The young Swiss company Sport Components AG had already caused a sensation with the milKit system: its own valve system makes it easy to measure how much tubeless sealant is left in the tire and refill it immediately if necessary. This almost magical valve was also the starting point for the next product: "People - who already use the milKit system - often asked us if we could take care of the remaining problem when fitting tubeless tires. We are now responding to this request and replacing the often necessary compressor with a simple solution," says Pius Kobler, co-founder and Head of Development at milKit.

According to Kobler, many bikers are reluctant to switch to tubeless tires due to the difficulty of fitting them: Depending on the tire-rim combination, inflation with a normal floor pump is not possible - the air constantly escapes between the tire and the rim. The professional has a compressor at hand, which can deliver the required initial blast of air so that the tire is pressed against the rim sidewall within a short time. The first products for mounting without a compressor are now on the market, but according to Kobler, these are often expensive and heavy.

This is where the developers at milKit came in and used a tried and tested trick: Aluminum drinking bottles are ideal pressure reservoirs and are also lightweight, robust and inexpensive. Many a tinkerer has already made their own tubeless booster from a drinks bottle.

Aluminum drink bottle as a pressure reservoir

The milKit booster is extremely easy to use: Pump up the pressurized bottle, press the milKit booster onto the valve, done. There is no need for a hose and an additional valve, making it easier to inflate than existing solutions. The direct air flow without a hose does not reduce the pressure unnecessarily due to friction loss. The milKit booster works with all tubeless valves, with or without the valve core removed. With milKit valves, however, the air is held in the tire after inflation by the additional rubber flaps at the bottom of the valve, even without the valve core, which makes tire fitting even easier.

An additional feature: the water bottle can be used as a drinking system on the go with the supplied tube and bite valve. The low weight of just 150 grams including bottle makes the milKit booster a practical companion on the trail.

Crowdfunding as start-up financing

To finance the expensive tools for the production of the milKit booster, the makers of milKit have launched a campaign on Kickstarter.com. At least 30,000 USD must be raised for the project to come to fruition. "Via Kickstarter, mountain bikers from all over the world have the opportunity to support our project financially. Anyone who pre-orders the milKit booster will be the first to receive the product in time for the next bike season," explains Pius Kobler. "The more people we reach with the campaign, the more mountain bikers can do what they love best - mountain biking without any worries."

The Kickstarter campaign has been running since September 3, 2017 at http://milkit.bike/booster.