Bontrager Release New TLR Flash Charger Pump
Bontraver have released their new TLR (Tubeless Ready) Flash Charger floor pump. The pump is designed to help aid setting up and inflating tubeless tires easy by expelling large volumes of air quickly to set the bead without having to use an air compressor.
The pump has a dual-chamber design with a large charging chamber and then a standard pump chamber. The pump inflates the charging chamber but can be selected so that it also functions as a normal floor pump to inflate tires. The auto-select head on the pump is compatible with both Presta and Schrader valves and includes pool toy/yoga ball and sports ball needles in a nifty stash in the handle.
There are two separate levers, one to charge and release the large chamber and another to select whether you're inflating the chamber or using the pump as a standard floor pump.
The accessories in the handle are nicely integrated and good to have as it seems needles for inflating sports balls are rarely where you left them.
The pump has a large digital gauge that accurately reads tire pressures as well as showing how much pressure is in the charger, depending on which mode is selected. There's also a bleed valve on the pump. The maximum pressure the pump is designed to operate at and the maximum pressure the gauge will read is 160-psi.
The TLR Flash Charger is has a two-year warranty and sells for $129.99 USD.
I've been using the pump for a couple of months now and have no complaints. It works well for seating tires, the gauge is accurate, and the hose of the pump is plenty long, allowing for use with a bike on a repair stand and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a one-pump solution for a variety of inflation scenarios.
For more information, visit trekbikes.com
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For $9.99, get yourself an HDX pump sprayer from Home Depot. Take the spray tip off so that it's just a "hose" ending. Make a tiny cut in each side of the circular ending of the hose/wand (so that it can expand just a little bit to fit better around the valve stem) and presto, you've got yourself a tubeless inflator. Pump it up, take your valve core out, push the pump hose on to the valve stem, activate the sprayer wand, and you've got a seated tire. All for $9.99. You're welcome.
1 gallon sprayers work just fine, but if you want extra pressure/volume, get a 2 gallon one I suppose.
(If you've seen the Skills with Phil video on this, you don't even have to go through the hassle of changing the hoses on the pump. Just take the sprayer tip off, make a couple tiny cuts in the end of it, and you're good).
So yes, not perfect, but works pretty well for me, comparable to a compressor.
Videos on you tube.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=bxNWiLQKxOs
The Flashcharger is great. I love mine. I use it nearly every day.
I can do the car tyres, motorbike tyres, tubeless set up and even better, I have discovered the utter joy of an air gun for cleaning!! Bye bye water, mud and the leafs from my garage
Oh and you don't need a digital gauge because when setting up, just crank it up to 60psi or whatever to seat the bead. Then use a little topeak later.
This thing is great if you want something portable, but if you want something for home use, i'd suggest a compressor as well. The beauty of the compressor is that you can use it for a bunch of other things as well, bike and non bike related.
Although haven't tried any tubeless on the road/gravel side of things. Not sure if smaller volume makes a difference.
Road/gravel/cx is a whole different animal. It greatly depends on the tire/rim combo and I'm like 50/50 on if I need a compressor to seat a tires or not.
That being said I have no problem with these type of track pumps existing, and I have no issue with you spending whatever amount you want on it. It is just definitely not something I'm spending more that $60 on.
At our shop I've delt with tire/rim combos that won't seat without a significant amount of initial puff. Especially when it comes to older tires or gettho tubeless setups. I made a 3/4" airline on a 6' hose directly off the tank and before the regulator to allow me to get sufficient initial volume to inflate really stubborn tires. I've also used the Flashcharger occasionally, which works nearly as well as my tubeless bead setter. At home I just use my shop compressor. My experience with those 12vdc pumps has been pretty miserable.
And I do have a large compressor for home us, but it just doesn't have the portability.
Use something to wipe the soapy water nicely round the beads and pump away till you hear the pops - what's the issue?
This flash floor charger = not necessary.
It was hidden down in the pump section in the middle of all the older pumps. Poor placement for sure!
My Bontrager pump is 8 years old, and hasn't needed a damn thing. I don't think that's uncommon for a track pump, but still. If it lasts a decade than what has it cost you... $13 a year? Go to any bike shop and ask them to set up a tubeless tire for you, it's probably around $15 plus sealant. I think we charge $25 including up to 4oz of Orange Seal.
Plus what does that Silca pump cost, like $200? And its just a fancy pump.