A good floor pump is a must-have for any cyclist but they are not all created equal. We've weeded out the flimsy and the faffy to pick the best track pumps that'll get you inflating your tyres with minimal effort, whether fat mountain bike tyres or higher pressure gravel rubber.
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[Updated 25th Feb 2021]
The best floor pumps we've tested
- Topeak Jow Blow Mountain X
- Crankbrothers Gem
- Bontrager Dual Charger
- Specialized Air Tool Comp
- Topeak Joe Blow Sport III
- Lezyne Alloy Over Drive
Need to know: track pumps
Every pump is made with a slightly different purpose in mind, therefore there are a few points that you should consider when buying one. First off the build quality, while this may seem obvious it is quite easy to overlook this point, especially if you find a cracking deal online. We found that many pumps have many different heads that lock slightly differently to your valves. In our experience, simpler is better with auto-select or universal heads being hit and miss.
Something to look out for is high volume versus high pressure. A high-pressure pump delivers smaller bursts of high-pressure air, suitable for pumping narrower rubber up to higher pressures. A high volume pump does the opposite, delivering a lot of air into a tyre quickly which will make inflating and seating fatter mountain bike tyres easier. As a high-pressure pump will take longer to inflate a fatter tyre and a high-volume pump will take a lot more effort to reach high pressures, it's best to pick one based on what you'll be using it for.
Lastly, the footprint of the pump, while easy to overlook, is an important aspect to think about. A large base provides a very stable platform while in use but takes up space in your car boot which may be important if you transport your bike in the same place. On the other hand, a smaller base makes for a more wobbly pump but it saves space.
Topeak Joe Blow Mountain X
£55
Topeak's Joe Blow Mountain X is a track pump designed for the demands of high volume tubeless mountain bike tyres and fat bike tyres. It sits neatly between the brand's Sport series and their well-reviewed Joe Blow Booster, offering vast volume with little effort. At £55, it's more expensive (and less versatile) than some, but this pump is massively efficient and extremely well built.
Crankbrothers Gem
£40
The Crankbrothers Gem Floor Pump is a conventional track pump that offers both high volume for mountain bike tyres as well as high pressure for skinny gravel or road bike tyres. At a shade under £40, its pretty good value too.
Bontrager Dual Charger
£45
The Dual Charger is Bontrager's offering to the floor pump market. The high volume/high-pressure switch makes the Dual Charger a versatile choice if you have a mountain bike and a road rig in the shed but it's a touch pricier than other well-established competitors.
Specialized Air Tool Comp
£53
The Air Tool Comp is Specialized's addition to the floor pump market. Favouring ergonomics over fancy internal gimmicks, the brand has created a comfortable, stable and reliable unit that’s capable of filling tubeless tyres, but not without breaking a sweat.
Topeak Joe Blow Sport III
£40
The Joe Blow Sport III is Topeak's budget-friendly floor pump, offering durability and efficient delivery at a great price despite featuring various parts found on their more expensive models. The Joe Blow Sport III is a must-have for any beginner mountain biker.
Lezyne Alloy Over Drive
£70
Lezyne makes products that ooze quality and this Alloy Over Drive track pump is no different. Aside from its good looks the pump delivers a high volume to efficiently inflate larger volume tyres.
Comments
I guess in the UK you can't
I guess in the UK you can't get Lezyne floor pump products?
froze wrote:
Cheers for the heads up! We've added a top scorer to the list.