Best known within the 4WD space, Viair offers a wide range of compressors for both automotive and pedal-powered needs. We recently tested the nifty hand-held portable tyre inflator and came away impressed with its compact form, neat digital display and general consistency. For those who are after something with a little more oomph that they can store in the car or van for a long weekend of riding away from home, the next step up in the Viair range is this guy here; the TLC LITE Portable Compressor.
Viair TLC LITE Portable Compressor price & specs
- Portable air compressor for mountain, gravel & road bikes
- Shop-style inflator w/120psi gauge & 9m braided coil hose
- 12-Volt Aux power
- Presta & Schrader compatible
- Size: 244.74mm (L) x 109.90mm (W) x 245.95mm (H)
- Weight: 2kg
- Price: $329 AUD
Designed to plug straight into the cigarette lighter of your automobile, the Viair TLC LITE Portable Compressor is a compact motorised air compressor that’s great for inflating the tyres on your mountain, gravel or road bike — it’ll work on your car too!
According to Viair it’s capable of giving you up to 105psi of pressure to make seating stubborn tubeless tyres easier compared to a regular floor pump.
It comes with a shop-style inflator that features Presta and Schrader fittings as well as a large analogue display that reads up to 120psi. It’s easy enough to use, though because of the wide range it’s quite difficult to hit a specific pressure for a mountain bike around 20psi. We found the Viair TLC Lite Portable Compressor to be more useful for topping up the tyres at the start of the day, before using a separate digital checker to dial in the exact pressure.
One mild annoyance is that the smaller parts and hose need to be stored in a separate bag rather than being packaged all together, though at least the bag is included with the compressor. Otherwise this has been a great addition to Justin’s van and is especially useful for inflating the tyres of multiple bikes before a day of riding and shooting.
