MBR Mountain Bike Rider

Conclusion

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We’ve measured the efficiency of all the pumps on test and listed this in the table below. But to be honest, any of the shock and track pumps will do the job and get your suspension and tyres up to pressure, it’ll just take longer and require a bit more energy with some. Even a High Pressure (HP) pump like the Blackburn Core will get the job done. The only problem you may encounter when using an HP pump is when seating tubeless tyres, because it may not have enough volume per stroke to push the bead from the centre well to the bead hook. However, it all depends on your tyre and rim combo.

If you are running tubeless, or considerin­g investing in the technology, the Lifeline Airblast is a great place to start. It charges quickly and delivers a good blast of air that’s more than enough to seat most tyres. Comparably, the Lezyne Pressure Overdrive literally explodes the bead onto the rim, but we haven’t rated that as highly because it’s a lot more expensive – it’s excellent quality but you could buy a tubeless pump, regular track pump, a shock pump and a mini-pump for the same money.

Price was the key difference between the Bontrager Dual Charger and Specialize­d

Air Tool MTB. The Air Tool is really easy to use and has a big gauge and big volume, but is expensive for the features you get.

We love the low-pressure, easy-to-read dial and the speed with which it inflates a tyre, but the Dual Charger is nearly half the price and it’s just as quick out of the blocks. Besides, having HP and HV settings on the Dual Charger at the flick of a switch offers greater versatilit­y.

Topeak is big on invention and its Joe Blow Tubi 2Stage is definitely innovative, but what it does can be achieved with a regular pump, a cheap valve extractor and a bit more time. They say time is money, but with the Joe Blow Tubi 2Stage, it just depends on how much you want to spend.

In the shock pump department, we’ll talk about the two outliers first – the Birzman Macht and the Truflo Mini/shock. Both fill a niche – they’re pumps that you take with you on a ride. Does that suggest you have a regular shock pump back at base? We think it does, and with the price of these pumps you could easily add something like the Lifeline to your arsenal and still undercut the Cane Creek and Topeak. In fact, what surprised us most in this test was just the cost of these two shock pumps. When did a shock pump cost more than a track pump?!

At £55, the Lezyne Shock Drive is midpack in terms of price, but what gets it on the podium is the fact that the quality is the same as the £80 pump. It’s also smooth, efficient and while the gauge is only analogue, it has a bigger range.

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