It used to be that getting a tubeless tire seated and sealed without the aid of an air compressor was a nearly impossible task, one that usually involved a floor pump, sweating, swearing, and probably some sealant spillage at some point during the process. Thankfully, tires, rims, and even pumps have evolved to a point that getting a tubeless setup going no longer poses much of a hassle. However, every so often you'll come across a stubborn tire / rim combination that refuses to seat, no matter how crazy you get with the floor pump.
That's where Specialized's Air Tool Blast comes in. It's a small tank that can be pressurized with a floor pump, and then used to quickly air up a tire in order to get it to snap into place. At $50 USD it's less expensive than an air compressor, and likely safer than going the DIY route with an old fire extinguisher or plastic soda bottle.
Specialized Air Tool Blast• Works with road and mountain tires
• Designed to seat tubeless tires without an air compressor
• Inflate with a floor pump that has a pressure gauge, operating range of 100–140 PSI (7–9.5 BAR)
• Safety valve to prevent over-inflation
• Price: $55 USD
• Contact:
www.specialized.com PerformanceOperating the Air Tool Blast is about as easy as it gets. Using a floor pump that can reach at least 100, and ideally 140 psi, the device is inflated via a Shrader valve on the top of the canister. Next, connect the hose to the valve on the wheel that's being worked on – the two-sided head allows for compatibility with both Shrader and Presta valves.
Once it's connected, a quarter turn of the plastic dial is all it takes to let that air out and into the tire, an event that hopefully corresponds with the satisfying 'thwunk, thwunk' sound of a bead snapping into place.
The Air Tool Blast has come in handy on multiple occasions over the last few months, saving me the walk of shame to my local bike shop in order to make use of their air compressor. The canister's 1450cc capacity was just enough to get the job done, although there were a couple of instances that I had to go through the process two or three times to get a tire's bead to seat, typically when working with tires that had thicker, less pliable sidewalls. For the most part, though, all it took was airing up the canister and letting 'er rip to get a tire seated and mostly inflated.
If I had one request, it would be for a slightly bigger volume canister for those extra-difficult scenarios, but then you would start to run the risk of diminishing its portability, which is one of the key selling points. As it is, there's enough air to inflate a 29 x 2.5” Maxxis Minion DHF to 25psi in one go. There was still some air left in the canister at that point – the hiss from the valve on the hose when I removed it made that clear – but there wasn't enough pressure to push those few extra pounds into the tire.
Pinkbike's Take | The Air Tool Blast is an excellent, reasonably priced addition to a home workshop for those 'just in case' moments, and it's small enough to bring along on roadtrips for the very same reason. - Mike Kazimer |
We've used it to great success on 700x 33c cx tires, 29×2.3, 650x3, and 26x4.6 tires. It pays for itself real quick.
www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/equipment/cycling-accessories/bike-pumps/bontrager-tlr-flash-charger-floor-pump/p/11881
So you're bitching about the idea that a company wants to make some money?
That's the American Way, isn't it? Welcome to capitalism...
Got this. Works a treat. And it's got a slick digital gauge for getting the pressures dialled in.
1) Cost: Any of the combo units available cost significantly more than this unit. When you already have a great pump (as every serious rider I know does) then you don't necessarily want to spend more to replace it with a worse pump that has an extra feature; and
2) Day to day ease of use. The combo units (all that I have seen anyways) require you to pressurize the tank whenever you use the pump. This means that if I want to top up my 700cc/23mm road wheels with one I also have to bring the much larger volume tank up to the same pressure every time. Of course you could leave the canister pressurized between charges but this may decrease the lifespan of the pump.
That's the wrong hole, isn't it?
Seems like a waste of beer - but I've never tried it, I admit...
When I have line power, I use my big compressor to seat tubeless tires. When I don't, I can run the pancake compressor until the tank is full and then pack it in the car. It will hold plenty of air to seat several tires. It cost around US$100. Sounds like a better deal to me
"Every so often" is at least 1/2 the time in my experience. Am I doing something wrong?
With a 9bar/10l compressor, pre-inflating with tube and soaping the bead i got everything mounted except Continental Raceking on Notubes Crest 29.
Actually if its a Co2 fire extinguisher... you can't really be safer since it STILL functions as just that. You're just changing the hose & nozzle on them.
No-brainer $50 considering the hassle is could have saved me over the years.
With this combo I can seat the tyres holding the wheel in one hand and pumping one handed and I have a sensible pressure gauge on the pump so I'm not guessing the pressure.
Use a normal pump. Attach to the wheel. Pinch the hose just before the valve head like you would do when trying to stop a garden hose. Pump it up as much as you can (it will be hard to pump!). Then let go of the hose, and a blast of air will enter the tire.
Obviously this will not get you nearly as much pressure, and there may be a risk of your hose exploding, but I have done it several times. It provided just enough pressure to get the tire on.
You can continue using your pump as normal while everything is connected. Pressure is equalized between your pump, the AirBlast, and the tire. This way, you don't have to reconnect the pump directly to the tire to achieve desired riding pressure.
not sure if its just me but the air flow often seems restricted a little with these pumps so the air enters a little slower and doesn't quite have the sudden force to get particularly stubborn tyres on while my bottle fires the air in at quite some rate!
Who the hell has tubeless Schrader valve setups?
There are already what... 3 brands... making similar products that actually have a functional pump attached to them... So you pump this thing up and what... bring it with you? Then it's a one shot deal or you're gonna be sitting there at the trailhead with a frame pump trying to arnold that thing full again?
Seriously specialized... this shit is stupid.
@Jack-*** : u dont have to be scared coke bottles are made for pressure about 10-12bar , so 8bar is safe.
No need for anything other than Stans spaff and my £10 floor pump.
www.lezyne.com/product-fpumps-hv-pressovrdrive.php#.WKznqBh7SRs
I will sell you my new one for 30$ NEW!!!
www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/equipment/cycling-accessories/bike-pumps/bontrager-tlr-flash-charger-floor-pump/p/11881
i've got one, it's awesome...
It's red so ya know it is faster.