Bicycle dudes - Presta valve compressor fitting

Sac Arrow

Sac Arrow

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Snorting his way across the USA
It irks me to no end that nobody makes a simple inflator nozzle ("air chuck") for Presta valves. There seems to be a demand for them as people are asking about them on the biking forums.

The only two I can find are the "Prestaflator" ($45) which has a squeeze valve and a gauge, and the same thing made by Park Tool that goes for $120 on Amazon.

I have to believe bike shops have inflator fittings just like a standard cheapie Shraeder inflator (I know, I've seen them) but I'm striking out finding them online or in shops.

The adaptor fittings that you screw on Presta heads to use it with a standard nozzle work fine for mountain bike tires, but they leak and it's really difficult for me to put a full charge of air in the tires, which is why I'm trying to locate one.

Anybody know a source for those?
 
You mean to tell me that the Sac is so lazy he can't push a few times on a standard floor pump? :) Are you worried about losing that svelt upper body of a professional cyclist?

(No ideas for you. I've tried to find L-shaped fittings for a disc wheel before and they all leak like crazy. So I feel your pain.)
 
Well I cooooooouuuullld I suppose.

(BTW I have more upper body than most professional cyclists.)

Edit: Like one of these? Meant to replace the head on a hand pump.
 
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Granted. Just cut a little hole in the tire and pump this a few times:
pump.gif


Then, super glue it back up.

BTW, the name Bubba is in that image URL.
 
I just use the .99 cent adaptor that screws on if I use my compressor but honestly, my little pancake has a hard time at 100+ psi and is slower than me handing pumping, so I mostly hand pump
 
ebykowsky said:
Granted. Just cut a little hole in the tire and pump this a few times:
pump.gif


Then, super glue it back up.

BTW, the name Bubba is in that image URL.
Click to expand...

Harsh dude.

comanchepilot said:
you can buy a little adaptor for $2 and just screw them all on to your fittings -

not seeing the overriding need for something like this - but - you still would need to unscrew the valve open and the reclose it -

http://www.rei.com/product/761914/genuine-innovations-presta-valve-adapter
Click to expand...

supernovae said:
I just use the .99 cent adaptor that screws on if I use my compressor but honestly, my little pancake has a hard time at 100+ psi and is slower than me handing pumping, so I mostly hand pump
Click to expand...

Yeah I have those but for getting 120 psi in a road bike tire they fall short even though my compressor is otherwise up to it. I'm trying to a) increase my selfish convenience and b) eliminate sources of leakage.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Yeah I have those but for getting 120 psi in a road bike tire they fall short even though my compressor is otherwise up to it. I'm trying to a) increase my selfish convenience and b) eliminate sources of leakage.
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I use a compressor that can put out 150 psi. There's more leakage from the hoses and other fittings on the compressor itself than from my Presta adapter. It works just fine for my road bike and I'm fairly anal about keeping the pressure right up there at 120 psi.
 
azure said:
I use a compressor that can put out 150 psi. There's more leakage from the hoses and other fittings on the compressor itself than from my Presta adapter. It works just fine for my road bike and I'm fairly anal about keeping the pressure right up there at 120 psi.
Click to expand...

Okay. I'll abandon the idea of finding a $10 presta nozzle or $45 setup with gauge and instead get a $300 150 psi compressor. Problem solved.
 
well, I"m a mountain biker and a bought a hybrid to ride in town and simply replaced the 700C x 45 hybrid tires with Michelin 700c x 28 road tires on the road - I ride mountain at 38psi in the front on a Kenda Nevegal and a Velociraptor MTB on the rear at 44. I tried the Nevegals on the rear but it was like riding sand all the time - the rolling resistance was annoying, even at 50psi.

I ride the Michelins at 70psi with a range of 55-85 - take them higher than that to reduce rolling resistance and I get more punctures. A little softer lets the tire ride over the road junk a little bit better.

You want 120psi you can find a compressor at Harbor Freight or the local equivalent for $100 - or - just use CO2 or N2 from a tank. Or go buy a scuba tank - and fill from that at 350psi.
 
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Sac Arrow said:
Okay. I'll abandon the idea of finding a $10 presta nozzle or $45 setup with gauge and instead get a $300 150 psi compressor. Problem solved.
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It was only something like $129, but you missed the point. You always need more pressure in the compressor tank than you're putting into the tire. So I have to assume that your compressor does a bit more than 120 and is probably at least adequate. If all the adaptors you've tried leak worse than the hoses on your compressor then either you've had abysmal luck with adaptors or I've been really, really lucky. Mine wasn't a penny over $5 and I think it was more like $2, but I don't remember who makes them. I'll be taking my bike to the shop this week to be "annualed" and I'll ask them, maybe even buy a spare.
 
azure said:
It was only something like $129, but you missed the point. You always need more pressure in the compressor tank than you're putting into the tire. So I have to assume that your compressor does a bit more than 120 and is probably at least adequate. If all the adaptors you've tried leak worse than the hoses on your compressor then either you've had abysmal luck with adaptors or I've been really, really lucky. Mine wasn't a penny over $5 and I think it was more like $2, but I don't remember who makes them. I'll be taking my bike to the shop this week to be "annualed" and I'll ask them, maybe even buy a spare.
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No I get your point - yes you are correct, it is able to meter out a max 125 psi but the low setpoint is about 100. If I was able to deliver that without leakage, I would be good to go for filling both tires to between 115 to 120 on a single recharge cycle. Plus just the convenience factor of jamming the nozzle on vs. screwing adaptors on the valve stems then taking them off again.
 
I use the simple presta valve screw on thingamagig that converts it to a schraeder, and a foot pump from walmart. I changed the tubing on the foot pump to a higher pressure clear plastic tubing I get from home depot and use crimped wire to hold it on. Total investment about $15.00. I stopped using my electric airpump as I blew a tire once with it and it takes about as much time to use it as my foot pump. I also have a hand pump that has a presta valve on it but it takes forever and a day to get the tire to 120 psi, and so I only use it when I have to change a tire on the road.
 
Sac - sorry if I didn't read the entire thread. I ride 4k to 5k miles every year. I don't use a compressor because unless you are using a water filter, you may get some water in your air and you know what that does to those $1k rims we are riding around on.

I use the adapter that was mentioned in the thread. I leave the adapter on all the time and if I don't ride for a day, I might lose 10 psi from the 130 I ride at. Look at the Joe Blow series of pumps. They have dual heads on them and the rebuild kits are cheap.

The last couple of seasons I have been running Dura-ace tubeless. I find that I am adding more air to them than the tubed versions.
 
Marauder said:
Sac - sorry if I didn't read the entire thread. I ride 4k to 5k miles every year. I don't use a compressor because unless you are using a water filter, you may get some water in your air and you know what that does to those $1k rims we are riding around on.

I use the adapter that was mentioned in the thread. I leave the adapter on all the time and if I don't ride for a day, I might lose 10 psi from the 130 I ride at. Look at the Joe Blow series of pumps. They have dual heads on them and the rebuild kits are cheap.

The last couple of seasons I have been running Dura-ace tubeless. I find that I am adding more air to them than the tubed versions.
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The compressor to which I'm referring has an air tank, so some of the water will come out and collect on the bottom of the tank. The air should be drier than that delivered by hand pump. But I'm not running tubeless so it isn't really and issue for me.

That said, for the price and aggravation, I'm just going to get a decent hand pump with a Presta stem and call it a day.
 
Badger said:
you can just buy a presta replacement head for a hand pump, and adapt it onto a compressor fitting:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNzoXwrRnqw/Tljx0gEhrLI/AAAAAAAACSk/PK8Wv5kShNg/s320/08-25-11_0743.jpg
Click to expand...

I thought about that. I'd have to find a suitable fitting, cut it and thread to make it work though. More I think about it I probably just want the hand pump anyway. Shouldn't be a lot of pumps to fill my road bike tires. The compressor still works fine for filling my mountain bike tires w/screw on adaptor.
 
Sac Arrow said:
The compressor to which I'm referring has an air tank, so some of the water will come out and collect on the bottom of the tank. The air should be drier than that delivered by hand pump. But I'm not running tubeless so it isn't really and issue for me.

That said, for the price and aggravation, I'm just going to get a decent hand pump with a Presta stem and call it a day.
Click to expand...

I hit up Performance Bike everytime they run a sale on them. I go through a couple of pumps a year, even with the rebuild. I have tried all the different brands. None last.
 
Marauder said:
I hit up Performance Bike everytime they run a sale on them. I go through a couple of pumps a year, even with the rebuild. I have tried all the different brands. None last.
Click to expand...

Done. For those of you that thought I was barking up the wrong tree - you were right. I don't think I ever was able to deliver a full charge with the compressor. Floor pump - no problem.
 
Sac Arrow said:
The compressor to which I'm referring has an air tank, so some of the water will come out and collect on the bottom of the tank. The air should be drier than that delivered by hand pump. But I'm not running tubeless so it isn't really and issue for me.

That said, for the price and aggravation, I'm just going to get a decent hand pump with a Presta stem and call it a day.
Click to expand...
I guess I am just a wimp, never could get the pressure in the 130 range with a hand pump without a lot of work. I used a cheapo auto foot pump with no problems for years. I just have to change them every so often. I once had a brass unit that had schraeder on one side and presta on the other but it dry rotted years ago and could never find it again, so now I just use the adapter.
 
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