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Bontrager TLR Flash Can

9
£49.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Effective, easy to use tubeless tyre inflator for the workshop
Good build quality
Adaptor is easy to use
Large lever works well
Very convenient
Can take a few tries to seat fully
Valve is tricky to access
Weight: 
2,279g

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The Bontrager TLR Flash Can is an easy-to-use air tank that complements your existing track pump, making it possible to seat tubeless tyres with bursts of up to 160psi. While not quite a magic bullet, it's effective at inflating road or mountain bike tyres, and also reasonably priced.

If you're looking to reducing the hassle of tubeless without the complexity of a compressor, an inflator like this is a no-brainer. I've installed plenty of tubeless tyres without one, admittedly, but for total convenience you are much better off with one. Trust me.

There are several types out there – all-in-one track pumps with pressure chambers such as the Lezyne Digital Pressure Over Drive; the basic can that attaches to your existing track pump, such as the Airshot tubeless inflation system; and the more substantial workshop-type thing that's floor-standing.

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The Bontrager TLR Flash Can is one of the latter. If you've already got a track pump, and you don't need the portability of something like the Airshot, then this is definitely the best solution.

The TLR Flash Can Pump is a compact canister capable of storing air at up to 160psi. A metal base keeps the unit upright when you're pumping it up, while the top-mounted handle is convenient and has a Schrader valve tucked down inside it.

2021 Bontrager TLR Flash Can pump - base.jpg

A large red lever dumps the high-pressure air into your tyre when the chamber is primed.

2021 Bontrager TLR Flash Can pump - top.jpg

Filling the Flash Can with your track pump should be easy, but it's a bit of a fiddle thanks to the lack of space around the valve – it's hard to get your fingers in to make the connection, or even to unscrew the valve cap.

It's not impossible, and the valve is well-protected from impacts that could sheer it, but it's hardly ideal either.

2021 Bontrager TLR Flash Can pump - detail.jpg

The hose is a decent length, and the connector is a chunky Presta/Schrader combo that doesn't need screwing on – just select the right one and shove it on. A visual on the side of the chuck handily shows you which is which.

2021 Bontrager TLR Flash Can pump - valve head.jpg

The big red lever works proportionally – the further you lift it, the more air it releases. The more air you dump at once, the more likely the bead will seat on the rim.

Testing

The neat thing about the Bontrager TLR Flash Can is you can continue inflating the tyre you've just seated, meaning you don't have to remove and reattach your track pump.

I tested this with three different combos; first up, a 28mm Vittoria Corsa Control G 2.0 on a Hunt 50 Carbon Aero Wheelset. This took four attempts at the full 160psi to pop on. Removing the rim's valve core helped a little, but not enough to seat the tyre first or even second time. Admittedly, I didn't lube the bead first, though.

> Buyer's guide to tubeless tyres — find out all about new technology rubber

For what it's worth, I couldn't get the Vittoria to seat with a regular track pump either, even though I know I've done it once before in the past. Go figure.

2021 Bontrager TLR Flash Can pump - hose.jpg

Next I tested a 25mm Mavic Yksion Pro UST on the same Hunt rim, and got it done after three attempts. Again, the bead wasn't lubed (though I did manage to install it with a regular track pump beforehand, with a bit of effort).

The final test tyre was a 2.4-inch Maxxis Minion DHF 29er, which went straight on my mountain bike's rim with just 120psi in the air chamber.

Value

Depending on what you're looking for, there are several options worth considering. If you need an all-in-one fix, the Merida Tubeless floor pump costs just £20 more than the Bontrager at £69.99, and though the chamber looks tiny by comparison, Merida says it's capable of holding up to 260psi.

A more portable option our sister site off.road.cc rated highly is the Topeak TubiBooster X Tubeless Inflator. It's £15 more expensive than the Bontrager at £65, but the chamber is capable of 200psi – that little extra nudge could well help seat pesky tyres more easily.

The TLR Flash Can is exactly the same price as the Beto CJA-001S Tubeless Air Tank Inflator we tested back in 2018, which looks remarkably similar to the Bontrager. In fact, if you just imagine the Flash Can in red you probably don't even need to click that link...

Overall

The Bontrager TLR Flash Can is, in my opinion, an essential thing to have in your workshop – especially if you regularly install tubeless tyres. The fact it struggled to install two of the three tyres in testing shouldn't really be seen as a criticism of its abilities – it's more an indication of the level of difficulty certain tyre/rims combos present.

It's reliably less of a struggle with the TLR Flash Can than without it, and it certainly reduces that level of difficulty in particularly extreme cases.

Verdict

Effective, easy to use tubeless tyre inflator for the workshop

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Bontrager TLR Flash Can

Size tested: N/A

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Trek says, "A compact air canister that is easily inflated to 160psi and offers a quick blast of stored air to make set-up of tubeless ready (TLR) tyres a breeze."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Inflates tubeless ready (TLR) tyres without a compressor

Holds up to 160 PSI (11 bar) of air pressure

Inflate Flash Can with any Schrader-compatible floor pump

A simple flip of the lever releases stored air

The unique 'flash charge' function rushes air into the tyre

Auto-select head instantly fits both Presta and Schrader valves

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very sturdy and well built.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Some of the test tyres took several attempts to seat, but I put this down to them being particularly tricky tyres to install. A mountain bike test tyre went on first time at just 120psi.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Looks built to last.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10

Not particularly heavy, but this is one for the workshop.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Though it took a few attempts to install some of the test road tyres, I put that down to them being inherently 'difficult' tyres. Even so, it only took a few goes, which is much more successful than when I tried to do it by hand.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It's very easy to use.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The valve connector is a bit tricky to access.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's one of the cheaper options out there, if you're looking for a tubeless inflator to compliment your existing track pump. That said, Merida's Tubeless Floor Pump costs just £20 more, so that's a good option if you don't already have a track pump. The Beto CJA-001S Tubeless Air Tank Inflator looks very, very similar to the Bontrager, and the price is the same too.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? I actually did buy the one on test!

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The Bontrager TLR Flash Can is great for installing tubeless tyres. It's easy to use and the price is right. I can hardly fault it.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 39  Height: 6'4  Weight: 175lbs

I usually ride: Steel audax bike  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, sportives,

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5 comments

Avatar
huntswheelers | 2 years ago
1 like

The Lifeline track pump with tank is fabulous....used several times weekly for customer tubeless set up's.....240 psi and works first time, every time....think it's £70 ish now but worth every penny.... especially when you've customers watching you sort out their tyre....😉

Avatar
Kronsteen | 2 years ago
0 likes

"They've rebadged it, you fool!"

Avatar
Rich_cb | 2 years ago
0 likes
Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Rich_cb | 2 years ago
2 likes
Rich_cb wrote:

Looks familiar. https://road.cc/content/review/219192-beto-cja-001s-tubeless-air-tank-in...

Huh? This one is just a little red lever, and that one is a whole tubeless air tank (I've got one of those).

Oh, wait a minute - on closer inspection, I can just about see that this a tubeless air tank too, but in almost invisible, macho black colour.

Avatar
Rich_cb replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
1 like

I too thought it was near invisible until, that is, I noticed it did not come with any lights whatsoever.

I could instantly see it in all its ninja-esque glory and proceeded to complain loudly about how easy it would be to run it over.

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