Pro tip: my old way of setting up a tubeless tire versus what I do now

I used to fight with a floor pump for 20 minutes, trying to get the bead to seat. About six months ago, a mechanic at the shop in Springfield showed me to use a cheap air compressor with a tank and set it to 40 psi. It pops the bead on the first try every single time and saves so much frustration. Anyone have a different go-to method for stubborn tires?

3 comments

3 Comments

barnes.mary1mo ago

That trick with the air compressor is a game changer. I'm stuck using a floor pump at home though. What specific kind of cheap compressor are we talking about? The ones I see have tiny tanks and I'm not sure that would work.

dakota_taylor391mo ago

I was a floor pump purist until I tried a compressor.

wendy7301mo ago

Wait, you've been trying to seat tubeless beads with just a floor pump? That sounds like a special kind of torture. I can't believe anyone puts themselves through that more than once. A compressor is the only way to go, even a small pancake one from the hardware store will do the job in seconds.