As van based travelers, the considerations space, functionality and self sufficiency are super important. Its just not feasible to bring along a full-on garage, but we need to find the balance with gear we need and use and the space available. We have a ViaAir onboard air compressor that we use primarily for airing up the van tires after off-road driving. Our setup works well for airing up tires but does not include an onboard air tank. So, this proves problematic when the time comes to replace tubeless mountain bike tires. To set the bead on tubless tires, you’ll need a large volume and velocity of air to set the bead.
Rather than install an air tank for the onboard air setup, we opted for the more compact AirShot 1.15 Liter Tubless Tire Inflator. The AirShot is a tidy little air reservoir that provides the necessary volume and velocity to set a tire on your rim.
AirShot has a capacity of 1.15 Liters and a max air pressure of 160 PSI. You can either fill or purge air via a presta valve on the top of the air can. The hose includes a simple on/off valve for managing air flow and a screw-on head for the presta stem on your rim. The valve core must be removed from your presta stem to thread on the AirShot. We’ve put together a quick demo video on how Airshot works below.
We’ve found that the AirShot is the simplest and most compact tool for tubeless tire install. It works well on tires up to 27.5 / 2.5” and probably beyond, but we have not mounted anything larger. The AirShot is a great piece of gear that the mobile MTB crowd should have along on for extended travels.
What else do we have along for the bikes? Check out our Amazon Ideas List.
