• This topic has 31 replies, 26 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by marc.
Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)
  • Petrol Station Air for Bike Tyres
  • ed80
    Free Member

    I’ve been struggling to get my tyres bedded onto the rim when going tubeless. Some tyres go fine and others just don’t, I’ve tried taking out the valve cores, sticking tubes in for the night and taking them out and using washing up liquid bubbles and all that good stuff, but for these tyres I think I just need more air.

    I’m too tight to buy a compressor, is it safe to use the car tyre air compressors at the petrol station, or will it burst my tyres?

    tragically1969
    Free Member

    Yes it will, alomost certainly burst them……..

    ……..if you put more air in that you need.

    clubber
    Free Member

    I will never forget exploding a tyre when I was a kid, using the petrol station pump. That said, I suspect we weren’t being very clever about it… 😉

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Just remember to let go of the trigger when you have enough air in them & you will be fine. It will not be whoosh bang all over before you know what’s happening.

    peachos
    Free Member

    you need to find one with an old style pressure gague, not a new fancy digital effort!

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    take a friend with a camera in case you do end up covered in shredded rubber & tyre sealant. I don’t think it will happen but always best to be prepared.

    GSuperstar
    Free Member

    ^ I agree. Please have a camera at hand.

    incognito
    Free Member

    is the badger picture still circulating on here? the one where he blew up the tyre with the slime in it? there were a ton of photoshop pics done after which he didn’t seem to find as funny as everyone else. 🙄

    clubber
    Free Member
    scottidog
    Free Member

    CO2 cannisters do the trick buddy.

    meehaja
    Free Member

    that old singletrack layout got me all nostalgic!

    Trimix
    Free Member

    Whoa, its like a time warp. Like school holidays – they were all sunny.

    Anyway, back to the post. Put an innertube in them and use a normal pump. Much easier.

    KonaTC
    Full Member

    I will never forget exploding a tyre when I was a kid, using the petrol station pump.

    +1 and it went BANG I thought the garage owner has died

    sv
    Full Member

    Washing up liquid on the bead helps it seat a lot easier.

    Oggles
    Free Member

    Most new ones are these jobs where you set the pressure and it then inflates the tyre very slowly. I tried it at uni when i didn’t have a compressor to hand and it was impossible – not at all practical for tubless tyres. I have since seen some of these garage compressors with a rapid inflation from flat mode, which may give a burst of pressure like what you need for tubeless.

    Diawl
    Free Member

    meehaja – Member
    that old singletrack layout got me all nostalgic!

    The spelling’s still appalling though.

    FuzzyWuzzy
    Full Member

    I’d have a think about what tyres and rims you’re using – needing a petrol station in order to inflate your tyres isn’t entirely practical.

    Trimix
    Free Member

    +1, some solutions seem to create more problems.

    KINGTUT
    Free Member

    I will never forget exploding a tyre when I was a kid, using the petrol station pump. That said, I suspect we weren’t being very clever about it…

    Heh me too, the attendant was far from amused.

    poppa
    Free Member

    FWIW I had an absolute b1tch of a time getting a new tyre to inflate this weekend. I tried leaving a tube in overnight and trimming the little bits of flash on the bead but no luck.

    I almost gave up, but what worked in the end was using a *MUCH* more concentrated washing up liquid solution – it sealed the leaks just long enough to get seated. Plus, make sure you are lightly squishing the tyre around the valve area to help seal it.

    You could use CO2 to seat and then a track pump afterwards though – some people find CO2 makes the sealant go funny.

    Woody
    Free Member

    What scottidog said

    LINKY There are plenty others out there and it saves loads of hassle

    sweepy
    Free Member

    Ive not tried it with bike tyres, but on a car trailer ive had success seating a tyre using neat washing up liq, and putting a ratchet strap around the tyre circumference. When you tighten it it kind of squishes the sidewalls and bead out onto the rim. Few quick blasts with a track pump and I was away.

    I did try the lighter gas method with less success.

    DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    Please do it on Friday morning Ed so that 6 of us can point and laugh when the tyre explodes. Martin would love it…

    ed80
    Free Member

    Thanks for the tips. Got some CO2 inflators on order. If I try the petrol station tactic I’ll make sure there’s a camera handy, just in case I end up looking like a plaster’s radio…

    incognito
    Free Member

    Thanks clubber, that brought tears to my eyes again.

    avalanche
    Free Member

    If you increase the effectve diameter of the rim by laying insulation tape in the bed of the rim you will find the tyre goes up with less hassle. An extra two layers of tape did it for me the other night when fitting a trailraker to a mavic crossride. Lay the tape in and then push the valve through. If you find the bead going on to the rim too easily it probably won’t inflate.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Why would it burst them? They only go up to 50psi anyway, which isn’t anything like enough for road tyres.

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    Only if you’re a completely cack handed divet.

    Tebbalot
    Free Member

    The pumps near me (which are digital) seem to inflate above the pressure you’ve set very quickly, then slowly let the air out until they reach the right pressure.
    I reckon it’ll probably blow the tyre, unless you set it below what you want and then finish it off by hand, but I don’t know if that works on tubeless.

    sv
    Full Member

    If you do run sealant and inflate with CO2 make sure and let it down again and refill with air to avoid curing the latex. Always neat washing up liquid on both beads for Ghetto tubeless and UST tyres.

    hainman
    Free Member

    i wouldnt trust they new tyre inflators at garages,it took me 20mins to blow up a bike tyre because the inflator was to big for the tyre valve,i had to keep my finger over one end and then use the flat tyre option to eventually inflate it,cost me nearly 2quid aswell!!!

    marc
    Free Member

    How much pressure do you think you’ll need?

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