The pump is the unsung hero of cycling. You wouldn’t get very far without one, whether it’s a mini pump that goes along for the ride or a hard-working floor pump in the garage. Either way, both serve the same purpose: to inflate your tires. A floor pump typically does its job faster and with better accuracy, while a mini pump can get you out of a jam and back in action until you’re home again, where you can top off your tire pressure with a floor pump. Ideally, you should have one of each and be comfortable using both.
Check out five of the top performers from our testing below, then scroll farther for a primer on this necessary tool and longer reviews of these pumps and other high-ranking options.
Floor vs. Mini: Why You Need Both
Floor Pump: These freestanding pumps inflate faster and with less effort than a mini pump for more reasons than just size. A sturdy, wide base provides a platform on which you can stand and hold the pump still, and a wide handle allows you to engage the plunger with both hands for better leverage. While pressure gauges can vary in terms of max psi (the Topeak JoeBlow Ace DX in our test is the highest at 260), placement (some are located at the base, some at the top), and size (some are larger and easier to read than others), every floor pump has one. As well, every floor pump has a long, flexible hose with a chuck at the end that can get into hard-to-reach places—some more easily than others.
Mini Pump: These compact inflators are designed to go along for the ride—whether tucked in your pocket, strapped to your frame, or carried in a bag. Their smaller build means less power and more effort to reach your ideal psi (or at least a pressure that’s good enough to get you out of a jam and rolling again). Most mini pumps attach directly to your valve, but some come with a short, flexible hose that helps with finding a more comfortable pumping position. Mini pumps typically don’t have pressure gauges, and those that do often have one that is small and difficult to read (besides, your pumping arm will likely get tired before you even reach the ideal psi). A dual-action mini pump will inflate much quicker as it moves air both when you push the plunger in and when you pull it out.
Which Valve Is Which?
Schrader: Think car tire, mountain bike tire, beach cruiser, and most kids’ bikes. The Schrader valve is wider than the presta type and the same circumference from tip to rim. It’s wrapped in rubber, threaded at the end, and has a pin in the center that can be depressed to add or release air with a spring to keep it sealed. This type of valve can be inflated using an air pump at a gas station.
Presta: This is the long, thin valve that tapers at the top and is made entirely of metal. It’s usually threaded from tip to rim and has a knurled nut at the end that must be unscrewed (opened) in order to add or release air. Presta valves are typically found on road and performance bikes because they’re able to hold higher air pressures. The smaller diameter of this valve compared with a Schrader type reduces the size of the opening in the rim, which makes for a stronger wheel.
Dunlop: The less-common Dunlop valve, used in parts of Asia and Europe, looks like a wider presta valve. It’s usually found on city bikes, but is rarely seen in the U.S. Still, because you never know where your riding will take you, we included a few pumps in our roundup that come with an adapter for this type of valve.
Versatile Pump Heads
Most modern pumps are designed to work with both main valve types, and some come with adapters for things like sports balls and pool floats.
Twin: This type of head has two individual ports: one for presta and one for Schrader valves. Rider’s choice.
Swappable: This also has all the parts needed to inflate a presta or Schrader valve. However, the head’s internals must be reversed—it takes a few seconds and doesn’t require tools—to switch it from one style to the other.
Adjustable: This style automatically adjusts itself to fit presta and Schrader valves without any extra steps. Simply press the head to the valve, lock it on, and start pumping.
High Pressure or High Volume?
High-pressure pumps move a smaller volume of air with each stroke and are better suited to filling skinny road tires. Generally speaking, if you ride tire pressures higher than 60 psi, you need a high-pressure pump. These will max out between 160 and 220 psi.
High-volume pumps, on the other hand, move a large amount of air with each stroke and are made for filling fat tires very quickly. However, most struggle to inflate tires to more than 60 psi. The gauges on these pumps typically have large, easy-to-read markings in one-psi increments that make it easy to dial in a precise tire pressure.
How We Tested
We’ve spent hours inflating and deflating tires, pushing our forearm strength to the limit to see how these pumps perform. We pumped skinny tires, fat tires, gravel tires, and everything in between. For the floor pumps, we counted how many strokes it took to get to 20 psi in a mid-width, 29-inch mountain bike tire, as well as 80 pounds in a 700 x 28mm tire. For mini pumps, we tested tire pressure after 200 strokes, the limit of our collective forearm strength. And one of the most common questions we get when assessing pumps is how accurate the gauges are. So we built a device that allows us to not only test the accuracy of each gauge but also reliably compare each pump. (Full disclosure: Our device reads only as high as 100 psi.) We evaluated the pumps on performance, price, stability, user-friendliness, and how easy it is to read the gauge to land on these, which will best serve the needs of anyone looking for a new pump.
Floor Pumps
―BEST FOR FAT TIRES―
Topeak JoeBlow Dualie
If you like to obsess over minute pressure differences under 30 psi, this is your pump. The gauge on the left measures pressure up to 35 psi and the markings are in one-pound increments that are large and very easy to read. Our testing confirmed this left gauge is accurate through its full range. The dial on the right side didn’t measure as perfectly, but it was consistent with reading two psi low at every check. This makes it one of the best pumps for fat and plus bike tires, which run at lower pressures and are very sensitive to small changes. We’ve been using this pump for over a year now, and despite the plunger requiring a little more effort to push down, it’s working just as well as it did on day one. When trying to pump tires fast, it’s easy to overshoot the mark. For that, we really appreciate the pressure-release valve on the pump head for letting a little air out when we’ve gone too far. The high-volume stroke fills fat tires easily, and the metal gauge, wide stance, and comfortable grip make it a pleasure to use when filling big tires.
―BUILT TO LAST―
Lezyne CNC Floor Drive
Everything about this pump is carefully considered. Its extra-long, nylon-reinforced hose wraps over the handle and secures to the base, which serves two purposes: It keeps the plunger from extending when not in use and prevents the hose from flopping around. The oversize gauge—the housing for which is integrated with the base—is easy to read and replace, should it someday become inaccurate or stop working altogether. The ABS 1 Pro Flip-Thread Chuck—one side for presta, the other for Schrader—secures tightly to valve stems and has a bleed button to help you set the ideal pressure. It also has a valve-core wrench, which is handy for tubeless systems. And the whole CNC-machined, aluminum package is just plain beautiful to look at. Not only has this pump stood the test of time–it’s held up to well over two years of use—the gauge performed flawlessly in our testing.
―DUAL–RANGE GAUGE FOR ALL TIRES―
Specialized Air Tool Comp V2
Specialized already makes a very good floor pump. But now it offers one of the smartest too. The Air Tool Comp V2 has a dual-range pressure gauge: Half of the gauge is for low pressures and runs from zero to 30 psi in one-psi gradients, while the other half is for high-pressure tires and runs from 30 to 120 psi in two-psi gradients. That means it’s easy to read for almost any tire without the hassle of a digital gauge and batteries. It also means a cleaner workshop: One pump can replace a mountain bike pump with a low-pressure gauge and a road bike pump with high-pressure gauge. However, the gauge leaves something to be desired when it comes to accuracy. Our testing found that it reads two psi low for pressures up to 30 psi, then reads between four and five psi low from 35 up to 100. However, the variations are consistent and repeatable, meaning the Air Tool Comp will inflate your tire the same way every time. Although we also wish the pump head had a bleed valve, we still use it regularly and appreciate its versatility across a wide range of tire sizes and widths.
―CHEAP AND DURABLE―
Bike Tube Air Handler Floor Pump
From BikeTube, an online store specializing in (surprise!) bike tubes, comes the Air Handler Floor Pump. In keeping with the rest of the products the company offers, this is a high-value and high-performing floor pump. The steel base provides a very solid platform, and the aluminum barrel resists heat expansion while keeping overall weight low. A wide handle with rubber grips feels sturdy in your hands, and the industrial-grade pressure gauge is rated to within 2 percent accuracy. This pump has been knocking around our office for 18 months and it just won’t die. The gauge isn’t perfectly accurate, but it’s consistent. It’s most off the mark at the low end of the gauge; at 45psi the pump was registering only 40 psi. But it gave more accurate readings at higher pressures. What the dial claims was 80 psi we confirmed was actually 83, but at 100 psi the pump read only one psi low. This isn’t the best option if you need to dial in precise pressure (+/- 1 psi) to high-volume tires, but it’s a great multipurpose pump.
―BEST CHEAP PUMP―
Vibrelli Bike Floor Pump
At 2 feet tall, the Vibrelli is a few inches shorter than the average floor pump, making it a more convenient travel companion. We found it easy to jigsaw into a trunk already overcrowded with bikes and gear. And since it’s so light (2.75 pounds), it won’t push your checked baggage over the airline’s weight limit. Our testing found that the gauge was accurate up to 100 psi (the max pressure our testing device will measure), although the graduations on the dial go all the way up to 160 psi. This pump is best for road and thin gravel tires. Although you can fill fat tires with the Vibrelli, it’s not a high-volume pump, so you’ll get a tricep workout filling mountain bike tires. Although the shaft is steel, the base and handle are plastic. That’s not a deal breaker, but it means the pump isn’t as robust as the more expensive ones on this list. But at this price, it’s a great value.
―BEST FOR INSTALLING TUBELESS TIRES―
Bontrager TLR Flash Charger Floor Pump
The TLR Flash Charger is a good alternative to an air compressor when it comes to installing tubeless tires. The large vertical tank can be pressurized to 160 psi, the maximum pressure read by the digital gauge. To install tubeless tires, place the nozzle on the valve, and when the tank is pressurized, flip the release lever from Charge to Inflate. Opening and closing that lever isn’t a binary choice—you can modulate the pressure as it’s released. When installing a mountain bike tire, we were nervous to blast in 160 pounds at one shot, but found it very handy to let air in, in small bursts, giving the tire time to settle. The TLR Flash Charger also works well as a traditional high-pressure pump. The digital gauge is, according to our testing, accurate up to 100 psi, which is the maximum pressure our testing device measures, and that gauge measures pressure in one-tenth increments. The pump is a little big and unwieldy to throw into the back of a car, but it’s a great tool for the home workshop.
―BEST FOR MAXIMUM TIRE PRESSURE―
Topeak Joeblow Ace DX
Most pumps are meant for either high-pressure road tires or high-volume mountain or gravel tires. Some pumps have a switch that lets you toggle between high-volume and high-pressure modes, but this one adds an intermediate setting. For inflating fat tires up to 60 pounds, use the high-volume setting. For gravel tires and most road tires, the middle setting that goes up to 120 pounds is ideal. And when you need to fully pump up track tires, you can use the high-pressure setting to set the pressure up to 260 psi. When pumping tires quickly, the gauge tends to bounce around a lot, which is slightly annoying. However, we just slowed down and it was easy to pump right up to the desired pressure without going over. The massive dial is easy to read, the large metal base is incredibly stable, and, in a departure from many pumps these days, the metal head looks good and works even better. One more bonus: The gauge measured spot-on up to 100 psi.
―BEST GAUGE FOR FILLING MTB TIRES―
Specialized Air Tool MTB
This high-volume pump is, as the name suggests, made specifically for filling mountain bike tires. The three-inch gauge goes up to only 40 psi, with big, easy-to-read markings in one-pound increments. Of all the pumps on this list, this one has the gauge that’s the easiest to use for setting a precise tire pressure. The stable metal base is the same as the Air Tool and Air Tool Comp V2. Like those pumps, the Air Tool MTB also has a metal barrel, although it’s much larger in diameter to move a higher volume of air with each stroke. And move a lot of air it does—it took us only 20 strokes to fill a 29 x 2.6-inch tire to 20 psi. The plastic handle and loose-fitting plunger give the feel of a discount product. But testing confirmed that this pump’s gauge is accurate at all points, and we consistently reach for the Air Tool when filling mountain bike tires. We wished for only one thing: a release valve to let out the pressure. Though it may seem minor, it’s incredibly useful when you’re trying to hit 17 psi and you accidentally overfill.
Mini Pumps
―BEST HIGH-VOLUME―
Topeak Mountain DA G Mini
This pump won our testing. It’s noticeably larger than the rest of the minis on this list, but it really works. Despite being best-suited for high-volume tires, it also does a solid job getting road tires back to serviceable riding pressure. And since it’s a dual-stroke type, it inflates tires extremely fast. Also, it has a built-in gauge so we were never left wondering just how much (or how little) air we had managed to cram back into our tire. For both flat repair and “Oh damn, I left my floor pump at home” moments, the Mountain DA G is a lifesaver.
―BEST HIGH-TECH MINI―
Silca Tattico Bluetooth
Not content to just turn out beautiful, exquisitely detailed, and gloriously over-the-top pumps, Silca can now claim to make one of the smartest pumps on the market. This Tattico mini-pump has a highly accurate (+/- 0.5 psi) electronic pressure sensor and a Bluetooth radio that lets the pump pair to the iGauge smartphone app which displays pressure in huge, easy-to-read numbers. The locking, lossless air chuck (presta or Schrader) is connected to a flexible hose that stores inside the pump when not in use. As soon as the pressure sensor detects a few psi, it wakes the Bluetooth up and automatically pairs the iGauge app. The 9.5-inch pump is rated up to 120psi.
―BEST RACE-DAY BACKUP―
Topeak Race Rocket MT
This pump is a great tool for riders who typically rely on CO2 cartridges but also like to have manual insurance. It’s small enough (7.3 inches) that it didn’t dominate our bike when using the bottle-cage clip, and it can also fit securely in a jersey pocket. It’s even powerful enough to get fat tires back up to pressure after a blowout, even if it does take more pumping that a larger dual-action pump like the Topeak Mountain DA G Mini. But at 125 grams, it’s much lighter. Its best feature is a long rubber hose that lives inside the pump when not in use and works with both Schrader and presta valves. That flexible hose makes the Race Rocket MT much easier to pump vigorously without fear of damaging the valve stem than pumps without a rubber hose. The only drawback is that it’s not a dual-action pump, meaning it pushes air into the tire only when depressing the plunger. But it’s light and reliable, so whether we were micro-adjusting tire pressure mid-ride or relying on it as a backup plan for when our CO2 was spent, this pump never let us down.