When Albert from GoGravel asked me to put the Airman Mini Compressor to the test, I was quite intrigued. The fact is, with the profusion of Adventure bikes out there, as well as almost all road bikes running tubeless tyres these days with plug-and-play convenience, the ability to pump flat tyres anywhere is almost essential. Puncture repair kits come with ‘bombs’, tiny cylinders filled with compressed air that screw into a tyre valve adaptor. This is all good and well, but if you are unlucky enough to have a few punctures on an extended trip, or even have a slow leak, then this is where a small mobile compressor comes into its own. Knowing that you can pump your tyres will bring you peace of mind all on its own.
I have had the Airman Tire Inflator for a while now and, as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”, I have not made work of testing it. It seems rather silly to deflate a perfectly good tyre and then pump it up. Almost not authentic if you will. So when Bjorn came over to my place to download some photos and on leaving, saw a screw impaled in the back tyre of his Yamaha XSR900, a wicked part of me thought “hee ha, now’s the time for the Airman to strut its stuff!” I whipped out my puncture repair kit and we removed the screw, reamed the hole and inserted a worm plug into the now totally flat tyre.
Inspecting the Airman, I was immediately impressed by a number of features. A lot of thought has clearly gone into its design. There are three separate power cables. One that plugs into a regular cigarette lighter socket, another that can be permanently affixed to your battery terminals (which can also be used with many battery chargers), and a third that connects with crocodile clips. Powering up the Airman is thus fast and easy.
The unit itself measures a tidy 14,5x12x6 cm. It comes in a neat bag which keeps all the bits together. A recess in the bottom houses the power cable which is fuse-protected and measures over 3 m when attached to the desired adaptor, making it easy to plug in and get the compressor close to the tyre that you are pumping. The pipe that screws onto the valve is housed in a recess on the top of the unit and extends 26 cm, making it easy to attach to the wheel that needs inflating.
Also stored under a cap at the top of the unit are adaptors for bicycle tyres, balls and air mattresses. Clever! No more shlepping your (or the kids’) bikes to the garage just to pump the tyres. Also at the top of the unit are the on/off switch and a clearly legible gauge calibrated in psi and kPa (bar). The size is such that it literally fits into a corner of your top box or pannier.
With the puncture repaired, I attached the cigarette adaptor, plugged it into my car standing in the carport, which I could reach easily thanks to the generous length of the power cable, and started the car as per the instructions which come with the Airman, screwed it onto the tyre valve and switched the compressor on. 4 minutes later the tyre was at 2,5 bar. Sorted. Typically, these compressors generate significant heat in the pipe, so care should be taken when unscrewing it. In no time I could pack it up, pop it back in its bag and all was good.
I cannot, for obvious reasons comment on the longevity of the unit, however, if you stick to the instructions and use it when required to inflate or adjust tyre pressures, I see no reason why it won’t deliver years of service. The construction is robust and cleverly designed to be compact yet functional. This is really an essential piece of kit for any touring motorcycle, especially Adventure bikes.
Riders will have no problems lowering tyre pressures when venturing onto sandy surfaces and the like, secure in the knowledge that they can inflate their tyres to road pressures for the tar ride home. Quite likely reducing the chance of capsizing in the dirt. Tyres sometimes also take the rap for delaminating, when in fact it was due to overheating when riders travel at speed on under-inflated tyres. R950 buys you a huge amount of convenience and peace of mind. A solid double thumbs up from me!
Airman Tour Adventure Compressor by GoGravel
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