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SubscribeDIY Tubeless Air Compressor
Tue, 06/22/2010 - 10:01pm by Andy
I’ve trained on nothing but tubeless tires for a few years now, and I’ve grown to appreciate their comfortable ride and resistance to flatting. But the one thing that always irked me about tubeless was the need for a blast of air to seat the tire to the rim (newer Hutchinson tires often seat with a floor pump, but they’re not a sure thing either). Being a home mechanic, that blast has come from a CO2 cartridge instead of an air compressor. I got tired of all the expense and waste so I made myself a mini air compressor tank just to seat tubeless tires.
After a few failed attempts with mason jars and some consultation with Mark Purdy, I dug up a refillable aerosol spray can I bought years ago to use as a dust gun (FYI – it sucked as a dust gun). As luck would have it, the valve head from an Innovations CO2 unit has the same threading as the Schraeder valve on the can. A few parts scavenged from the local hardware store was all I needed to get everything squared away.
Here's the sad first attempt, where I quickly learned that mason jars don't hold much more than 5 psi.
Here's some parts you'll need. A head from an Innovations CO2 unit, and assorted washers, gaskets, and nuts. My local hardware store only had a T fitting, so we plugged up the third outlet with a nut and a gasket.
The Schraeder valve originally threaded into the side of the can. Since my T joint wouldn't sit squarely on a washer, the Schraeder valve was moved to the top of the can.
Here's the Innovations head screwed into the side of the can, and the Schraeder valve at the top, where the aerosol valve used to be.
And here's the whole thing, all done. The Schraeder adapter from a Silca pump stays attached through the whole process. Pump the tank up to 160+ psi (the can is safe up to 200 psi), and inflate the tire ASAP. The tire will seat with about 30 psi, so you'll have to follow up with a floor pump and then slosh the sealant around.
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Comments
Add a commentI run tubeless on both my road bike and my single speed. No more pinch flats from smacking man-holes in the city. And the ride quality is fantastic!
i am using the Shimano WH-7850-C24-TL tubeless set-up and love it. was a little confused at first but it all makes sense now.
Mark Alden uses them, here's his review.
http://velocitynation.com/content/gallery/equipment/2009/shimano-wh-7850...
Besides Andy is anyone else doing tubeless tires?
I know I wanted to when I first saw Stan with it at the bike convention in Vegas, but soon lost interest once I knew I had to convert my wheels or buy new ones, not to mention they only had Hutchinson tires for it. I'm not seeing the tubeless bandwagon really gaining any speed over here, or are they quietly riding tubeless and I just don't see it?
It's really not that hard to install, and when you factor in all the times you're not changing a flat by the side of the road, it's really worthwhile.
seriously - when will hassle-free tubeless tires come to an LBS near me? i'm very pumped for DI2 in about 2014/15, but tubeless has not been on my radar screen yet
Tubeless in general. I use Stan's sealant, which goes in the tires, not the can.
wait, what doesn't work without sealant? your invention or tubeless in general?
do you use the hutchinson fast'air?
Yeah, doesn't work without sealant. The mess isn't so bad, usually there's not much left when you take an old tire off. Also, my place isn't that pristine to begin with.
andy, do you use sealant or not? and how do you deal with the mess it creates when changing tires?
I was making the distinction between 'air compressor' and 'electric pump', I guess I should've been clearer. Given the choice of making something myself and buying something, I'll always choose to make my own.
And if you don't stop LOL'ing Lance will get off his bike.
Well yea you have to have the tank! While we're getting picky, don't forget the regulators, hose clamps, pump, hoses, electrical cord, teflon tape, fittings and a wrench to put it together!
Geeze! LOL Can't wait to see the tankless compressor in action.
And they make mini ones if your under space constraints.
You are the MacGyver of NYC cycling my friend. Hope you are feeling better!
Greg O
Yeah, but it's a pain in the ass 'cause you need to have sealant splashing around inside or bring it separately.
if you take it to a gas station and use their air machine(with a presta adapter of course) would that work?
I might be wrong, but I think you need a compressor with a tank, not just a compressor.
I would just use an air compressor, yea not everyone has one but it beats having to build that contraption and it works all the time, can use it to air up my car tires as well, dust out the computer or water after washing the bike/car, blowing up party balloons, etc...
pls wake me up when tubeless tires are easy and di2 is <$1k
"newer Hutchinson tires often seat with a floor pump, but they’re not a sure thing either"
very true. sometimes it just works. many times it doesn't. using soap really does help though, and make sure the tire is sitting in the middle of the rim, except where the valve is, where it should be against the sides of the rim.
I prefer to pressurize my bong.
You need a good burst of air to properly seal tubeless tires with sealant. A floor pump does not provide enough pressure quickly.
You need a good burst of air to properly seal tubeless tires with sealant. A floor pump does not provide enough pressure quickly.
If I got any presssure in the glass jar I would've duct taped it. Wouldn't want glass sharpnel everywhere. As it was it barely held any air.
I hope you didn't find out the hard way a glass jar would not work in this application.
If floor pumps worked every time I wouldn't have done this.
or you can do it with a good floor pump and save yourself the trouble.
I converted two sets of wheels and all 4 tires went on with zero issues with my trusty floor pump, some soap suds, and stan's sealant + yellow tape.
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