Prestacycle Multi-Purpose Air Compressor Bicycle Tool

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I have been slowly tweaking my home shop, to make it a more useful and functional environment. For Christmas, I got a small air compressor, and I have found it to be an incredibly handy item. However, almost all the attachments to fill tires are for the Schrader valve (American valve), while I deal with only the Presta (Sclaverand or French valve). I have used the cheap adapters that you can find at any LBS, but they don’t seal that well and are a pain to use. I finally located a set up that was made specifically for Presta named the Prestaflator, and it even included a nice pressure gauge. The unit is made by Prestacycle based out of Waterford, New York.

The Prestaflator uses a trigger to release air for inflating tires or as a blower through its attachable hose, which has an adapter head for Presta or Schrader valves.

The cast Aluminum bodied Prestaflator uses a variable-rate trigger valve, and uses 6061-T6 Alloy, Chrome and Stainless Steel components for all connectors and moving parts. The steel cased pressure gauge has a rubber housing for protection, and reads pressures to 12 Bar/174 PSI with a 2% accuracy.

Impressions

The units attachable hose easily screwed onto the main body, and seats with o rings. One of the nice features of the entire unit is that most of the items are serviceable or replaceable. I had a spare quick connector that I hooked up to the air compressor hose, and then could clip on the Prestaflator.

Once everything was hooked up, I turned on the air compressor, and made sure no leaks were evident. Everything checked out fine, so I slid the Presta head on a tire. It took a bit of effort since the fit was quite snugged on the valve stem. The user manual suggests some Teflon lube to facilitate getting the head on and off, but I didn’t find it that much of an issue (I knew it was well sealed). The pressure gauge didn’t show anything until I pulled the trigger, and pressurized the valve. I gave a bunch of small micro bursts until it reached the required/desired tire pressure. Then I pulled the head back off, and it was done. It was a breeze to inflate a tire to the proper pressure, and the ease of use of the trigger for filling, along with the verifiable gauge reading was quite pleasant. I am looking forward to using the Prestaflator more often, and seeing how it works with my shop antics. I take a lot of tires on and off my wheelsets for testing, with quite a bit of tubeless set up, which means some rapid and high pressure fills to get the tires to bead up.

Specifications

MSRP $39.95
Variable-rate trigger.
Presta and Schrader valves.
Professional shop-grade tool.
6061-T6 Alloy Presta chuck w/standard replaceable insert.
Replaceable I/M compressor quick-release attachment.
174 PSI (in 2 PSI increments) or 12 Bar (in 0.1 Bar increments).
Large 2 ¼” / 6 cm dial pressure gauge.
Rubber pressure gauge housing for shock protection.
Cast aluminum pistol grip handle with bead-blasted finish.
Two-finger trigger valve for precise air flow regulation.
Thumb-control pressure release button.
High-pressure hose for easy access on any wheel.

Prestaratchet Tool and Prestacycle Bicycle Bit Set

The other Christmas tool that I got was a battery powered screwdriver, which I have used quite regularly. I tried to find some mini hex head bits for metric sizes, but was unable to locate them at the local Sears. I was really stoked to see this small set from Prestacycle, which is also made to work with their unique mini ratchet, called the Prestaratchet. The 4 inch long Prestaratchet is a reverseable ratchet, made from hardened steel with a padded grip. I have used it a couple of times and it a handy tool, that is small enough to tuck into your pack for a ride or just use around the shop.

Prestaratchet
MSRP $12.95
Hardened tool grade steel with a polished finish.
comfort grip handle.
4 inches long

The bit set includes a slew of useful metric hex and TORX sizes, and some longer arms, adapters and extenders. They work with the Prestaratchet and any tool that uses a bit, such as my electric screwdriver. I am looking forward to having such a large array of bits at my disposal.

Prestacycle Bicycle Bit Set
MSRP $12.95
HEX: 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm
TORX®: T6, T8, T10, T15, T20,T25, T30
SCREWDRIVERS: PH0, PH1, PH2 1/8 flat, 3/16 flat
LONG ARM: 5mm hex ball head, 4mm hex ball head, T25 TORX® 1/4 socket adapter, 100mm magnetic bit extension.

Tagged as: air compressor, presta, Prestacycle, Prestaflato, Prestaratchet