Tubeless tires are pretty much standard on higher-end mountain bikes now, due to their lower weight and rolling resistance, along with their ability to contain sealant. However, they do have one drawback – you need to use a CO2 cartridge or an air compressor to put the things on. Bontrager has set out to change that, with its TLR Flash Charger pump.
In order to get a tubeless tire securely seated on the wheel rim, a lot of air has to be pumped into it very quickly. Standard human-powered pumps simply don't have the output, so they can't be used ... or at least, it's very hard to use them.
The TLR gets around this problem by incorporating an auxiliary air chamber, which users can pump up to 160 psi (11 bar) using the regular handle – just like they would if they pumping up a tire directly, which the pump also allows them to do. Once the pump head is attached to the valve stem of a rim bearing an unseated tire, the user raises the chamber's release lever. All of the compressed air then rapidly flows into the tire, causing it to satisfyingly pop into place.
The Bontrager TLR Flash Charger pump is available now, for US$120.
Source: Bontrager via Bike Radar