When you first feast eyes on the Specialized Blast, you’re briefly left wondering “how the hell do you pump this thing”? After a cursory look around it and a quick read of the instructions, it becomes clear that it’s not actually a pump at all. First mistake. What it is is a tubeless tyre setter, designed to be used with a floor pump to dump a whole lot of air in one go and set those difficult beads onto the rim without the usual frustrations drowned in sweat and soap suds. With mountain bike tyres getting bigger and rims getting wider, plus increasing options in road and ‘cross tubeless setups, standard floor pumps can struggle to get enough air in at a rate rapid enough to pop the bead into place. If you own a compressor or have access to one, then more power to you, but for those who don’t a product like the Blast can save a hell of a lot of time driving to the servo and faffing around. A big handle/grip on top accommodates the high-pressure valve and makes it easy to move around in use. This thing is solid and built to last.A fat chamber holds up to 160psi of air, but how does it get in there? Well, you’ll still need your trusty floor pump to get the requisite amount into the canister. So why not have it all in one unit, like some other inflation tools of this ilk out there? It means if you already have a good and/or expensive floor pump, there’s no need to retire it, and the Blast costs a lot less than a new all-in-one unit. So there’s that. Yeah it’s another piece of equipment to own, but it’s well within reach of most riders’ budgets and will pay its way in no time. Full metal. The chamber and large base are made from tough and substantial steel, while all the fittings are some kind of hard nylon material… it’s going to take a beating whatever it is. The canister can hold up to 140psi (not 160 as I state in the video) so it needs to be tough, and it certainly has that feel.A double sided chuck for Presta and Schrader valves has a durable plastic insert protecting the rubber seal, and does a good job of holding the valve stem under high pressure as it dumps its payload. The lever in the ‘dump’ position. Once the bead is seated you can flick it off and release any remaining air from the canister.

The Blast is easy to use, affordable ($85NZ) well built and is a useful addition to the toolbox, which should prove popular with mountain bikers who change rubber a lot, or cross and road riders who are making the change to tubeless. Take a look at it in action below…