tyre inflation

[Dickie134]

Hi,

I find that my standard (100 watt) tyre compressor will not inflate my tubeless MTB tyres beyond 30 psi.
It seems to work OK on the car so I can only assume it is struggling against the resistance of the gel in the tyres.
Can anyone recommend an alternative that will do a better job - it doesn't need to be portable.
Thanks
KR
Dickie

 

[fossyant]

Why are you going beyond 30psi on tubeless. Should be 20 to 25 psi. Get a track pump as tyre compressors aren't for higher pressure.

 

[Dickie134]

The tyres say '50 psi' on them - the shop recommended 40.

 

[Dickie134]

Will I be able to easily achieve 40psi with a track pump? Also, do you know what a 'tubeless track pump' is?
Thanks

 

[Punkawallah]

My Halfords track pump apparently inflates to 140psi. Only use it to 70/75, though.

 

[chriswoody]

The tyres say '50 psi' on them - the shop recommended 40.

Ignore what is says on the tires, as above, when you have a tubeless set up, you can go to much lower pressures safely. I run 24 psi rear and 28 psi front on my hardtail. There are tire pressure guides online from the likes of SRAM that are fairly accurate and give a good ballpark figure. Pump your tires up to their recommendation and then go for a ride, then experiment with a few PSI more or a few less and see over time you'll find a pressure that works for you.

Track pumps are specifically designed for bike tires and will go all the way to around 140 psi. This is a Topeak Joe Blow, a popular track pump with many folk:

The tubeless version of this has an extra air tank attached. The purpose of this is purely too seat the bead of the tubeless tires into the rim of the wheel. You essentially fill the tank with over 120PSI of air, then attach it to your valve. You then release the air all in one go and the tire is forced into the bead of the rim. After that you only need to use the normal track pump to keep the air topped up.

 

[Dickie134]

OK. Thanks very much.

 

[teeonethousand]

I have a Halfords-nothing-special track pump and it easily seated my Gravel King semi slicks tubeless.

 

[HLaB]

The tyres say '50 psi' on them - the shop recommended 40.

The rule of thumb I've heard is put them to 30psi initially and see how you feel/ how the bike handles and after a few rides put it up or down. FWIW I run in the 25-30 range but I'm a lighter rider.

 

[fossyant]

The tyres say '50 psi' on them - the shop recommended 40.

Get a dentist.

 

[fossyant]

What bike is it ?