Bike Accessories Reviews

Hutchinson's Fast Air ($13) is a really cool concept that didn't work that well in its first iteration. The concept: Combine tire sealant (to stop-up small punctures) and CO2 in a single canister, so both MTBers running tubeless tires and even roadies running tubes would get the benefit of being sure that whatever caused them to flat in the first place would be taken care of. (You can't be careless; you still need to run your fingers around the inside of the tire to remove thorns or any other contaminants and if you have a large hole no sealant will work as safely or effectively as a patch.)

The problem with the first go was that the can didn't thread to the tire valve, so the stuff would spray all over the place and not into the tire. Hutchinson fixed that issue by adding a dual-threaded hose that locks the canister to the valve (either Presta or Schrader) so that none of the latex sealant or CO2 is lost during inflation. Some might spray out afterwards though so watch your eyes!

I've used Fast Air both while first inflating Hutchinson and non-Hutchinson UST tubeless mountain tires as well as for fixing flats out on the trail. I've also used it to initially seal Hutchinson's Fusion 2 road tubeless tires. The stuff works, it's as convenient as CO2 and it's especially reassuring when you're out on a very long ride with a large group when someone's sure to flat, and at least one person in your party will also have a mini pump. In those instances I add some of the Fast Air and sealant and top up the tire by pumping; that saves more sealant and CO2 for later and heals the tire better than air alone.

- Michael Frank