Suitable compressor for seating tubeless tires

a.s. said:
Did your compressor come with this?
View attachment 272490

If so, electric tape a rubber tube to the end like so…
View attachment 272491
View attachment 272492

Simply remove the valve core and blast away!
View attachment 272493

*Note: I didn’t remove the valve core. This is for demonstration purposes only. 😁
Click to expand...
I essentially do the same thing but with one like this. No tape needed, just slide a piece of vinyl tubing (fish-tank air hose) over the end and over the valve stem with core removed and good to go.
1764094862666.png
 
I must be doing something wrong. I have tried every attachment and the air just goes right into the carcass and out again. No inflation. I’ve watched countless you tube videos videos and followed the great tips here but to no avail. Here’s what I’m doing, perhaps you can break it down into what I’m doing wrong. It’s enough to make me want to go back to tubes 😔

1) mount tire on rim. Both beads in the center channel. DHF 29x2.5 on a race face rim inner width 30 mm
2) start the compressor (3 gallon husky pancake) and run it till it stops ( as per Husky instructions). It fills itself to 120 psi
3) attach hose chuck to the valve and press lever. Air flows but does not inflate the tire. Pressure gauge shows ~90psi at the chuck, and once air is flowing pressure continues to drop and the pump kicks back in because it’s lost its target pressure.

I’ve tried various methods to connect the compressor hose to the tire valve:
  1. Standard car tire chuck attached to schrader/presta adapter
  2. Presta bike chuck as in the device referenced a few posts up
  3. Without valve core
  4. With valve core
  5. Rubber bullet style tip as shown a few posts above

What could I be doing wrong? Do I need to seat one of the beads first with a tube? Seems like a lot more effort than it should.

Thanks for staying with me… I resisted tubeless for years because of this hassle I perceived. The bike I bought last year came tubeless and I enjoyed the ride so figured time had come to make the jump. But this hassle has me rethinking it.
 
Some tire/rim combos are a PITA and other are easy, sounds like you have the former. A few ideas:

Lay the wheel sideways on a bucket to help the tire sit uniformly on the rim.

Make sure the carcass is over the valve hole so the air is going into it.

Counter to point 1, You may need to massage the tread a little bit in various places (here’s where having 5 hands helps) to help get the bead near the hook and retaining air. You could also try to loop a long bungee cord around the tread to compress the bead outwards.

If you keep feeding it air and messing with it, eventually it will take.

Edit: also try to get the beads outward a bit, that’s where they ultimately need to be to start holding air. With the beads in the center channel there’s too much gap and the air is lost just as quickly as you’re putting it in.
 
Red Mosquito said:
Some tire/rim combos are a PITA and other are easy, sounds like you have the former. A few ideas:

Lay the wheel sideways on a bucket to help the tire sit uniformly on the rim.

Make sure the carcass is over the valve hole so the air is going into it.

Counter to point 1, You may need to massage the tread a little bit in various places (here’s where having 5 hands helps) to help get the bead near the hook and retaining air. You could also try to loop a long bungee cord around the tread to compress the bead outwards.

If you keep feeding it air and messing with it, eventually it will take.

Edit: also try to get the beads outward a bit, that’s where they ultimately need to be to start holding air. With the beads in the center channel there’s too much gap and the air is lost just as quickly as you’re putting it in.
Click to expand...
This. Get the beads ever so slightly out toward the rim hook. Any kind of rope/strap/etc. around the tire circumference Will help too.
 
Have you double checked the rim tape on the wheel? Sometimes it can get damaged during tire removal and it's also possible that it was compromised during a tire installation. If there is a hole in the tape or it gets shifted a bit, the wheel may not seal no matter what you do.

I have even seen compromised tape on a brand-new wheel, so definitely check that before you go nuts.

I use Schwalbe Easy Fit on the beads prior to putting the tire on the rim, but soap & water has also worked for me.
 
icebiker said:
I must be doing something wrong. I have tried every attachment and the air just goes right into the carcass and out again. No inflation. I’ve watched countless you tube videos videos and followed the great tips here but to no avail. Here’s what I’m doing, perhaps you can break it down into what I’m doing wrong. It’s enough to make me want to go back to tubes 😔

1) mount tire on rim. Both beads in the center channel. DHF 29x2.5 on a race face rim inner width 30 mm
2) start the compressor (3 gallon husky pancake) and run it till it stops ( as per Husky instructions). It fills itself to 120 psi
3) attach hose chuck to the valve and press lever. Air flows but does not inflate the tire. Pressure gauge shows ~90psi at the chuck, and once air is flowing pressure continues to drop and the pump kicks back in because it’s lost its target pressure.

I’ve tried various methods to connect the compressor hose to the tire valve:
  1. Standard car tire chuck attached to schrader/presta adapter
  2. Presta bike chuck as in the device referenced a few posts up
  3. Without valve core
  4. With valve core
  5. Rubber bullet style tip as shown a few posts above

What could I be doing wrong? Do I need to seat one of the beads first with a tube? Seems like a lot more effort than it should.

Thanks for staying with me… I resisted tubeless for years because of this hassle I perceived. The bike I bought last year came tubeless and I enjoyed the ride so figured time had come to make the jump. But this hassle has me rethinking it.
Click to expand...
What rims and what's the condition of the tape? Assuming tubeless valves. Are the tires wire or folding bead? Make sure the tire beads fall on each side of the valve. Sounds like the rim might need another wrap of tape. Soapy water will help and pop onto the bead at the initial blast of air.

Pictures might help too.
 
JDurk said:
What rims and what's the condition of the tape? Assuming tubeless valves. Are the tires wire or folding bead? Make sure the tire beads fall on each side of the valve. Sounds like the rim might need another wrap of tape. Soapy water will help and pop onto the bead at the initial blast of air.

Pictures might help too.
Click to expand...
These are race face rims only a year old and held air since new. I’m simply replacing the worn DHR’s with new DHF’s. The issue is that air doesn’t “trap” in the carcass. I’m going to try the bungee trick and/or the “seat one bead with a tube” trick later today and report back.
 
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