Best bike pumps 2024: Floor pumps and mini pumps for every occasion

Pumping tyres up and fixing punctures are a couple of the more tedious bike maintenance tasks, but the difference between using a good and bad pump is immense. A well-designed pump is efficient and comfortable to use whereas a poor pump will take many more strokes to reach pressure and feel awkward in the hand.

Track (or floor) pumps are intended for use at home or in the workshop. With a large barrel and two-handed handle, they quickly inflate road or gravel tyres with minimal effort and can even be used to pop compliant tubeless tyres onto the rim. They will usually have a pressure gauge (although the accuracy of these can vary somewhat) and include foot plates to stand on to keep the pump stable when in use.

Mini pumps on the other hand are small, light and portable for use when out riding in the event of a puncture or loss of pressure. They take many more strokes to inflate a tyre fully and definitely can’t be used to get a tubeless tyre up onto the rim. Some mini pumps push directly onto the valve whilst others include a short hose and a few offer a pressure gauge (usually even less reliable than those on a track pump). CO2 canisters can also be carried and used mid-ride, but are a one-shot affair, whilst a mini pump can be used time and time again if a puncture is being difficult.

The Quick List

Best bike pumps: Mini pumps

Best for quick inflation

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

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 only 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 function 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

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

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

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 it. 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 for features

The EnCase from Wolf Tooth Components is a beautifully made mini pump that can be bought as a pump only, with a tyre plug or with a multi-tool in the handle.

We loved the construction and functionality but found using it a bit fiddly at times. It is nearly all aluminium, so feels robust and well made whilst the Envirolock feature promises to keep out any water and mud. Unfortunately, the Enivirolock collar made the pump a little bit uncomfortable and awkward to use.

The multi-tool version which we tested includes Allen heads (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm); Torx heads (T10, T25, T30), Phillips and flat-head screwdriver bits; plus spoke wrench and valve core wrench along with a tubeless tyre plug insertion tool plus a selection of plugs, and a chain tool.

We struggled a little bit with extracting the tools from the pump, and certainly wouldn't fancy it with cold, wet fingers, but once out the tools were easy enough to use. Oh, and it is rather pricey.

Read the full review.

Best bike pumps: Floor pumps

Best for tubeless

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

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'

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 pressures 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 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 simple to get lower pressure in gravel tyres too.

Read more: Specialized Air Tool Comp Floor Pump full review

Best for rapid inflation

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

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 it will require a lot of storage space when not in use and is far from ideal for travel.

Best for workshop use

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 in 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

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

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 230 psi.

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

An Editor's Choice pick, Lezyne's gravel tyre pump adds more air per stroke than road-oriented pumps, 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 most 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 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.