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Any input on Airshot tubeless tire inflator

Serial Midget

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,897
Fort of Rio Grande
Or similar unit? I'll want to have it portable for use at the trailhead should it be needed. I don't have a home compressor and have been pretty annoyed that I cannot use the hand pump for some of my new tires.

What do you use? Today I blew through half a dozen CO2 cartridges on just 2 tires.
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
19,931
10,522
AK
I wish someone would come out with something based on a potato gun.


Other than that, I just bought a massive bell volume/stroke floor pump from a department store and damn if that doesn't fill up the tire fast. It's a low pressure pump, but it pumps a crap-load of air.

Realize that with a valve in place, there's only so much air that can be moved past the restriction, so all the PSI in the world won't necessarily help, unless you can take the valve core out and somehow get a fitting that will allow you to hook up something. It's more the huge reservoir of air that seems to help sometimes, allowing you to seal a little around the valve or hold the tire down to pop the bead while it's filling. Soapy-water the shit out of the rims too, I held off doing that for way too long.
 
slyfink

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,752
5,554
Ottawa, Canada
StiHacka said:
Also, a tire lever can seat much of bead, then way less air is needed.
Click to expand...
please explain...

also, with low volume, small and portable compressors being cheaper than many of these fancy pumps (some of them can be plugged into your car's cigarette lighter), why bother getting anything else?
 
Nick

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
24,716
16,111
where the trails are
"low volume" is the problem. Compressors that plug into your car usually produce pressure but at very low volume. To seat a tire you need a large volume, delivered quickly. That Airshot is a storage tank, you still will need a compressor to fill it, then once it's emptied it's of no use at all until you get home and refill it.

The new Bontrager Flash Charger pump looks to be the better solution for the car/travel. I need a new pump anyway and will take a look at one of these.
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
19,931
10,522
AK
Hmm, not sure if that's a real tubeless tire, since it took like 3 people to get a beefier tire lever under the bead on my WTBs...
 
Serial Midget

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,897
Fort of Rio Grande
I only seem to have trouble with thin wall XC tires, yesterday's annoyance came from Racing Ralph tires that had sealant in them from 2014, after cleaning them, using soapy water and tire levers it's was still no go, tires are floppy.

I had the same issue but to a lesser extant with a Maxxis Crossmark, the Ardents and Minion seated easily.
 
amishmatt

amishmatt

Turbo Monkey
Sep 21, 2005
1,265
397
Lancaster, PA
I guess it depends on your tire/rim combination, but my Lezyne Dirt Drive moves enough air to easily seat my tries without the need for a compressor or separate air tank.
 
Da Peach

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,756
5,156
North Van
My regular floor pump, a whackload of sealant, and a well timed stroke of the pump with a bounce of the tire has worked for me the last few times I've needed to ass-around with my tubeless setup.

Makes a hell of a mess, but it works!
 
Da Peach

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,756
5,156
North Van
Westy said:
A little acetylene,a little oxygen,a little spark.
Click to expand...
"And make a fire, we're gonna eat a hamburger o.k.?"







"Here we go, Charlie throw the match."







"NOW THAT"S A FIRE!"







"That's a fire, look at that, look at that."







"He be alright, roll Charlie 'round, roll him around."
 
kazlx

kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,958
Tustin, CA
I've been thinking about making something like this, but more designed for bike tires, just to see if it would work. They are used on large truck and off road tires routinely. I've also thought about machining some sort of high flow valve to install in rims. Trick is making it reliable and not adding too much weight.


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200451163_200451163?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Automotive > Tire Equipment&utm_campaign=TSI&utm_content=121488&gclid=Cj0KEQjwmKG5BRDv4YaE5t6oqf0BEiQAwqDNfFn0MF99Kpux5hiEg6zsJ0KwiuOietYHyThfj63rUz8aAj6s8P8HAQ
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,796
21,805
Sleazattle
kazlx said:
I've been thinking about making something like this, but more designed for bike tires, just to see if it would work. They are used on large truck and off road tires routinely. I've also thought about machining some sort of high flow valve to install in rims. Trick is making it reliable and not adding too much weight.


http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200451163_200451163?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Automotive > Tire Equipment&utm_campaign=TSI&utm_content=121488&gclid=Cj0KEQjwmKG5BRDv4YaE5t6oqf0BEiQAwqDNfFn0MF99Kpux5hiEg6zsJ0KwiuOietYHyThfj63rUz8aAj6s8P8HAQ
Click to expand...
Something like you linked above but with a tube that fits over the outside of the valve, use valves with remove able cores.
 
RoboDonkey713

RoboDonkey713

Monkey
Feb 24, 2011
678
462
Maine
Do you guys remove your valve cores before you seat your tires? Without the core in a presta valve, most floor pumps can inflate a tubeless tire enough to seat the bead. After the bead is seated, remove air, install core, re-inflate and hit the Bong Shed to celebrate.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,146
26,487
media blackout
RoboDonkey713 said:
Do you guys remove your valve cores before you seat your tires? Without the core in a presta valve, most floor pumps can inflate a tubeless tire enough to seat the bead. After the bead is seated, remove air, install core, re-inflate and hit the Bong Shed to celebrate.
Click to expand...
i'll be removing cores, because i decided to RTFM.
 
kazlx

kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,958
Tustin, CA
It just depends for me. If I use my big compressor at home, it's never an issue. 175psi goes real quick. I honestly have very few issues with tubeless, but it's usually getting a tire to re-seal after fixing something.
 
6thElement

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
16,929
14,409
  • Seat both beads of the tyre with a tube
  • deflate tube, break bead one side, remove tube
  • install tubeless valve with core removed
  • use tyre lever to seat at least a third of the unseated bead centered on the valve
  • use Lezyne HV floor pump to inflate and seal the bead
  • use stans syringe to inject fluid through valve
  • reinstall valve core and inflate to desired pressure
  • do the stans shake to ensure good seal
  • ???
  • profit
 
Serial Midget

Serial Midget

Al Bundy
Jun 25, 2002
13,053
1,897
Fort of Rio Grande
6thElement said:
  • profit???
Click to expand...
Sounds time consuming and complex, I'm going for the master blaster and avoid at least two thirds of those steps.

My steps:

1) attempt to seat one side of tire
2) pour stans in tire
3) attempt to seat other side of tire
4) hang on bungee cord
5) pump like a teenager, fail, get pissed
6) locate roadie cartridge pump
7) blow through a few cartridges but eventually succeed
8) realize this took ten minutes of your life and look for alternative

While looking at the Schalwbe web site I think I discovered the issue, these tire are not straight tubeless but tubless compatible, it seems they're actually designed for tubes and will need sealant to maintain pressure.
 
Nick

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
24,716
16,111
where the trails are
All tires will need sealant in the event of a puncture.

Get a small compressor (+/- 3cfm @ 40-50psi) for cheap off craigslist or the home depot. Mounting a tire in 5 seconds is a good thing, or get a good pump like that topeak or similar.
 
amishmatt

amishmatt

Turbo Monkey
Sep 21, 2005
1,265
397
Lancaster, PA
Serial Midget said:
While looking at the Schalwbe web site I think I discovered the issue, these tire are not straight tubeless but tubless compatible, it seems they're actually designed for tubes and will need sealant to maintain pressure.
Click to expand...
Tubeless compatible/tubeless ready/tubeless easy should all be fine, given your tire bead/rim interface is tight enough in the first place. Maybe try adding another layer of tape to your rim?
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,796
21,805
Sleazattle
Serial Midget said:
Sounds time consuming and complex, I'm going for the master blaster and avoid at least two thirds of those steps.

My steps:

1) attempt to seat one side of tire
2) pour stans in tire
3) attempt to seat other side of tire
4) hang on bungee cord
5) pump like a teenager, fail, get pissed
6) locate roadie cartridge pump
7) blow through a few cartridges but eventually succeed
8) realize this took ten minutes of your life and look for alternative

While looking at the Schalwbe web site I think I discovered the issue, these tire are not straight tubeless but tubless compatible, it seems they're actually designed for tubes and will need sealant to maintain pressure.
Click to expand...
I have found new hard to mount tires can benefit from spending a day mounted with a tube at high pressure. lets the tire get used to being tire shaped.
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,796
21,805
Sleazattle
jonKranked said:
yea. well, not shredded like cheddar, but a big long rip (not in the bong shed) about 7-8" long. i can post pics tonight.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a manufacturing defect. I have had great luck putting Stans into road tubes. The small volume road tires allow a little bit of stans to seal just about any kind of leak.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,146
26,487
media blackout
Westy said:
Sounds like a manufacturing defect. I have had great luck putting Stans into road tubes. The small volume road tires allow a little bit of stans to seal just about any kind of leak.
Click to expand...
that's the thing tho... I'd been riding that tube for probably 2+ years
 
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