Yeah, it’s a small 6 gallon pancake one. Similar cfm. I think I got this one, but from a local hardware store. I also got a fitting kit.
I did get it to setup tubeless tires and it’s been great for that. The biggest issue has been how to connect the valve stem to the compressor in a way to maximize airflow. The valve core is just too restrictive for getting my cross tires to seat, so the core has to come out. My quick-connect guage/trigger with combo presta/schrader clamp self closes if the valve stem isn’t in there, so it doesn’t really cut it. Instead I use this tapered nozzle that looks a little like a barb-connector, but the tip just barely fits inside the opened valve stem. It’s a tight fit getting it all in the same plane as the tire without the hub being in the way.
I make sure to run the compressor up to 120psi internal, and regulate it down to around 90-100 to inflate. Some air is always going to escape the fitting, so I keep the air flowing once the tire inflates until I get the classic ping’s from the tire beads setting. I’ll then quickly pull the nozzle away and cap the valve with my finger. Then reposition so I can take my finger off and quickly shove the valve core back in. It loses some pressure, but the bead should hold and as long as you’re quick will still have a lot of pressure. Pump it back up and it’s done (well, sealant… depends where you find it easiest to put in).
If you’re still having trouble getting the tire to inflate, my hard-fought tidbit of knowledge is to consider adding another layer of rim-tape. I had a file-tread I absolutely could not get to setup, after a bunch of tries. I finally broke down and added a layer of tape, and presto, it set up immediately.
I did manage to get a conti gp 5000 tl to setup without removing the valve core. I admit I was a little surprised by that one.
The barb connector is also what to dry my chains, and even blow water out of my bike after washes in the fall (gotta wash that post-cx mud asap, but the bike won’t dry in in our fall weather). It does a good job concentrating the airstream and getting water out of nooks and crannies.
I ended up breaking off the stem on a worn out valve core to remove the seal, and then reinstall the hollow core, and attach a Schrader adapter for the standard air hose my tank came with. The extra airflow makes a critical difference on most installs. As said above, once the bead seats it’s usually fine to let the pressure out, add sealant, swap in the normal core again, then reinflate.
Hmm, great idea. I tried a schrader adapter but was super disappointed when I realized it threaded onto the valve core not the outer presta valve stem. I will definitely give this a try.
That was me. You can filter and reuse mineral spirits. That’s one way to avoid disposing of them… it’s a hassle, but so is properly disposing of mineral spirits. Whether it’s worth it is up to you…
I have had a little rust if, after riding in the rain, I don’t address the chain not long after getting home. That is, clean it however you want and wax it. It can probably sit a little while, but you don’t want to leave it overnight after a wet ride.
Yes, this happened to me as well. Leaving them hanging over night to dry (from the solvent, not water) was enough to have surface rust on them the next day. I don’t live in a humid climate, so I was surprised.
My lesson here is that they must be waxed promptly after being stripped.
I’ve gotten some rust with simple green, that stuff hasn’t worked for me. 10 minutes of hot water (80c) and dishwashing soap seems to give me a ltttle too. I’m thinking of mineral spirits and alcohol only going forwards.
As an aside the chain bubbles all crazy when you throw it in the hot wax immediately after taking it out of the alcohol. It’s cool.
Basically, cleaning to wax a chain means you are removing the only barrier to rust.
If you will take time between doing chains, I suggest just putting the chain in mineral spirits and just leaving it in there. Can be left in there as long as you want since there’s no water in it. The longer it sits, the more it degreases as well. You can have a completely bare chain if you leave it in there long enough.
But the minute you move into alcohol, you should be waxing that chain asap. Alcohol has a bit of water (even small) which may cause the chain to rust. Thats why all tutorials recommend you do your alcohol rince, dry it quickly, then immediately wax.
Do you think drying between alcohol and wax is even necessary? I’ve just been pitching the alcohol-dripping chain right into the wax w/o any drying whatsoever because…bubbles!! Thanks for the tip on the staying in mineral spirits, that might come in handy.
I think so from a pure safety standpoint. You’re dealing with things that are flammable. Better to be ultra safe than to find yourself in a wax fire.
Again, this is why people are moving into using UFO chains first then doing waxing after it’s used. You can skip all of these cleaning steps. The only reason I don’t is because I made the mistake of falling in love with Campagnolo. It is impossible to find parts that are to Campy tolerances that are offered by third parties, including chains.
If rinsing with alcohol most of it should evaporate fairly quickly. I tend to wait 10-15 minutes before putting in the wax.
The point of using a crockpot is that it heats the wax slowly and won’t get hot enough to get to the flashpoint of paraffin which is 395 degrees. You could use a double boiler on the stove but that seems like a real PITA. I’ve seen people talk about rice cookers and fryers but I think the risk is they can get much hotter than a slow cooker. Even at the 200 degrees or so recommended for wax I agree with you and wouldn’t be introducing water.
Heating wax over a direct flame like the video shows is risky.
Exactly. This is why everyone recommends crockpots. But there are videos out there showing the use of a rice cooker and that can be very problematic because it could bring wax to flashpoint temp.
I think it bears stressing to people doing this that paraffin wax can combust and it should be treated with respect. While my previous post is alarmist, it can happen if you aren’t careful.
I know, I’m paranoid. But really better safe than sorry
So 2 weeks after I cleaned all my chains, just wanted to share a couple thoughts:
I was floored by how smooth and buttery the drivetrain was on my first ride. Unreal!
I can’t believe how clean it is to touch the drivetrain. Even though I do pretty much everything indoors.
the buttery smoothness only lasted 3-4 rides before i heard squeaking. So approximately 6-8 hours, which is approximately 120-160 miles or about 200-300km’s.
so I bought 2 more chains since each chain will last a week of riding for butteriness. Now I have a months worth of butterlicious waxed chains.
I got better at cleaning the new chains. Just left them in a jar of mineral spirits overnight followed by 30 min in US cleaner in the same mineral spirits and let it dry for a couple hours.
when I took off the used waxed chain off the bike, I was contemplating cleaning the wax flakes off of the chain with boiling water but decided against it. Once I immersed the chain in the hot wax, the flakes melted away.
One reason you might consider hot water on the chain before waxing is you will put a more clean chain in the wax and your wax pot will stay clean longer.
