Pro Team Compressor tubeless reservoir review

The Pro Team Compressor comes from Shimano’s component brand and gives you the ability to seat tubeless tyre beads at a lower price than an all-in-one reservoir and pump.

With more and more bikes, aftermarket wheelsets and tyres coming tubeless-ready, tubeless clincher technology is rapidly becoming established on road bikes. Tolerances are getting better so, unlike a few years ago, you’re much less likely to find a wheel and tyre combination where the tyre is impossible to fit or alternatively blows off the rim when inflated.

But getting a tyre to seat properly and to hold air can still be tricky. If you just use a track pump, you can spend ages pumping furiously without getting anywhere, with the air escaping around the bead.

>>> Should you change to tubeless tyres?

So a reservoir pump is a useful option. You pump air into the reservoir then release it in a high power blast that is often enough to get the tyre seated properly on the rim and holding pressure.

But to hold the pressurised air safely at over 100psi, the pump must be substantial, making reservoir pumps expensive items.

The Pro Team Compressor gives you a reservoir without the associated pump. There’s a Schrader valve head on top of the Pro Team Compressor which you attach to your standard track pump. You can them pump air into the reservoir until you reach 100psi or more.

At the other end is a hose with a twin presta/schrader Snaplock EZ head, which you attach to your tubeless valve. The head pushes onto the valve, rather than having a lever to lock it down. This means that you need to press it on firmly or hold it down, or there’s a risk of it flying off when you discharge the reservoir.

Discharge is effected by flipping the sturdy lever on the side of the Pro Team Compressor. This releases the air charge into the tyre, hopefully seating it.

>>> How much damage can a tubeless tyre take?

The Pro Team Compressor has a sturdy design with a steel barrel and base, accounting for its not inconsiderable weight. The base is stable, so you can use the Pro Team Compressor on uneven ground. The reservoir incorporates a useful carrying handle at the top too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgqeOI-aJCs

I’ve found the Pro Team Compressor effective at seating tubeless tyres on road and cyclocross bikes, although trickier combinations have required multiple attempts and a bit of fiddling.

>>> Why don't the pros ride tubeless?

The Schrader valve adapter on some track pumps can be tricky to fit to the threaded inlet valve though, due to its position. Once you’ve got a tyre to inflate, you’ll have to remove the pump from the reservoir to check that you’ve got the tyre inflated to the correct pressure, which is a bit of a nuisance.

But with most integrated reservoir pumps priced at over £100, the Pro Team Compressor provides a much more cost-effective solution for anyone who only needs to set up tubeless occasionally and already has a good track pump available.