Another gadget

After a rare puncture a couple of weeks ago on the Saturday morning bash, I found myself pumping my spare tube up by hand and annoyed because I’d not got a CO2 canister with me. Pumped up by hand successfully but sweating hard and after an all out solo TT to the end I caught the lads up at the finish and explained.

Phil, an old friend (we’ve raced together on and off for over 30 years) said I needed a mini compressor and showed me his. I had seen these, they have been round for a while but I’ve always thought of them a bit gimmicky, bulky and a bit overkill for what a relatively simple CO2 canister can do. However, seeing and holding one did the worst thing it can do for me. It planted a seed and I knew I just had to get one to try. Cue the research.

I was straight into Google and researching USB Mini-compressors. Firstly there are quite a few on the market ranging from unknown Chinese brands to mainstream brands. I read a few reviews from some respected cycling media and came down to a binary decision. Do I want all the features (digital pressure guage, auto shut off, more inflations per charge) or do I just want to replace my CO2 canister or mini-pump?

After some deliberation whether I would use one to replace my track/floor pump at home, I decided I probably wouldn’t (a better track pump is on my shopping list too) so I decided to go for minimal and as light and cheap as possible in case I didn’t like it.

In then end I went for the Airbank based on a Best Budget review from Cycling Weekly.

It’s small, very light (93g), cheap and simple to use. It’s on, off or charging (a full charge by USB-C is less than 30 mins). It fit’s easily in my bottle cage pack or pocket which has allowed me to remove my original mini-pump from the bike and operating it is simple. Just a couple of presses of the button and it’s on, press again for off. The rounded profile make the ergonomics of holding it while pumping good too. My only gripes, which were highlighted in the review, are that the charging light is in the button so you can’t see it during operation because it’s pointing down or under your finger and the charging port is exposed but to be honest that’s just been pedantic, it’s great. It’ll pump up a 28mm tyre hard enough to ride home in under a minute. When I’m out on the road doing an emergency repair, I don’t think I’m worried about a specific pressure. I’ve been fine squeezing the tyre for the last 35 years and I don’t think that will change.

They do give me slight anxiety though. They rely on a battery which they say has enough capacity for 3-4 inflations. What happens if the battery runs out? I’m definitely overthinking it but I think if I went on a bike tour I’d have to have a CO2 and/or mini pump as a backup for peace of mind but for general riding, I think, for now, it’s a bit of a no-brainer.

Mine cost me £40 from Amazon but they have 15% off at the moment which is a bargain.

Maybe I will go fully electric some day and ditch the Floor pump, but there is something traditional about pumping my tyres up that way. It’s a 35 year old habit that’s hard to stop and at twice the price I paid, for a pressure guage, electric can wait for now.

Adios