Air compressor with tank
 

I couldn’t get my tubeless Continental 5000s tire to seal on the rim after deflating it to add sealant. I am using an AstroAI compressor with a max psi of 150. I took the wheel to my local bike shop and they were able to get the tire sealed immediately when they put air in it. At that point it was obvious to me that my air compressor wasn’t putting out enough air to push the tire bead outwards. I read somewhere where someone said that you need an air compressor with a tank because they provide a more powerful blast of air. I am wondering what type of compressor others are using, tank or non-tank.

The whole point of using the compressor is to put a blast of air in it is less a pressure point you are reaching but getting air in quickly to seat everything.

I wouldn't use stuff like that for much of anything it is 3rd party website randomness that is probably fine for non-emergency at home light tire inflation when somehow a pump isn't working but beyond that it is more e-waste.

You can get some cheap compressors that actually are designed to move air or I would look at one of the tubeless pumps where you fill air into a canister and then release the canister especially if I am not seating many tubeless tires. Honestly though I would just pay a little money and let the shop handle it all. You go out and ride or sit back and enjoy a tasty beverage and let them go through the hassle.

If you want something that is reasonably reliable and generally pretty low cost, California Air Tools makes some decent enough ones. We have them at my shop and no real complaints and we got them used from the shop that previously occupied the space and from an older shop that had one we got used. It isn't the greatest one ever but it does the job well enough and if we have to scrap it they are generally no more than 200 for the basic unit.

I purchased a Kobalt 17 gallon compressor decades ago to blow out my in ground sprinklers. With an adapter to Presta valve I get it up to about 100 psi and have no issues getting a blast of air into a tire. I’ve done this a dozen times. Maybe buy something from Harbor Freight.

You need volume.
I've got a cheapo HF pancake compressor.
One thing I noticed is the outlet "pipe" is very small diameter. You don't want a lot of restriction.
Skinny, plastic air hoses also reduce flow.
I've "heard" that some of the cheaper quick connect fittings may be more restrictive than "higher quality" ones. No personal experience though.

The tubeless tire inflator where the canister holds air to deliver a blast to seat the tire seems like a viable option. Thanks. I am looking into them.

CFM and hose size matter. It's all about quick volume, not PSI. Always remove valve cores as well.

Good stuff!

Yes tank matters. The larger the tank, the longer it can put out that blast of air at or near 150psi or whatever the maximum pressure it's rated at. Obviously the higher the pressure the better as well. If you are buying an air compressor, make sure you buy the quiet kind too. Your wife would hate you if your noisy air compressor kicks on at 2am in the morning.

But let's get back to the basics. Are you using soapy water to help seat the beads? Are you using the inner tube trick to seat one side, and then use air pressure to seat the other side?

I have one like this https://www.amazon.com/Senco-PC1010-...dp/B0000AQK78/ that is good for tyre inflation while taking little storage space and not making an absolute racket. For seating tubeless tyres you'll want to use a proper air hose, not those skinny self-coiling ones because they restrict air flow. Shorter is better too, so you might want a short hose for seating tubeless and a longer one for convenience with regular inflation duty.

90* elbows in the flow path cut max flow by 10 to 15%...
"line loss" happens too, as mentioned above... a shorter path is preferred for max flow.
my tire seating chuck clips onto a shrader valve, and has no core in it... once the core is out of the valve stem, there is minimal restriction.

removing any quick connectors from the line helps too... one at the tank utlet is all you really want., or it can also be deleted from a dedicated bead seater line, as on most tire machines... just a hose clamp on a hose, on a barbed fitting...

Tip: if your compressor has a tiny tank, or even no tank at all.. go buy a portable air tank, charge it up, and then use it to seat your tubeless tires.
an old broken compressor with a larger tank can be salvaged and easily adapted too!

I tried the soapy water trick as well as removing the valve core. As I mentioned, my local bike shop had no problem inflating the tire on first try, and the only thing they did was to remove the valve core. So it seemed like not enough air volume is my issue.

Have you tried the "rope & stick" trick? (tourniquet)

Yes, I am looking into the small canister you can fill to release a blast of air ( AirshotTubeless Tire Inflator). This would be similar to having a small tank.

I've used truck chain bungees and tie downs to do the same....

5 gallon air tank... 45 bucks. on sale....
Walmart search: Wilmar W10005 5 Gallon Portable Air Tank

there's a Campbell Hausfeld on Ebay for $30, Shipped....
Search: Cambell Hausfeld KT0500 5 Gallon Portable Air Carry Tank 125PSI
Bullseye Industrial Sales

Don't know about bike tires, but I guy I knew in the used auto tire biz had a tank about 6"x12" that he filled using shop air. He attached it to the valve and it had a release button that would dump the tank into the rim/tire about instantaneously. I would think a smaller version of that for a bike would work. I don't do tubeless so haven't looked into it.

I have a compressor with a tank, but get the best results from using an AirShot. While the AirShot is just a small tank you fill via a pump or compressor, it has a very short hose and comes with a fitting to screw onto a Presta valve stem without the core installed. The AirShot has always worked for me.

I've got a small compressor - 6 litres.
It can achieve 8+ bars of pressure in the tank.

Got some good-quality conectors, as well as good quality attachments.

I have some straight larger diameter hose, but the practical thing for daily use is a relatively-short (5 metres max when extended, would need to check) thin spiral hose.
It is very easy to move around the workshop, which is why I got it.
It is high-quality.

For now that gets the job done.

I suppose removing the core from the valve when seating a tubeless tyre may be more important than those other elements in the system
- though I am sure that it all adds up and that I may come in a situation where the larger diameter straight hose is needed.
You live and learn.

The no-tank options are not very good - they lose pressure too quickly.

My compressor:
https://www.bikegremlin.com/2726/a-s...your-workshop/

Relja

I'm surprised no one has come out with a simple reusable bead seating ring for tubeless bike tires.

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The circumference/width ratio is rather different when comparing car and bicycle tyres. A ratchet strap or similar does the job of holding the bead near the bead seat with wider bike tyres, maybe not so much with a more flexible or narrower tyre.

Commonly known as a bead blaster, they work by placing a nozzle in the gap between tyre and rim. I suspect a scaled-down version is going to struggle to get enough air pressure at the far side of the tyre before it escapes. I'd be interested to see someone try it with a 20x4" tyre, which is perhaps closest to the proportions of automotive tyres.

If you need a compact compressor, I recommend Stanley DST100. It has 8 liter/2 gallon tank and 116 max PSI, was always enough to put tubeless + it's very helpful for quick drying after bike wash.

You can also place the inner tube under the tubeless tyre, inflate it and leave it for several hours (or a day, if time permits) so that the tubeless tyre flattens out and leaks less air when you try to inflate it again.

I get that, having mounted many truck/car/trailer/small equipment tires using a strap or rope & tire iron, especially those ones stored stacked or banded flat for shipment, but you'd think someone would make a simple fat oring to do bike tires if they do a lot of them.

I got a venturi nozzle for mine, it shifts more air than a regular blow gun, works well for drying parts.