The Specialized Air Tool Pro gauge is big and marked at every 2 PSI with thin tick marks and at every 20 in large numbers.

Just pump it up in Charge mode and rotate the rim of the gauge to Inflate. The air hose is longer, the base is more stable, and it inflated our tires faster than anything we tried in our tests. We also tested two pumps from Serfas, the FMP 500 and the TCPC. This is a proud pack of pumps, but they all have strengths and weaknesses. The other time, a set of Continental Trail King 27.5 x 2.4-inch tubeless tires with very sturdy sidewalls refused to snap into place. They're also the unsung hero of a truly great ride, helping you nail the balance between friction and efficiency. Its nozzle is smart, accommodating both Schrader and Presta valves without adjustment, it's stable, has a comfortable handle, and its gauge is bright, precise, and accurate. There is a ton of variability among these simple devices that are meant to fill your tires with air and read out their pressure levels. Bike pumps are simple devices and should last for years, with appropriate maintenance. If you find operating a handheld pump exhausting: Consider the Topeak Mini Morph, which has an extendable foot peg and a T-shaped handle that allow you to leverage it against the ground, just like a floor pump. Pump bases can take a beating. Its small enough to carry in a jersey pocket but also comes with a bracket that you can attach to your frame. This one screws on, offering impeccable security once you've got it in place. Since it's meant for road tires, that's not a huge deal-breaker for us. When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support. It took 370 strokes to inflate the mountain bike tire and 260 strokes for the hybridsecond to worst of all the pumps in the test. Although you might encounter a few tires meant for velodrome use rated for pressures greater than 200 psi, thats overkill for most riders. Thats as intendedits meant to be easy to carry around in a car trunk. Those features make it challenging to use since it often falls over whenever you step away from it, even just to attach its nozzle to a tire. Pumps with bases that extend out to either side are less dependable. How can we improve GearLab? Its twice the price, but it doesnt have twice the features of the Lezyne Classic, and thats why it isnt our top pick. Its 34.5 inches long, the second shortest in our test pool. Whether it's finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we'll help you get it right (the first time). We set them out in the sun and tried Windexing the tire bead and using a tube to seat one side. Our testers also rated it highly in both steadiness and usabilitythe wide wooden handle really helps with that. Finally, Lezyne warranties pumps against defects in workmanship and materials for two years. Theyll all perform similarly, he saidthe designer didnt want his name or company affiliation mentionedbecause they all come from the same factories. He meant what he said, but as we discovered, the details count when it comes to pumps. Youll know the head is going bad when it no longer seals reliably and you hear the sad sound of air hissing out, no matter what you do or what god you pray to. It does take more time, and you have to unscrew the bright red chuck and flip it over to switch between Schrader and Presta valves, but we think it's worth it. Anything you get at a bike shop, if you dont use it as a hammer, youll be fine, said Lennard Zinn, author of the most popular bike-repair manuals in the US. Privacy | Cookies | Terms, We filled both high volume and high-pressure tires to exhaustion with bike pumps from Specialized, Bontrager, Topeak, and more. Clark is a mountain biker and fair weather bike commuter who's been lucky enough to land in four singletrack meccas Grand Junction and Durango, Colorado, Santa Cruz, and Lake Tahoe, California. pump tire air volume inflator hand psi bicycle bike ball sport We scrutinized the dial for legibility and placement. Though some of these pumps have shorter hoses, most notably the Vibrelli, AerGun, Specialized, and Crankbrothers, we never ran into a situation where they needed to be longer. The behemoth JoeBlow Booster is an example of a stable, non-tripod pump. The base of the Sport III provides a lot of lateral stability but not much front to back. Pumps with well-balanced tripod bases are among our favorites, like the Bontrager Charger, Crankbrothers Sterling, Lezyne Sport Drive. It's tall, with a high gauge, and it tips over easily. The Specialized Air Tool Pro and AerGun X-1000 were the best two examples of an automatically adjusting gauge. The benefits of tripod-style bases are especially apparent when pumping outdoors on less-than-level surfaces.

It's hard to line up and often challenging to seat correctly. We think so. The biggest ding to the Specialized Air Tool Sport was the illegible dial. To test inflation speed, we counted the number of compressions it took each pump to inflate a mountain bike tire from 10 to 30 PSI and to take a road tire from 40 to 80 PSI. That was an easy fix. The footprint, on the receiving end of all that robust tire pumping, was the only one that provided an even steadier base than the Lezyne Classic Drive, with minimal rocking in any direction. Specialized's SwitchHitter II nozzle also automatically adjusts to either a Schrader or Presta valve. But the two-footed base is wobbly, the handle was too small to be comfortable, and testers were afraid theyd lose the detachable Presta valve adapter. Working a tire change with the impressive JoeBlow Booster. Both the Pedros Prestige and Super Prestige pumps have wobbly, two-footed bases that couldnt outperform three-footed options. We really like the Topeak Joe Blow Booster gauge. Tubeless tires require a sudden blast of air to seat the tire bead onto the rim. During our testing, we used it to install 29-inch, 27.5-inch, plus, and fat tubeless tires. We feel like it will serve you well for a good long time, and it's one of the less expensive options in the review. The L-shape also improves its ergonomics and provides an all-around more solid attachment. We look for a simple, secure connection to the valve, a stable platform, and easy pumping. Its nozzle is a bit more finicky than the best options, and it isn't as accurate at lower pressures, below 40 PSI or so. This mostly metal pump is a smart buy, from its extra-large pressure gauge to its recently redesigned screw-on pump head. The Specialized Air Tool Pro was the most accurate gauge we tested, and, if you overshoot your target pressure, just press the button in the middle of the handle to bleed some out.

It has a higher build quality than anything similar on Amazon, including the BV Pump, the Topeak Joe Blow III, and the Vibrelli pump. We tested some options that provide excellent performance at a stellar price point. The huge 3-inch pressure gauge is super-clear and readable from nearly any height when pumping. Like all of our picks, it works with both Presta and Schrader valves, the two standard kinds of bike-tube valves in the US. Though the AerGun struggles more with the lower pressures (under by about 3 PSI) and the Bontrager with the higher ones (under by around 4). You can switch back and forth using a foot pedal at the base. It has so much volume and height that it is physically more difficult to compress. If you want to fill up mountain bike tires as fast as possible, reach for the Topeak JoeBlow Sport 2Stage. It works a lot like the Sterling does, but the barrel is much bigger, so it fills the tires much faster. The Max HP and Vibrelli Performance are less stable still, and fall over with little provocation. A handle that you can fit both hands on fully, for example, is a good sign, and three-footed pumps are a musttheyre significantly less wobbly than two-footed models. If you're a tubeless riding roadie, this will set you up perfectly (this is why it gets a lower inflation rating, despite performing beautifully as an air compressor.) We the world's most carefully tested and objective gear reviews, Nozzle works with Presta and Schrader valves, accurate, well-placed pressure relief valve, Inexpensive, stable, comfortable, auto select nozzle for Presta and Schrader valves, Works great with high volume tires, stable, universal nozzle works with Presta and Schrader, Excellent performance, universal nozzle, long hose, air bleed valve, easy to read gauge, Relatively affordable, accurate, secure connection, valve core tool and pressure relief valve, Expensive, heavy, tippy in one direction, not great for high-volume tires, Nozzle can be tricky to use, no ball or bladder adapters, Not so great with high-pressure tires, gauge is harder to read than some, Expensive, heavy, hard work to fill chamber, gauge struggles at low pressures, Not meant for high volume tires, not the most precise or easiest gauge to read, With a bleeder valve in its handle and a nozzle that works with Schrader and Presta valves, this pump does its job well, A comfortable pump with an auto selecting nozzle and low price tag, This high-value pump works exceptionally well with high volume tires and features a universal nozzle, A high-quality and high priced model that replaces an air compressor to inflate tubeless tires, A thoughtfully constructed, accurate pump thats great for high pressure tires up to 220 PSI, This pump offers the best mix of accuracy and ease in the test, A simple pump with one of our favorite technological innovations, the auto-selecting nozzle, This light and little pump is optimized for high volume and high pressure and features a universal nozzle, An excellent choice for tubeless tire fans, An excellent choice for high volume tires that also works well with high-pressure tires, Built to last, this popular model brings a lot of performance per dollar to the table, This bike pump offers a combination of accuracy, excellent user-friendliness, and affordability, A less expensive option for roadies who dont need the latest and greatest, This is a good pump, but not the best at anything and there are more exciting options, This pump has some cool features but lacks stability making it hard to use. The Booster works less well as an actual bike pump. It's large, clear, and located at the top of the pump, making it very easy to read. The hose is shorter on this pump (42 inches) than on the Lezyne Classic Drive, and the max psi and the warranty (two years) are the same as the Lezyne. All the pumps get you in the ballpark, but some will require more tweaking than others if you're particular about your pressures. It also has a sliding yellow marker to keep track of your desired pressure, as do the other Topeak options and the Aergun. This is also the steadiest, sturdiest pump we tried, which made it a favorite among our testers. How comfortable and sturdy the pump is. We looked for pumps that nontechnical folks could disassemble to replace parts like O-rings and gaskets. The Vibrelli is smaller, packs its tick marks closer together, and tucks its numbers under the curve of the rim. They offer similar, comfortable stances and handles that are smooth and easy to use. While it wasnt the top performer, were not worried: When we do this test, were mostly looking for outlierseither intoxicatingly efficient or miserably inefficient designs. If you can muster a little patience when your tire is totally flat, this pump is an excellent deal. Then we gave up and tried an air compressor and a few shop mechanics. This pump is accurate and very easy to use. Over the years, these have included Lennard Zinn, senior tech writer for VeloNews and owner of high-end bike builder Zinn Cycles; Daimeon Shanks, a former pro race team mechanic; Jason Bauer of Boises Bauerhaus Bikes, a Shimano-certified mechanic with more than 20 years of experience and longtime wrench for 24-hour-sold world-champion mountain biker Rebecca Rusch; Chris Haunold of Idaho Mountain Touring, a bike shop that has been a leader in the Boise cycling community for more than 30 years; and Nicola Cranmer, a longtime cyclist and general manager of Team Twenty20, a womens pro cycling team. Even for people who dont plan to ride their bikes frequently, we believe its worth spending the extra money. The Crankbrothers Klic attempts a solution to an annoying storage problemthe floppy tube gets stored in the handle. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. How secure the chuck is on the tire valve and how easy it is to use. If your biggest worry is cost, it will get the job done, but as we said before, the difference in quality between a $30 pump and a $50 pump is enormous. It's also heavy and not as stable as we'd like it to be. Our testers liked it but felt that the gauge seemed breakable, and losable, since it was no longer attached to the pump. We tried the Vibrelli for due diligence, but with a shorter height and shorter hose than anything in the test pool, it felt like a toy in a giants hands. We break them down for you below. The Planet Bike Mini Versair Bike Pump has a hose thats much too short to be effective. It also comes with attachments for other inflatables, like exercise balls and basketballs, should you need them. The rest of the pumps were competing for top high-pressure inflation honors. Since we are sticklers for a good ride, we pump our tires to perfection almost every time we hit the road (or trail). Three inches in diameter, it has white numbers on a black background, plus a contrasting hi-vis yellow needle. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison. No matter what kind of bike you rideroad bike or mountain bike, beach cruiser or hybrid, ebike or unicycleyou need a way to inflate its tires. Did you think a bike pump is just a bike pump? Several pumps we tested this round have some version of a universal gauge that automatically adjusts to accommodate either a Presta or a Schrader valve. It's hard to line the up correctly to get a good connection. Each end of the hose is clearly marked with either Presta or Schrader. But most importantly, it fills tires quickly. It hovered at 60 psi on the dial even while attached to an uninflated tire. Were assuming this was random, and not endemic, but either way we found sturdier pumps that cost less. Screw one end onto the pumps body. It was the only way to properly evaluate the valve seal, how well the chuck operated, how stable the pump was, and in some cases, whether or not the pump even worked. The second half runs from 30 to 160 PSI, only marking every 5 PSI. These all stand upright when you step away and will deal with a few knocks. This guide represents more than 20 years of collective experience in researching, testing, and writing about bike accessories. The Topeak JoeBlow Sport III and Max HP were about 5 pounds under at higher pressures, and the Max HP wasn't great at low pressures either. A bleeder valve in the handle itself helps you dial everything in adding a little, bleeding a little away without leaving the helm. Material on GearLab is copyrighted. It's efficient, too, inflating our road tires faster than all but one other pump in the test (the Bontrager Charager discussed below). If you can keep your tires from getting fully flat or don't mind finagling a connection point every now and again, you'll really like this pump. The Bontrager Dual Charger pressure gauge appeared to be defective. In addition, its sturdy construction, extra-large pressure gauge, extra-long hose, and varnished wooden handle make it simple, and even pleasing, to use. Over the course of two years weve inflated tires more than 250 times.

Once youve done so, screw the head onto the valve. It takes a long time to fill up a mountain bike tire with this thing. We independently review everything we recommend. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. The valve head is attached to an extra-long (47-inch) rubber hose. We compared the construction of every pump to evaluate its potential longevity and sturdiness. It lets you all but forget to look at which type of gauge your tire has. The double-sided gauge is also finicky with flat tires. Man, we love this pump, the less-expensive underdog that beats out glitzier competition for its pure utility. Make sure you find the right one for you. Its a common flip model: You press it onto the tire tube valve and flip the handle up to secure it. Topeak describes the Pocket Rocket as a pump for roadies, but we couldnt get our 700c tire up to the 100 psi mark. The head of the Park Tools PFP-8 blew off a total of three times for two testersa surprise, considering Park Tools good reputation. There's no rubber or plastic protection under the metal base plate, so be careful when using this hefty pump on delicate surfaces. It works great and in seconds. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. This is annoying, and it happens because the base plate doesn't extend very far toward you when you're pumping, pulling you in closer to the pump to hold it down and making things less comfortable than they could be. This also makes the pump harder to compress, and it's tall, which can be a challenge for shorter riders. Most significantly, the ALX 2 has a lot of sturdy, nonplastic parts and a steady base. It really shines when your tires are totally dead. The Specialized Air Tool has a similar base, but the front legs trend more to the side than the front, making it easy to knock over in that direction. They will certainly still serve if you're a trail rider, though. That's a lot of positives and one rather important negative. Youll see that the connection is super-reliable, it will never release until you want it to, and we havent noticed any air leaks during testing. For the price, we were expecting all elements of this pump to be standouts, but some were just average. It's marked at intervals of 5 PSI, which is less precise than we'd like, but pretty typical. (There goes all your hard-earned air, in a rush!) Another in the mini-floor-pump camp, the Topeak Road Morph G was the fastest pump in our tests, but its sizeits nearly 14 inches longseriously pushed the boundaries of portability. The Vibrelli and the Bontrager Charger also mark every 2 PSI. The pandemic-related stock problems with our picks appear to be resolved. At this point, weve researched more than 100 models, and our work always starts with reading what others have to say. We also like that two of the base's legs tilt toward you, letting you stand further from the pump while securing it. We hope this review has helped you find the best bike floor pump at the best value for your pedaling needs. The Lezyne Pressure Drives solid aluminum body, smooth pumping action, removable hose, and secure pump-to-valve attachment make for a handheld pump that is functional and efficient. They're oriented left to right with enough depth to create some front-to-back stability. That may sound like a lot, but those are very respectable numbers, especially given the pumps small size.

That didn't work either. No ads. The Silca Tattico Mini-Pump worked well with Presta valves but did not stay attached to Schrader valves when we pumped vigorously. The Crankbrothers Klic HP folds out into a T shape for a good grip. We like a lot of these pumps, but they're all good at different things. The high volume option takes our mountain bike tires from 10 PSI to 30 faster than every pump but the Topeak Sport 2Stage discussed below.



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