totalnewbie

New to tubeless and sooner or later I know I will need to set up my own tubeless tires. I am aware of the various methods: air compressor, Airshot canister, gas station air pump, but I think I want to have one single track pump that allows me to achieve seating the tire bead, since I will need a new pump anyway.

Looking at two options: Topeak Joeblow Booster vs Joeblow Tubi 2Stage. trying to understand how these two work differently, especially at which stage do I put in the sealant. are these the workflow for the two pumps?

with the Booster:
1. place the tire on the rim
2. remove the valve core
3. charge the booster, then release the air into the tire
4. once the tire is seated, remove the pump head, release all air
5. PUT IN SEALANT THROUGH THE VALVE HOLE (vs putting in the sealant before seating to avoid a mess?)
6. replace valve core
7. inflate tire a second time

with tubi 2 stage
1. place the tire on the rim
2. POUR IN SEALANT THROUGH THE SIDE OF TIRE
3. insert the pump head onto the valve
4. use the tubi mechanism to remove the valve core
5. inflate the tire using stage 1 (high volume low pressure) to seat the tire
6. use the tubi mechanism to replace the valve core once the tire is seated
7. inflate tire without losing the initial pressure used to seat the tire

With Tubi, I suppose you have to put in the sealant first before seating the tire? Otherwise what is the point of the tubi head? I am new to all these (never gone through such process) so maybe I am speculating but I want to gain an understanding of the procedure before I decide on which one works best for me.

WhyFi

I can't really say that I see the point of the Tubi head. It might make it a little easier to seat certain tires, but that's really about it. As long as the tire stays bead-locked to your rim when deflated (which is most often the case), this is a non-issue.

If you already have a standard floor pump, I'd just try that out, first. A lot of the newer tires can be seated without a compressor/charge canister - I haven't used my charger on any of the last three tires that I've used. If you need a pump, anyway, then I'd go with the Booster, just to have your bases covered.

As far as workflow, I'd recommend both adding and removing sealant through the valve stem with a sealant syringe, which are very affordable.

msu2001la

Agree with WhyFi - unless you're planning on buying a new pump anyway, you might want to give your floor pump a try first and see if it does the trick. I have some tire/wheel combos that seat fine with a normal Joe Blow Sport floor pump. Other combos require an Airshot canister/charger.

I'm not familiar with that Tubi setup, but if the tire is coming unseated (not staying bead locked on the rim) easily during deflation, it probably isn't properly seating in the first place. I've also found that pouring sealant into the tire directly might work OK for MTB tires, but on road/gravel sizes that need a little more muscle to get on the rim, it just makes a mess.

Here are my steps:
1. Install tire on wheel
2. Remove valve core
3. Spray down beads with soapy water
4. Attach pump to open valve (with core removed) and give 'er a rip. If tire fails to POP into place, then try Airshot or compressor.
5. Deflate tire slowly - don't just rip the pump head off. I hold my finger over the valve and let it deflate over a 5-10sec period and have found that this is more likely to keep the bead seated than a "quick release".
6. Add sealant (use syringe through valve)
7. screw valve core back on
8. Inflate to riding pressure
9. Ride and or enjoy a cold one.