Yep. I popped the tube and munched the tire using an air compressor to inflate a tire on my human powered transportation device.
So now what?
Moreover, what is the go to for "fat guy" tires and tubes via the Amazonian shopping nightmare?
Current spec is a 27.5x2.125 mild knob tire. I'm riding rough dirt roads and some asphalt, trying to dwindle down from 310lbs so that should be the starting point for weight limit.
Bike is nothing special so I'm not putting $300 worth of tires and tubed on it but I will invest in a Presta valve inflator to stop me from being stupid again
Nothing wrong with using a compressor, just mind the maximum pressures of the tire (and sometimes the rim if listed). For minor inflating before going for a ride a bike pump is the way to go though.
I took a quick look at Nashbar.com and came up with the following in stock, I think the Continental Raceking in 27.5 x 2.2" for $39.99 would be the way I would go for what you are doing, that's a nice rolling tread pattern that would handle some dry trails to mix things up with a folding bead and the ability to go tubeless if you want (you'll need that compressor again to get that setup!). I didn't do any shopping anywhere else but this should give you a good starting point.
Good luck and happy riding.
In reply to QuasiMofo (John Brown) :
Can we have more details, please? Like how many psi were in the tank?
I agree with adam525i. Nothing in principle wrong with using a compressor, but topping off before a ride just takes a few pumps with a good pump. I could see using my little pancake compressor to do the job if I was feeling lazy.
Sorry to hear of your misfortune, but perhaps you can help others by being a useful example of what not to do. 
Yeah... I'm a bit confused as well. I use a compressor often to seat tubeless tires.
I didn't realize you weren't supposed to do that.. I do it all the time on the kids bikes..
I grew up at a family tire store. Kids used to ride up to fill their tires all the time. We let them do it but told them to only "hit it" for a second or two.
Every so often some kid would ignore advise and let it rip. 120 psi air supply would blow up the tube. Sorry kid. Better luck next time.
Personally I use a $30 hand pump for my bicycle tires. I also carry the pump with me in my vehicle because I can hand pump up a slow leak faster than those cigarette lighter pumps.
Timing is everything. You have to stop before it pops.
ShawnG
UltimaDork
6/4/21 9:06 a.m.
They've made regulators for over a century...
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
I worked for a service station the summer of my junior year of high school. A dad brought in his kid's bike tube to be blown up. Well actually they wanted it inflated. I took care of the blown up part! Oops!
I had the regulator at 115 from working with my air hammer. I knew that it was still there and was completely my fault. I started at 30psi in the tire and was too lazy to knock the regulator down to a closer to 60-70psi start point. It was on me. I gave the tire a short (< half second) then long (2 seconds) jab without checking psi between and as I pulled the air hose off it blew. Mind you the bike and tubes are about 4 years old and have had lots of fat guy abuse.
I have ordered Continental Trail Kings in 27.5×2.4 because they seemed to be reviewed well and were $30 ea.
Thank you for your input. Updates to come.
One recommendation: Going to tubeless isn't that hard, and is a great solution when there's a lot of weight or impact involved. Might be worth considering.
I've used compressors to seat tubeless tires, but for any other use on a bicycle, avoiding them is generally a good idea - they can do a lot of damage and only save you a small amount of time with a bike tire's air volume.
Tom Suddard said:
One recommendation: Going to tubeless isn't that hard, and is a great solution when there's a lot of weight or impact involved. Might be worth considering.
If you want to stay on a small budget and you're not doing any hard riding, sticking with tubes is understandable. A decent tubeless setup that's not totally hacked up will cost you at least $100 in new tires plus maybe $30 if you DIY the tape and sealant, and then you need to top up your sealant at least once a year, and then take the whole setup apart and scrape your old sealant out at least once a year again. Tubes don't need to be touched unless they're punctured or the tires wear out. Tubes with protector strips may be a better setup for someone who doesn't want the expense and fuss of a tubeless setup. I run tubeless because I want the extreme survivability and the performance is worth the fuss to me.
Tom Suddard said:
One recommendation: Going to tubeless isn't that hard, and is a great solution when there's a lot of weight or impact involved. Might be worth considering.
Furthermore, bike wheels can be transferred to new bikes.
11 year old me got to dimly walk my bike home from the gas station around the way because I had a flat and a quarter. It hit my eyes with all the things when it popped. My friend had to guide me home.
I blew a tire off the rim trying to get it seated up tubeless. But yeah, agree with the other folks - compressor is fine, technique needs some love.
Vajingo said:
Tom Suddard said:
One recommendation: Going to tubeless isn't that hard, and is a great solution when there's a lot of weight or impact involved. Might be worth considering.
Furthermore, bike wheels can be transferred to new bikes.
Wouldn't bet on it with the odds of matching 26/27.5/29" and QR/thru-bolt/thru-axle and standard/boost/superboost spacing...may need a brake disc adapter as well.
This also applies to tricycles. "Inflate to 35psi" is impossible when the tube explodes at 20. 8 turned out to be a good number on the replacement.
Not sure if this is the right way or not, but this is how I always do it.
Put baby powder on tube and inside tire so they can move independently.
Inflate, compressor or hand pump
Remove valve stem core and deflate.
Inflate to desired pressure, usually with a hand pump.
What about airless? Don't they have hard foam cores you can swap in instead of tubes?
To me that seems like an optimal solution.
It is a disc brake setup. I ordered a pair of tubes and after looking at the two tires I have ordered them as well.
Powder/inflate/deflate/inflate is a good suggestion. I will use it.
How well will a hard foam insert adapt to a gravel road? More concerned about creating larger issues than I already have.
