Best bike pumps 2024: Floor pumps and mini pumps for every occasion
With one of the best bike pumps, mending punctures and keeping your tyres topped up will be a breeze
- The Quick List
- Best mini pumps
- 1. Quickest inflation
- 2. Best all-rounder
- 3. Easiest to stow
- 5. Best for accuracy
- 6. Least effort
- Best floor pumps
- 1. Best for tubeless
- 2. Best gauge
- 3. Best for 'any tyre'
- 4. Quickest inflation
- 5. Best stability
- 6. Best for workshop
- 7. Best on a budget
- 8. Best for durability
- 9. Best for high volume
- Advice
- How we test
Whether you are fixing a puncture by the side of the road or adjusting your tye pressures at home, a good pump will make life a whole lot simpler. It is well worth spending money on a decent pump as it will give years of service and be a pleasure to use.
Track pumps are designed for home or workshop use, and can inflate a tyre to a high pressure with very little effort. They should include an accurate gauge so that the perfect pressure is easy to achieve. In contrast, mini pumps have to be small and light enough to be carried in a pocket or saddle bag, but probably won’t be used as much as a track pump. They still need to be reliable and able to achieve decent pressures, even if only used in ‘get-me-home’ scenarios.
Both have important roles to play in a cyclist's life, with the best bike pump forming the very foundation of every safe and enjoyable bike ride. If you are getting lots of punctures, you might find it's also time to invest in a pair of the best road bike tyres, or if you're more of an adventure cyclist, the best gravel bike tyres and to think more specifically about tubeless tyres.
We've tested a wide range of pumps, both mini and floor, over the years. Putting them through their paces means not only measuring how efficiently they inflate a tyre but also the accuracy of the dial, the ease of use and the quality of the build among many others. This list features our favourite pumps for home use and carrying on the bike.
The Quick List
Mini pumps
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Best for quick inflation
Best for quick inflation
Delivers plenty of volume per stroke. Lightweight but too long to carry in your pocket so you'll need to use the frame mount.
Best all-rounder
Best all-rounder
Balancing performance with a an easy-to-stow size, it weighs under 100g and can inflate to 100psi in around 200 strokes.
Easiest to stow
Easiest to stow
At just 160mm long and 65g, it might even be compact enough to fit in your saddlebag. Despite it's size its comfortable to use.
Floor pumps
Best for tubeless
Best for tubeless
The two-stage tech allows you to first remove the valve core to get more air into the tyre for better tubeless seating.
Best gauge
Best gauge
The large gauge is easy to read and accurate, while the pump as a whole is well put together and keenly priced.
Best for 'any tyre'
Best for 'any tyre'
The SwitchHitter head auto-adapts to the valve type while the dual-scale gauge makes it easy to get lower pressure in gravel tyres.
Best bike pumps: Mini pumps
Best for quick inflation
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The design of the Specialized Air Tool Road centres around maximising the volume of air it delivers relative to its size, to make inflating your tyres as quick as possible.
It's lightweight (99g) but long so you'll need to make use of the frame mount to carry as it won't fit in your pocket.
We found that the head fits really snuggly over the valve but is limited to Presta valves only. During our testing we also felt that the minimalist design does make it a bit more tricky to hold firmly but once you've got your hands in position it's quick and easy to get more than enough air back in your tyres.
Read more: Specialized Air Tool Road mini pump full review
Best all-rounder
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The Lezyne Carbon Drive Lite Mini pump is perfect for anyone wanting to balance the need to carry an effective pump without a weight penalty.
Capable of both Presta and Schrader valves, this lightweight carbon bike mini pump comes with a hose extension stored in the barrel to give a slight distance between the wheel and pump for ease of use.
At 17cm long, it's shorter than others but on test we found that it took 200 strokes to go from flat to 100psi, which is far better than most of a similar size.
The downside is that in order to reach such a high psi, the pump does become uncomfortable to hold, and it is pretty awkward to attach to the valve in the first place.
Should you over-pump, there's a pressure relief button that allows you to let some air out. This tiny pump is small enough to slot into a pocket but also comes with a mount that can be attached to a bottle cage.
It's not the cheapest bike pump by any stretch, but if you want functions and performance as well, this is one of the best mini bike pumps out there.
Read more: Lezyne Carbon Drive Lite bike pump full review
Easiest to stow
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
A light aluminium construction, this pump is connected directly to the valve, without the need for any assembly or an extra hose.
At just 160mm long and weighing only 65g, it is one of the smallest bike pumps on the market, and easy to fit in a jersey pocket or even a saddle bag. If you are already packed to the rafters, the mini pump even comes with a frame mounting kit for either side of the bottle cage, or an optional extra centreline mount (although check the brackets fit on your tubing shape before investing).
The claimed 160psi seems slightly ambitious, as on test 200 strokes only got us to just above 60psi on a 23mm tyre. It's more than enough to get you home or back to race HQ, but not as impressive as the Lezyne Carbon Drive Lite Mini pump, although to be fair it was comfortable in the hands when using.
Read more: Topeak Microrocket AL bike pump full review
Best for accuracy
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
A digital gauge on this mini pump from Lezyne will give you accurate tyre pressure measurements to a realistic and achievable maximum inflation capacity of 90psi, out in the middle of nowhere.
On test, we found that the hard-wearing aluminium pump was swift and efficient at reaching desired PSIs and, cross-checked with a regular gauge, accurate, too.
Its length and weight are more than some of the other bike pumps, especially when compared to the likes of the iPump Twist mini pump or Topeak Micro Rocket AL mini pump but it can still easily fit in a jersey pocket - just watch for losing the dust cap.
It's a great bike pump for several reasons. But if the price is putting you off, it's worth bearing in mind that it can potentially save you the additional outlay of having to purchase a pressure gauge.
Read more: Lezyne Digital Alloy Drive mini bike pump full review.
Least effort
Cycplus Cube Mini Bike Tyre Inflator
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Something a little bit different, the Cycplus Cube Mini is designed to be a speedier tyre inflator than a conventional mini pump, as well as being able to replace a brace of CO2 cartridges and chuck, yet be able to be quickly recharged using its USB-C port. It's also ideal for riders who might struggle to inflate a tyre to the correct pressure using just a mini-pump. The sturdy aluminium case can fit a silicone sleeve (included) to further protect the pump. The Cube Mini can be used with either Presta or Schrader valve types too, up to a maximum of 100 psi.
The pump is simple in operation with just one button, which powers the unit on and off, getting it to inflate, as well as glowing different colours to let you know the state of charge. In use, you reach the desired pressure by following the guide timings from Cycplus, which were accurate. For example, pumping a 700x25c tyre to 80psi takes 90 seconds. As the pump has around 200 seconds of usage time per full charge, this means that you could pump the tyre up twice before needing to recharge the unit. The charging time is quick at 20 minutes from a standard 5v/1amp phone charger using the provided USB-C cable. If you have a larger capacity tyre or need higher pressures the the timings will vary, and many scenarios are quoted by Cycplus in the manual. You can expect between 1 and 4 inflations, depending on your tyre size and pressure, per charge.
The one area that I'd like to see improved is that when set for Presta valves the pin used for Schrader valves is removed, rather than being reversed, as is normal in mini-pumps. This tiny part runs the risk of being lost unless you are very careful. This is a shame. I only use Presta valves, so I set it to that mode and put the pin safely in my toolbox, but I'd prefer to carry it in the pump just in case I need to help someone out on the road. You can leave it in Schrader mode, but reverse it as you need it, however.
Otherwise, a good little tool as long as you're happy with limited tries to fix that puncture, but if you use CO2 already that shouldn't be a problem. If you're risk averse then maybe a mini pump is the safer bet even if you'll be there pumping away for longer than 90 seconds.
Best bike pumps: Floor pumps
Best for tubeless
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The Tubi 2Stage pump incorporates a knurled knob to remove a Presta valve core so that you can get more air into a tubeless tyre more quickly, promoting seating. That's Stage 1. You can then refit the core and flip a switch to get things up to operating pressure using Stage 2. There's an adapter if you want to pump Schrader valved tubes.
The system works well, but we did find that the overall number of strokes needed to inflate a tyre was a bit more than with a standard pump.
Read more: Topeak JoeBlow Tubi 2Stage bike pump full review
Best gauge
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Cannondale’s Precise Floor pump is a very effective and powerful floor pump, thanks to its large shaft and long stroke allowing for a large volume of air to be delivered per pump. It can pump 25mm tyres up to pressure in 20 pumps, rather than the 30 it took for a competitor pump at a similar price point. We also found enough air was delivered to seat tubeless tyres on occasion.
The pump head works with both Presta or Schrader valves, includes a bleed capacity to get pressure to an exact amount, and also doesn’t require too much of the valve to be exposed to get a good grip on it.
The big selling point of the pump is the large pressure gauge – which is significantly larger than that of competitors. This scale is enlarged for the first 40 PSI, so that you can be very precise with larger volume tyres which require lower PSIs. The scale then goes up to 145 PSI, so possibly not enough for track riders, but more than enough for most cyclists.
Value-wise, the Precise Floor pump comes in at a pretty good level. It performs better than other similarly priced pumps – and as good as or better than more expensive ones. Although not made of any fancy, shiny materials as some more expensive options are, it is rugged and effective at its job. Overall, it is a great track pump and well worth the investment.
Read more: Cannondale Precise Floor Pump full review
Best for 'any tyre'
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Having a flat or changing tyres is one of the simpler but probably most frustrating jobs for the home mechanic. The range of different volumes and pressure of tyres and more than one valve type can all add to this.
The Specialized Air Tool Comp Floor Pump isn't going to inflate your tyres for you, but it does do a pretty good job of minimising the fuss of inflating tyres regardless of your valve, tyre pressure and volume.
The SwitchHitter II head automatically adapts to Presta and Schrader valves taking away any fiddling or even remembering which one is which. The Air Tool has a max pressure of 120psi which is easy to achieve and the dual-scale gauge makes it easy to get lower pressure in gravel tyres too.
Read more: Specialized Air Tool Comp Floor Pump full review
Best for rapid inflation
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
This does feel a little like a Topeak buyer's guide, but it shows how much we rate the brand's bike pumps, as arguably what Garmin GPSs are to the best cycling computers.
The Topeak JoeBlow Ace DX towers over many other pumps not only in height but in capability too. We found that in its '60' setting the Ace DX inflated our test 700x25c tubeless tyre to 100psi in 11 monster strokes making it the best bike floor pump for swiftly inflating your tyre.
While the lower pressures are easily reached, it's worth noting that on test it took a lot of leaning on to get much more air in per stroke once it got beyond 60psi.
It is an excellent performer and features a bleed valve that lets air out the tyre rather than just the hose - which is useful for getting pressure spot on.
The only downsides are that for the price it doesn't offer tubeless tyre inflation capabilities and with the benefits that a huge visual gauge brings, it also means a large footprint, making stowing away neatly at home a challenge.
Read more: Topeak JoeBlow Ace DX bike pump full review
Best for stability
5. Zefal Profil Max FP60 Track Pump
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The follow-up to the successful Zefal Profil Max FP50, the semi-classic looking FP60 now features a sophisticated wooden handle to go with its high-pressure efficiency, which according to the brand should be around 174psi/ 12Bar.
With its Z-switch system, the French brand says it's easy to change from Presta to Schrader valves. In a break from its traditional-looking upper, the bottom half is more functional, featuring a gauge with a magnifying lens, to help make gauge readings significantly easier, although we're unsure what the bright red ring to highlight the gauge in general brings to form or function.
The wide base and sensible chamber height will make this one of the best bike floor pumps for stability, especially when compared to the smaller, single-footed Lezyne Steel Travel Drive Track Pump, but will require a lot of storage space when not in use and is far from ideal for travel.
Best for workshop use
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
We found the Topeak JoeBlow Booster to be as close to a professional floor pump as you can get.
This does make it one of the more expensive options from Topeak, and a fair bit more than the Blackburn Chamber Tubeless floor pump, both of which come with a reservoir tube that holds air in, so it's the perfect option for seating tubeless tyres.
Its ease of use and easy-to-read gauge make tubeless conversions or tyre changes a doddle, and well worth investing if you intend on riding without inner tubes for the foreseeable future, but it might be a bit too much if you're not totally sold on a tubeless setup, or just want to use as a standard pump.
It stands 30in/ 75cm tall and weighs 7.3lbs/ 3.3kg, so it’s not something you’re likely to want to lug around with you, but perfect for leaving in the garage or home workshop. This is certainly a good, reliable option if you're serious about going tubeless.
Read more: JoeBlow Booster reservoir bike pump full review
Best on a budget
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
If you're looking for something a little less pricey than the dual-compatible pro-home Topeak Joeblow Booster floor pump, then this is the one. Finished with a steel barrel and a quality gauge, the JoeBlow Max II track pump is a great bike floor pump that meets all your basic needs, but limiting its extra functionality keeps the cost down.
On test we found that it took just 19 strokes to get a 23mm tyre up to 100psi, which makes it a very efficient pump.
The pump comes with a plastic twin-sided head that works with both Presta and Schrader valves and has a lever to lock it onto the valve securely.
There are even replacement parts available should anything stop working, making it a good long-term choice too.
Read more: Topeak JoeBlow Max II bike pump full review
Best for durability
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The Rennkompressor is a beautiful and timeless bike floor pump with a steel barrel and tactile wooden handle. Although there are more practical modern pumps out there with larger pressure gauges, this icon pump still delivers and is capable of pressures up to 230psi.
Here at Cycling Weekly, we've had one of these live for over 25 years, having a very hard life travelling the world as part of a semi-pro bike mechanic's set-up for race teams and home use, only meeting its demise once caught in a garage flood.
There are four valve head connectors on offer with this pump: Multi-valve, Thumb lock, EVA Head, and Brass Nipple Connector. In terms of performance, it took 40 pumps of the SKS Rennkompressor track pump to inflate the tyre from near flat to 100psi, which is respectable but not class-leading.
More modern pumps with plastic composite feet, such as the Topeak JoeBlow Max II Track Pump, are more stable, and there are pumps with bigger gauges, such as the Blackburn Chamber floor pump, but for lifelong dedication, you can't get better.
Read more: SKS Rennkompressor bike pump full review
Best for high volume tyres
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
An Editor's Choice pick, Lezyne's gravel tyre pump adds more air per stroke than a more road-oriented pump, so it's good for higher volume tyres and may help achieve easier seating of tubeless tyres as well. It's made of aluminium and there's even an integrated valve core tool.
The digital pressure gauge means that you can get precisely the pressure you need for off-road riding, where getting it just right, even down to the nearest 0.5psi, is more important than with road bike tyres. Although designed for gravel tyres, the 100psi maximum rating means that it's more than adequate for road bike tyres as well.
Read more: Lezyne Gravel Digital Drive Pro bike pump full review
Buyer's guide to the best bike pumps
How do I choose a bike pump? Mini pumps versus floor pumps
Fundamentally there are three different ways to inflate your bike tyres. We have lots of detailed information below, but as a quick summary:
Mini pump - The best portable bike pump will balance the ability to inflate your rubber and being small enough to carry in your rear pocket or stow on the frame. Your riding priorities will help you focus your decision here as, like all bike pumps, each one will lean towards a specific talent, eg micro size and weight, but not great at achieving much more than getting you home tyre pressure, or great PSI capabilities but heavier and frame mounted.
Floor pump (aka track pump) - In the main, this is a stay-home pump and the best way to achieve higher pressures, especially when going from totally flat. Most will include a pressure gauge so you can make sure your tyres are properly inflated before heading out for your ride. Some floor pumps include an 'air chamber' which can be pumped to high pressures in order to seat tubeless tyres. You may see them called reservoir pumps.
CO2 Inflator - Technically this isn't a pump as it contains compressed gas, which can reach up to 120psi in seconds. There are pros and cons to this system, more of which is explained in detail on our page dedicated to the best CO2 inflators.
What is a mini bike pump?
A mini pump is a bicycle pump that is small enough to fit in your back pocket so you can always take it with you on a ride. As a minimum, it needs to pack enough punch that when you get a flat you can get home comfortably without bottoming out your rim on the road if the going gets bumpy – around 40psi minimum.
Ideally, it should allow you to get enough air into your tyre that you can continue your ride in comfort and so your tyre doesn’t feel overly squishy – which for a 23mm clincher means reaching near 80psi, or 70psi on a 25mm tyre.
Ideally pumping up a tyre with a mini pump won't leave you so exhausted you need to go lie down before you hit the road again.
Some mini pumps are like shorter traditional pumps with a hose which is screwed into the barrel and onto the valve before use. Others have an integrated adaptor that pushes directly onto the valve and is secured by a locking lever.
Many now have a hose integrated into the pump itself, typically stored in the barrel. This design means that the hose extends from the handle, which is held steady in use, while the pump is operated by pushing and pulling on the barrel. In practice, this arrangement has no real disadvantages.
With any mini pump, there is a compromise between compact dimensions and usability, with a longer pump being easier to stroke than a shorter one, as it takes less effort to reach higher pressures and you can pump more air volume for each stroke.
If you have invested in one of the best road bikes already, the price of a decent mini pump will seem like a small outlay in order to ensure you enjoy every ride on it.
Getting up above 80psi with a short or inefficient pump can become very hard work and you may need to take a rest in the middle before completing the task.
What are the best mini bike pumps?
Buying the best mini pump will depend on what sort of riding you do, indeed you might even find you need a couple of mini bike pumps.
Long barrelled mini pumps will be a heavier option, but best for getting tyres back up to a decent pressure swiftly, ideal for long club runs, to save hanging around too long in cold weather, or on more adventurous bike rides when it's further than a short slow scoot back to civilisation.
An uber-lightweight micro pump lends itself to a 'just in case' option; the perfect bike pump for summer racing and events. It won't penalise you weight-wise, or take up vital energy gel space, but will be limited to providing 'just enough' pressure to your tyres in order to get you back to the broom wagon or race HQ without incurring damage to a pair of the best road bike wheels.
What is a bike floor pump?
Inflating your tyres with a mini-pump before you set out is an option, but you'll soon realise that it's hard work and you'll probably tire before reaching a high enough pressure for a road tyre. If you intend to use it for a track bike, it will need to reach much higher pressures than a mini pump will ever be capable of.
A floor pump will make things a lot quicker, easier and more comfortable. With a pressure gauge, and often an air bleed button, you'll be accurately able to determine your tyre’s pressure to get it perfect for your ride preferences.
For those who ride off-road, either on a mountain bike, a cyclocross or gravel/bikepacking rig, getting the tyre pressure just right is even more important because it is critical to ensuring grip in loose conditions and, if you are using inner tubes, avoiding pinch flats.
A bike floor pump will provide versatile inflation options. Most road, gravel and mountain bikes will come with Presta valves (either inner tubes or tubeless valves). But many entry-level and children's bikes come with Schrader rather than Presta valves, and the best bike floor pumps will be compatible with both types.
The third most common type is a Dunlop valve, which looks like a combination of both but is not often seen on bikes in the US or UK.
The best bike floor pumps will have a stable base and a metal barrel, which is perfect for longevity and pumping efficiency. When buying your floor pump, make sure the handle is comfortable and wide enough so that its ends don’t dig into your hands.
It can be helpful to have a long hose on a pump so that you can find somewhere stable to place the pump body without needing to move the bike.
If you use a bike stand, a long hose helps access the valve while the bike is lifted off the ground, without having to fiddle around with the valve’s position.
However, hoses are more elastic than the chamber, so will lose some of the pressure the longer they are - so if extreme pressure is vital for you, select a bike floor pump that doesn't have reams of hoses.
What is the best bike floor pump?
The important thing is to get the right one to meet your needs, whether it's tubeless tyre seating capabilities, a large gauge for ease of reading, swift inflation - or even all of these at once.
The key to finding the best bike floor pump for you is listing your non-negotiables, then nice to haves - this will help you work out your priorities.
For example, if tubeless compatibility is vital, you might have to accept that it's not going to be something you can neatly pop on a shelf, and you might have to dig a bit deeper into your wallet.
The above pumps all have their best features highlighted to help you filter out which one is right for you, including tubeless compatibility and maximum PSI/pressure capabilities.
Word of warning: where a PSI is claimed it's worth erring on the side of caution. Just because technically a pump can reach such dizzying high-pressure numbers, doesn't mean that you can, particularly for mini pumps. If you're without upper body strength, you might struggle to actually force the air into a tyre once you reach anything above 80psi (5.51 bar).
Do I need a mini bike pump if I have CO2 cartridges?
Everyone needs a pump. A mini pump will still be a lighter and much cheaper option than CO2 cartridges. And even if you take a CO2 inflator to speed up getting back on the road, you may still need a fall-back option to get you home if you get multiple flats.
A mini pump should be pocketable or attachable unobtrusively beside your bottle cage — that way it's always attached to your bike and ready for action when the inevitable happens.
The pump usually clicks into the mount and is secured with a Velcro and/or a rubber strap. It is likely to get mucky if you keep it here though, particularly in the wet or if you're headed towards unpaved roads.
Protection of the valve connector and sealing between the barrel and handle are important considerations if you plan to use the frame mount.
Some are so small that they will fit into a saddle pack, although pump stroke and efficiency are likely to suffer in such a short pump.
For pre-ride inflation, we would always recommend a good track pump with a gauge.
How we test
We have a dedicated team of testers here at Cycling Weekly, whose job is to review a whole range of cycling products and to write objective reviews of their experience of using them day in day out in a whole range of conditions.
With huge experience, they're really well placed to compare products, identify their strengths and weaknesses and bring you an honest, unbiased assessment of how they perform.
When it comes to cycling pumps we've tested them for an extended period period of time to best assess their performance. For both track pumps and mini pumps we've looked at a number of factors including the stroke volume, the chuck design and the general ease of use. For mini-pumps we've also factored in their weight, how easy they are to carry on a ride and just how efficiently they'll help you get back on the road.
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Hannah is Cycling Weekly’s longest-serving tech writer, having started with the magazine back in 2011. She has covered all things technical for both print and digital over multiple seasons representing CW at spring Classics, and Grand Tours and all races in between.
Hannah was a successful road and track racer herself, competing in UCI races all over Europe as well as in China, Pakistan and New Zealand.
For fun, she's ridden LEJOG unaided, a lap of Majorca in a day, won a 24-hour mountain bike race and tackled famous mountain passes in the French Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites and Himalayas.
She lives just outside the Peak District National Park near Manchester UK with her partner, daughter and a small but beautifully formed bike collection.
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