GIANT CONTROL TOWER PRO BOOST
£89.99 Beefed-up power pump
Giant’s Control Tower Pro Boost is undoubtedly a quality floor pump for the money. Its all-metal barrel and base add heft (it weighs in at 1.9kg) and, when combined with the 27cm diameter of the triplefooted base, it’s certainly stable. The large 10cm analogue dial displaying psi and bar scales is easy to read, while the 115cm hose is just about long enough to reach your bike when mounted above ground in a workstand.
At 695mm tall, plenty of air is displaced by each stroke (369cc claims Giant). The barrel is the reverse of a standard track pump, so instead of having a thinner rod attached to the handle leading down to the plunger, it sits outside of the wide 28mm barrel, making for a very stable stroke even when pushing to high pressures. We inflated a 28c road tyre to 80psi in 25 strokes, and the large barrel diameter means it doesn’t take much effort to pump the plunger. The dual-fit chuck works on both Presta and Schrader valves, and the flip-lock holds it securely in place so you can tune your pressure using the blow-off valve button at the base of the hose.
A neat feature is the lever at the foot of the barrel which, when pressed, converts the pump into an air-tank designed for fast inflation to help seat tubeless tyres. With the lever down, you can charge the pump up to 200psi on the gauge, then flip the lever up to deliver a shot of air to quickly inflate and seat a tubeless tyre.
The only issue we have with the Control Tower is the plastic handle. It’s well-shaped enough, but the lightly textured surface isn’t that great to grip and on hot days it can be a little slippy. We modified ours by reusing some old bar tape to make for a better handhold.
Giant may not be the first name you think of when it comes to pumps, but this one is wellmade, stable, sturdy and fully featured.