for that.

Verdict

High quality, well designed and unsurprisingly pricey bits of bling for your wheels