Need compressor/regulator advice

[tjf]

I have a friend who is getting serious about cycling. He dislikes pumping bike tires by hand before every risde. He wants a compressor in his garage (that part is easy) with a digital regulator on (or near) his chuck that will allow him to quickly select his desired pressure, hit the tire, and then roll out.

Because we are talking bikes, the pressures can be pretty high. However, they are still sensitive to slight variation. It would need to be at least 125 psi and accurate to +/- 1psi. Also, in the event there is such a device that is part and parcel with the chuck, the chuck will have to lock onto presta valves.

Does anyone know of such a device? Is there some other solution that I may not have considered? Thanks in advance

 

[rlitman]

Most smaller compressors don't go to 125PSI. Unless he's looking at a large 2-stage unit, he'll need to finish off the pumping by hand anyway.

The bike shop I worked in had it's compressor regulator set to 90PSI. We had to hand pump road tires (though we'd start them on the compressor) and shocks. I've never seen a higher pressure in a bike shop compressor.

I'd suggest finding a better pump. A quality "track" pump with a good chuck and the gauge up top. I'm partial to Blackburn, but a Silca can be rebuilt and be BIFL if that's what you're looking for,

 

[Boilerhouse]

I use the air chuck with built in pressure gauge. Mine is a Milton. I use this for 2 vehicles, 2 tractors, bicycles and wheel barrow and anything else with a pneumatic tire. Does not lock onto the valve stem though.

 

[rlitman]

I use the air chuck with built in pressure gauge. Mine is a Milton. I use this for 2 vehicles, 2 tractors, bicycles and wheel barrow and anything else with a pneumatic tire. Does not lock onto the valve stem though.

Yeah, but he needs a Presta and not a Schrader valve. That's another issue.

 

[tjf]

Most smaller compressors don't go to 125PSI. Unless he's looking at a large 2-stage unit, he'll need to finish off the pumping by hand anyway.

The bike shop I worked in had it's compressor regulator set to 90PSI. We had to hand pump road tires (though we'd start them on the compressor) and shocks. I've never seen a higher pressure in a bike shop compressor.

I'd suggest finding a better pump. A quality "track" pump with a good chuck and the gauge up top. I'm partial to Blackburn, but a Silca can be rebuilt and be BIFL if that's what you're looking for,

The compressor can be as big as it needs to be. The whole point of this exercise is to get away from a manual pump completely. I am just curious if a solution exists. Not worried about cost or complexity at this point. Just interested in knowing if this can be done.

 

[rlitman]

The compressor can be as big as it needs to be... Not worried about cost or complexity at this point...

Until you find out that the solution to avoid a bicycle pump will run you $2500 and be the size of a refrigerator...

 

[tjf]

Until you find out that the solution to avoid a bicycle pump will run you $2500 and be the size of a refrigerator...

That wouldn't be an issue for this application. This is a huge garage with a bike collection that may be six figures.

 

[6PTsocket]

He needs pressure, but not very much volume. A big rwo stage seems like huge over kill. Also he sounds like he is looking for some purpose built unit with the pressure and the accuracy and the right fitting. The compressor, pressure regulator, gauge and chuck are is all available as separate items and you just have to screw the fittings together. I am sure a small high high pressure compressor is out there. He may have an unlimited budget but you don't drive thumb tacks with a sledge hammer


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[sberry]

Accuracy may be a problem with connected equipment, would fill with a comp and bleed out with a gage till it was perfect.

 

[Roberts210]

Of course it can be done. Tell your friend to go to the nearest Grainger with a pickup truck--one that has a hydraulic lift gate--and pull out his credit card. They'll be happy to fix him up. All it takes is money. Don't go to Home Depot, don't go to Sears, don't go to Pep Boys, go to Grainger. He'll get a great compressor. Then get a plumber to run some neat air lines in the garage. Maybe build an enclosure so the compressor noise isn't too loud. And it will be 220VAC, so he'll need an electrician to wire it up right. When done it will be a thing of beauty and it will definitely get the job done.

Grainger sells quite a few different Speedaire and Ingersoll Rand compressors. They have several that will pump to 135 psi. Stay very far away from anything Chinese.

You want something like this:

 

[Roberts210]

And as an added plus he'll be able to power up a sandblaster if he needs to.
But I don't know of any small compressors what will power up to 135 psi.

 

[Heel2toe]

This thread is silly. The guy wants to pump up his road bike tire and you guys are saying he's gunna need a two stage compressor. Have you guys lost your minds?

My first compressor was a Craftsman oilless 33 gallon direct drive noise maker. But the tank filled to 150# and allowed me to use my impact and a few basic air tools and used that for years. I was living with my parents at the time and my dad has a road bike that needs his tires filled to 125#. He has a screw on adapter that connects to the valve and then it connects to a normal air inflaitor. Using my digital tire inflator it served well for him.

A little over a year ago I bought my first house and shortly thereafter picked up a used Champion big boy. I gave my old Craftsman to my dad so he could continue to air up his bike tires and other air needs around the house.

My point to this whole story is to call you guys out on saying that hes gunna need a massive compressor as that is just not true. Yes some pancake units dont go past say 125# but there are plenty of compressors that only could a couple hundred bucks that would fit the bill fine.

Oh and if accuracy is a concern all he needs is an accurate tire pressure gauge and/or inflator. The compressor doesn't matter here as long as it can build enough pressure. In my case I know that my digital inflator reads 1# less than my fancy longacre gauge that I use and monitor pressures when racing. Get an accurate gauge and he'll be golden.

 

[6PTsocket]

After a very quick search I found the little Porter Cable pancake compressor that tops out at 150 PSI. I know there are other similar ones. It can be carried around one handed and is not some monster that requires it's own 240 volt circuit breaker. It is well under $200 and that leaves plenty to spend on a good down stream regulator, gauge snd chuck. There is very little air volume in a bike tire compared to a car or truck tire. It should pump it up real fast. I see that a lot of bike riders are not familiar with garage and shop equipment. I can't believe that you are struggling with hand pumps in your shops to get a little 125 psi air. To read plus or minus 1 psi at 125 psi will require a digital gauge on the inflator . Finding a gauge that goes that high and has such a tight tolerance won't come cheap. I'll bet what they are using now is not nearly that accurate. Tolerance is related to range as a percent of acciracy. Finding 1psi on a 30 psi gauge is a lot easier. Again, in electrical compressors, they are not purpose built. You have to get the parts you need and screw together with a little teflon pipe tape.


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[4x4_G30_Sportvan]

Hi Pressure, very low volume & miniscule CFM. No need for a huge 2 stage, OP does not need any CFM to speak of.

 

[Superbec]

Makita makes a 20 Bar compressor , with a small tank, that's all he needs, also a nice tire inflator .. can be digital or analog, or a pumping station that will stop at a set pressure, it costs a lot but if money is no object it sure can be done !!!

use some google.. it's not hard to find what you need.

 

[bczygan]

Here you go:
http://roadbikeaction.com/product-tests/shootout-air-compressor-inflators

Park Tool INF-2
http://www.parktool.com/product/shop-inflator-inf-2

Bill

http://www.parktool.com/assets/doc/product/INF-2_Instructions_10-28-15.pdf

 

[tjf]

Guys, I sincerely appreciate the responses. However, I think this has gotten sidetracked. A compressor is easy. I know how to purchase and install a compressor. My main concern is the regulator/chuck apparatus necessary to meet the end-goal. Here is the key part of the original post:

He wants a compressor in his garage (that part is easy) with a digital regulator on (or near) his chuck that will allow him to quickly select his desired pressure, hit the tire, and then roll out.

I think what my friend is envisioning is an air chuck with a built-in regulator (preferably digital) so that he can pre-select the pressure he wants (at the chuck), apply it to the valve, and then ride away knowing he is at the desired pressure without having to double check or make small adjustments up/down.

I realize this is an overkill solution when compared to a good air chuck with a squeeze trigger and built-in gauge. I would not personally spend the money for this solution. However, this is what my friend asked me about and I didn't know if such a thing even existed. That is why I came here to ask the garage gurus.

 

[nes999]

I use a 20 gallon compressor from tractor supply it has no issue hitting the 110 psi I put in my bike tire. My bikes came with a presta to shrader adaptor. I just slide it on, fill, remove and go.

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[scooternut]

And, don't forget, bikes are faster at 90psi. Sorry, had to do it. I tried it out recently while training for an Ironman after some online advice. I was an immediate convert from 110-120 down to 90. The ride was much nicer and I have no idea if I was faster or slower over my 7 hr bike split. So I'm sure that speed was largely unaffected, for me at least. Then again, I'm not trying to shave grams or tenths of a second, every cyclist is different.

Ive been happy with all Park tools that I've purchased.

 

[Superbec]

so it's hard to google...

http://www.stautomaintenance.com/products/st-124ops-high-flow-automatic-digital-tyre-inflator.html

it's a station, you put it on the wall connect to the compressor plug the tire or both tires and push the button, it will stop at the set pressure .

 

[6PTsocket]

Guys, I sincerely appreciate the responses. However, I think this has gotten sidetracked. A compressor is easy. I know how to purchase and install a compressor. My main concern is the regulator/chuck apparatus necessary to meet the end-goal. Here is the key part of the original post:



I think what my friend is envisioning is an air chuck with a built-in regulator (preferably digital) so that he can pre-select the pressure he wants (at the chuck), apply it to the valve, and then ride away knowing he is at the desired pressure without having to double check or make small adjustments up/down.

I realize this is an overkill solution when compared to a good air chuck with a squeeze trigger and built-in gauge. I would not personally spend the money for this solution. However, this is what my friend asked me about and I didn't know if such a thing even existed. That is why I came here to ask the garage gurus.

The AstroPneumatic 3018 is a digiral inflator that reads from 3 to 175 psi in 0.1 psi increments. If your friend needs a system that shuts off at a pre detirmined pressure he has too much time on his hands This is not NASCAR with 5 second tire swaps. I am surprised the subject of nitrogen inflation never came up. You can go totally nuts with a hobby.



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[tjf]

If your friend needs a system that shuts off at a pre detirmined pressure he has too much time on his hands

I don't disagree with you--but that is exactly what he wants. It is not the solution I would want for myself. However, it is what he wanted and this friend often turns to me to help him find out-of-the box solutions. I attempted to research what he asked about and came up empty handed. I have always found this forum to be a wealth of garage knowledge and hoped someone here might know of a solution that fit the bill.

 

[bob15]

Are the tires really going to 125psi?

You could buy something as simple as this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Porter-Cable-6-Gal-150-PSI-Portable-Air-Compressor-C2002/203162815

And then buy this with a built-in gauge (and it's under thirty bucks): http://www.tooltopia.com/milton-s-506.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=paid_search_google_pla&scid=scplp6821116&sc_intid=MILS-506&gclid=CJSN0aW89M8CFYIehgodZt8K-w

 

[6PTsocket]

I own that milton gauge. Forget about 1 psi tolerance. It seems to have a calibration screw under a cap but it is a couple of pounds off from my other gauges. That gauge was never intended for the kind of precision he claims he needs. Look at the Astro Pneumatic digital that goes to 160 and reads in 0.1psi increments. Holding 1 psi accuracyi at 125 is not something many gauges can do. Do not confuse accuracy with resolution. Gauges always read in finer units than they are accurate. For example, a gauge with 1 lb divisions might only be accurate to plus or minus 5 lbs. Whether he really needs that kind of precision is another matter

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Why bother with "dirty" air... get a nitro setup, 125 psi is cake. The automated fill on pre-set pressure will be the harder part w/ a presta valve. It going to take time to fiddle-f*ck with the cap and unscrewing the stem, then filling the tire.

Sometimes when asked to do something, I question the source or steer them in another direction. Why the need for pre-set pressure? Time? Not mechanically inclined? I'm all for overkill, but seriously. I would get a good pump (hand/foot or compressor) and splurge on a quality gauge w/pressure release.

 

[redmondjp]

If he is serious about this, I second the nitrogen setup mentioned above.

If he wants separate pressures, I would have one main regulator on the bottle, set to say 150psi, and then direct that pressure into a distribution manifold which has several individual pressure regulators on it, each set to the desired pressure. Have an individual filler hose from each regulator.

One is 125psi, one set for 100psi, one for 60psi, and so on.

That is pretty doable without spending several thousand dollars.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

If he is serious about this, I second the nitrogen setup mentioned above.

If he wants separate pressures, I would have one main regulator on the bottle, set to say 150psi, and then direct that pressure into a distribution manifold which has several individual pressure regulators on it, each set to the desired pressure. Have an individual filler hose from each regulator.

One is 125psi, one set for 100psi, one for 60psi, and so on.

That is pretty doable without spending several thousand dollars.

That'd be the setup... however if I were that ****, I'd still be checking with a quality gauge.

 

[redmondjp]

That'd be the setup... however if I were that ****, I'd still be checking with a quality gauge.

Yes, I forgot to mention having a high-quality (if you can find one) pressure gauge on each output as well. But then, you really need them to be calibrated as well, and as stated above, it's hard to find a gauge that reads to over 100psi that is accurate down to one psi.

 

[bob15]

I own that milton gauge. Forget about 1 psi tolerance. It seems to have a calibration screw under a cap but it is a couple of pounds off from my other gauges. That gauge was never intended for the kind of precision he claims he needs. Look at the Astro Pneumatic digital that goes to 160 and reads in 0.1psi increments. Holding 1 psi accuracyi at 125 is not something many gauges can do. Do not confuse accuracy with resolution. Gauges always read in finer units than they are accurate. For example, a gauge with 1 lb divisions might only be accurate to plus or minus 5 lbs. Whether he really needs that kind of precision is another matter

Are you sure your gauges are all calibrated to a master gauge? Not saying that Milton is perfect, but just because something says it will adjust at a .1 psi resolution doesn't mean actually is 123.8 psi (example). Case in point, the above mentioned Astro is ± 2.0 psi......probably not much, if any different than the Milton.

And then you can bring in the whole tire temp to psi difference, aka: deflategate.