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Borrowed a mates airshot to put some tubeless tyres on but I don't really want to borrow it every time I want to change a tyre or whatever. The £50 is a bit more than I'm willing to pay at the moment, is there a cheaper alternative that will give out a shot of air?
I made my own from an empty CO2 fire extinguisher. With a decent hose kit and some fittings you could do it for about £30, depends on the cost of the fire extinguisher.
Specialised do one. Think it's about £40
DIY coke bottle thingy? I done it, by no means perfect but works.
CO2 extinguisher for me. Managed to get an old extinguisher for free, other parts required: a presta valve cut out of an old tube, the hose and head from an old pump, and the case of an old pen to make a barb to hold the hose in.
Are there guides available for a diy extinguisher version?
some already have an air vent on them to pressurise up - water ones in the main
I then just cut the spray hose and the hose was the exact size to then fit on to a presta valve that i then clamp with a jubilee clip
there is a guide for it do convert a non air valve one to one somewhere
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/ghetto-tubeless-inflator-mk-vii
My CO2 one was a very easy conversion.
Unbolt the horn, cut it off, then push the hose through the washer. I was lucky that the hose I was using was pretty much a perfect fit. I cut a conical barb out of a metal pen tip and stuck it in the end of the hose to keep it secure.
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The extinguisher has a safety valve on it, held on with a vented bolt. To state the obvious: make absolutely certain that the cylinder is empty before undoing this bolt.
I drilled out the bolt to fit a presta valve. The safety valve is a little foil button held in this by bolt which simply drops out, and conveniently leaves space for the base of the valve.
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Job done:
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I did stop to think before removing the safety valve from a gas cylinder. The valve was marked at 94 bar. By my sums, a cylinder charged to 150psi (10 bar) would need to reach 2,500 degrees C before hitting that pressure. The rubber on the base of the valve and in the valve core will be gone at about 200 C.
Tests seem to suggest that a 2l bottle will be able to hold 150psi. Probably enough to inflate tyres but maybe not repeatedly. I think I'd put some gaffer tape around for security.
I use a garden spayer. Even easier conversion than the extingusher. Does fat bike tyres no problem.
Oh interesting. Any instructions available?
^^Cheezpleez - what size garden sprayer did you use???
I did an extinguisher too, it's great. Mine is a big 27 litre number so on the one hand, it'll inflate pretty much anything- it's better for tough tyres than my compressor. But on the other, inflating it is a project. I tend to charge it up off the compressor in the garage 😆
Bloody hell, get some Spank rims, I did mine with a track pump pumping normally
Most tyres/rims are dead easy tbh. 4.8 minions, not so much!
Specialized one is £40 and works fine
Did the sam as PDW with a co2 extinguisher but managed to source a schrader air tank valve
http://www.tyre-equipment.co.uk/acatalog/Schrader-Tank-Valve-1-8--BSPM----14039.html
This screwed straight into the filler valve with a bit of plumbers tape round the threads. Works a treat
[img][url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4253/35077008496_f37533bc61_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4253/35077008496_f37533bc61_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/VrCQyy ]IMG_0042[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/81570286@N05/ ]MikeH78[/url], on Flickr[/img]
I just use CO2 inflators. They are a pound each and work fine for me so far 🙂
I have also done a DIY inflator.
Powder fire extinguisher: free from tip
Emptying it in to the wheelie bin: priceless
Valves: free (leftover)
Hose and track pump head: free (cheers ir_bandito)
Primer & Paint: £9.
This might seem a bit pedantic - but I have an issue with these inflators out there that look like a fire extinguisher but aren't... 😕
At the very least, wrap it in tape or something.
I've been using a coke bottle wrapped in duct tape for a while.
Charging it up scares the crap out of me. I hide in my full face lid and put the bottle behind a metal chest for fear of ending up like a cheap plastic version of that bond villain with diamonds in his face.
Definitely going to keep my eyes open for an extinguisher!
Airshot is £40 if you use the tredz £5 code. Although their price for it varies.
Personally I think it's worth saving up for
I've been using a coke bottle wrapped in duct tape for a while
I'd imagine duct tape would tear too easily being made of aluminium. I'd use duck tape if I were you!
This might seem a bit pedantic - but I have an issue with these inflators out there that look like a fire extinguisher but aren't...
The Frankenflator
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http://i1276.photobucket.com/albums/y477/BigBlackShed/06e128b4d74c31cae5696da155ec799f_zpsccish0i9.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
2 litre pop bottle wrapped in gaffer tape, hose and some valves out of old tubes. Total cost about £3.50.
I've had mine up to 80psi so far and it seats plus tyres fine. The tape is the saver, if it did go bang it should protect me from flying shards.............. hopefully.
Love the DIY solutions 🙂
For me, I find that 75% inflate fine with a track pump and a bit of sweat and for the remaining 25%, 16g CO2 carts are cheap as chips so I just burn one of these - plenty to get two tyres seated. Got enough clutter around the garage, although I reckon there's always room for playing with fire extinguishers...
I just use a normal 16ounce co2 inflator. The canisters are pretty cheap and I don't change that many tyres. They have never failed to pop the tyre on.
pic now I'm home
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oldtalent - Member
I just use a normal 16ounce co2 inflator. The canisters are pretty cheap and I don't change that many tyres. They have never failed to pop the tyre on.
lustyd - Member
I just use CO2 inflators. They are a pound each and work fine for me so far
It's been suggested that the extreme cold shock of the CO2 leaving the cannister is not good for some of the sealants and may cause them not to work as well as expected.
For the lack of hassle the airshot is fantastic, portable and even good for a hold bag on a plane.
FWIW all 6 of mine are working just fine and have been since about xmas. The CO2 isn't colder than the conditions I rode in over winter so I'd say it's quite safe. I did fill mine indoors and the valve was at the top away from the sealant. Given that the sealant would have been 21C at the time I doubt that quantity of C02 dropped it to any kind of worrying temperature.
If you want to test this, get a glass (by which I mean a plastic!) of water and let off a CO2 cannister into it and see how far the temp drops. Physics suggests it won't be much; internet forum science says it'll freeze 😯
Wide rims and/or a *lot* of soap bubbles around the rim, and a track pump.
I used to do CO2, but got the knack of using a track pump now. Wider rims seem to have a tighter grip on the tyre bead as it seats also.
As for CO2 and sealant, yes it's been long said it may turn them into "Stanimals". Not sure it's temperature, just that CO2 and some sealants don't mix. Just use the CO2 to seat first then, deflate, add sealant by removing valve core or popping a small bit of the bead. Re-inflate with track pump.
Personally, I seat the tyre bead with the tyre "dry" and once it's banged onto the rim, I remove the valve core, add the solution and then re-inflate. In theory, at least, the cold CO2 and Stan's fluid never come into contact...at least until I'm sat freezing on a moor in the snow!
Sat at my desk chuckling about "Stanimals" - I think I have a couple at the back of the garage somewhere 🙂
How about looking for a 2nd hand Airshot? They do come up fairly often.
I though the CO2 issue was that it was desiccated, rather than anything to do with cold? So effectively it was drying up the sealant (to some degree at least)
I though the CO2 issue was that it was desiccated, rather than anything to do with cold? So effectively it was drying up the sealant (to some degree at least)
If this was the case, all (or virtually all) of the CO2 gets exhausted from the tyre between the initial "seating" inflation and adding the fluid so I still don't see this being a problem.
On the trail is a different question. I am pretty sure that my fluid becomes less effective after I've done a trail inflation with CO2 and I've often found that a week or two later, I have to remove the tyre and replace the fluid.
How do you know you have to replace the fluid? Do you do a weekly check?
[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/ghetto-tubeless-inflator-total-cost-9p ]To dig up a thread from 6 years ago[/url] I've been using my IRN BRU bottle, untaped, for years with no problems.
I did wonder where to get an extinguisher from, I'll ask next time I'm at the tip.
My understanding was that it's the CO2 in the atmosphere that sets the sealant when you get a puncture, so if you use a CO2 canister you're causing a whole load of sealant to solidify prematurely.
bruneep - Member
How do you know you have to replace the fluid? Do you do a weekly check?
Pretty much, or just now and again shake the wheel. If I hear sloshing then it's got plenty. If not then I'll think about topping it up sometime soon. It might still be okay, but if you get a more sizeable hole there may not be enough sealant to plug it.
My understanding was that it's the CO2 in the atmosphere that sets the sealant when you get a puncture, so if you use a CO2 canister you're causing a whole load of sealant to solidify prematurely.
Where do you get the air from to blow your tyres up?
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Where do you get the air from to blow your tyres up?
The atmosphere. Which isn't 100% CO2, which your canisters are. I definitely had more problems with sealant going off prematurely when i was inflating tyres with CO2 canisters and it actually gets fairly expensive - often >1 canister to get a tyre to seat so a few £ a time.
If you are using them best practice is to seat the tyre without sealant, let the tyre down and then add sealant and reinflate.
Airshot is well worth the money as an off the shelf solution - much more reliable than Co2 IME. Those fire extinguishers look the business though.
I've got one of these from Merlin, it's excellent - first time every time.
https://www.merlincycles.com/beto-cja-001s-tubeless-air-tank-inflator-98943.html
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It is not just the amount of fluid in your tyres, it is the quality. In Summer it evaporates, in Winter it doesn't but it still forms bogeys which weaken the mixture (reduce the amount of latex in solution) though there will still be audible sloshing. So from time to time you need to replace not top up.
The ammonia in the fluid will take out the CO2 in the air you pump into the tyre. I don't think atmospheric CO2 has much to do with how the stuff polymerises when you get a puncture. That is to do with evaporation and possibly shear stresses I think.
After years of swearing, I bought a specialised one that looks very similar to that ^^^^^^ but cost 40 quid. Worth every penny.
How do you know you have to replace the fluid? Do you do a weekly check?
Nah, not quite than anal 😉
I just find that the next puncture I get doesn't seal well and even that the tyre starts to lose pressure overnight. I'd never really given it a lot of thought, but I suspect that this always happens a few days after I use CO2...
I've been using my IRN BRU bottle, untaped, for years with no problems.
This is what happens when an un-taped pop bottle goes pop:
[WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE]
My understanding was that it's the CO2 in the atmosphere that sets the sealant when you get a puncture, so if you use a CO2 canister you're causing a whole load of sealant to solidify prematurely.
I use the CO2 to seat the tyre, deflate, fill with sealant, then inflate with a track pump. So the CO2 never comes into contact with the sealant.
[i]This is what happens when an un-taped pop bottle goes pop[/i]
Ooh! What sliced the fingers?
I got fearful of the Coke bottle going pop with my kids around so for an old extinguisher from work.
I didn't bother with drilling out the pressure release valve as mine looked a bit different to most I'd seen on here, so instead I used a three way tee and a simple tap valve so I can fill the extinguisher through the outlet with the handle held in the open position.
Definitely not as neat as most other solutions but it means the pressure release valve is still in place and all works perfectly fine. Had fun at the weekend with the kids using the extinguisher to fuel up Coke bottle rockets which was fun!
Ooh! What sliced the fingers?
It wasn't me - I saw it on YACF. The shards of plastic severed the tendons in the guy's finger.
I used the same 16pence ASDA Cola bottle with a couple of valves jammed through the lid and a length of screenwash hose for years until I gave in and bought an Airshot last year. The bottle had all the usual issues of hose popping off at bad moments etc but since it's nearly free you just grin and bear it.
The Airshot is convenient and easy to store, and faster to use.
TBH, while I see the coolness of the fire extinguisher etc, unless you actually have a scrap pressure cylinder around the place o think of it was going to cost 30-40 in parts I'd buy the Airshot and have a little box to store rather than a big ass fire extinguisher. Following from that, I'd say if you're going to make an inflation aid, do it as cheaply as you can if the aim is to save money over the Airshot. Just remember you want a fizzy pop bottle, not a water or cordial one as the caps aren't pressure tested if they aren't meant to have gaseous content. 🙂
I'm going to tape my 3-year-old pop bottle right now just in case that photo is real...
As for the "all you need is a track pump" brigade - try it on an XC tyre rather than a DH tyre and you'll understand the problem!!
the airshot (or equivalent) are brilliant for tubeless. Yes you can make something for less, but I've definitely had the value of mine, both in the shed and on trips away. On 27.5/27.5+/29/29+ - never failed to bead and inflate a tyre.
Mate has a Bonty Flash and that's been excellent as well - failing only on a 29+ dirt wizard.
£40 is quite a lot for what it is but it does the job. However 90 quid bought me a compressor and after that any remaining tubeless worries were over 🙂
Maxxis Tubeless Ready (TR) tyres go up with a track pump. Bought an Airshot to go tubeless but found the TR tyres went up fine with a pump. Sold the Airshot on.
I did try and fail to fit a Maxxis with DH casing and perhaps that needed an Airshot, but it was really slack. The tyre is so heavy though that having a tube in makes little difference!
Just buy an Airshot. Works every time, same price as one tyre. What's not to like? Used mine for road and off road. A clip to fix it to my rennkompressor would be a nice touch for an updated neoprene cover, but otherwise, it's perfect. And of course, when I take the track pump on it's own there is less bulk.
What pump are people using to inflate their canisters up to >100psi type pressures?
I've got a Joe Blow something or other track pump (might be a Joeblow Max) and getting 100psi in my road tyres takes a lot of heaving on the pump.
I suspect 160psi or so would kill the pump (or me) pretty quickly.
If I end up having to buy a new pump as well as a canister, I might as well go for one of the all in one options like the Airwave Airblast which is <£55 on CRC.
stumpy01 - I use my Joe Blow to fill my Airshot. It's on the limit, but it's about 18 strokes.
Had I seen the Airwave Airblast, I'd probably have one of them rather than my Airshot strapped to my track pump
This is what happens when an un-taped pop bottle goes pop
Last time I dared to suggest that old coke bottles don't make the safest pressure vessels on here I got shouted down by the STW league of experts...
I am tempted to find an extinguisher to mod though, as good as my compressor is it is a bit noisy for my late night tyre seating sessions and the output flow seems a little restricted.
If I could safely charge an extinguisher with a short hose I might be better able to seat some trickier tyres...
I don't ever bother with 160PSI. 120PSI has been more than enough. Using Spesh Airwave.
That airblast looks good value.
m0rk - Memberstumpy01 - I use my Joe Blow to fill my Airshot. It's on the limit, but it's about 18 strokes.
Had I seen the Airwave Airblast, I'd probably have one of them rather than my Airshot strapped to my track pump
Cheers m0rk. Yeah, it seems like the Airwave would be the best solution for me if I did decide to get one....
Alex - MemberI don't ever bother with 160PSI. 120PSI has been more than enough.
Ah, OK. Interesting to know. I assumed it would be better to whack it up to full pressure.
I've tried tubeless in the past with mixed success using a tape-wrapped pop bottle.
The rims on my full sus are tubeless ready, but not 'proper' tubeless and I've only tried Spesh 2Bliss tyres on them. First time I did them, they went up almost straight away & I was very impressed. 2nd time, I could not get them to pop on to the rim & ended up giving up, never to try again.
Never got a tyre up with just a track pump - always need soapy water and a home made airshot thing.
But the tyres (Maxxis TR) are VERY tight on my SRAM rims so I suspect it's down to rim / tyre combo.
My solution uses an old CO2 MIG welding gas bottle, plug in to compressor with the left connector, charge to 70ish PSI, turn off tap & plug tyre inflator into the top - works every time.
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I've not had any that won't seat at 50PSI, I'd not take them much higher as you can stretch the bead.
Camping/airbed pump, remove valve core and insert long valve adapter in the hole. One, maybe 2 pumps and you're good to go. Hold it in for a bit to seat, then put valve core back in and use track pump. Done all of mine like that, all up first time.
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I use my Joe Blow to fill my Airshot
Be careful. I pumped to 120 psi indicated and it blew the valve in the pump, despite this being well below the max recommended. My rennkompressor replacement is good for 200+ PSI and feels much more solid. The gauge is a lot more accurate too!