The best bike pump is an indispensable piece of any bike tool kit. Whether it's getting your tire pressures right at home, critical to having a good ride, or the ability to inflate a flat tire mid-ride, owning a top quality bike pump will be one of the best investments you make as a cyclist.
Achieving just the right level of air pressure pre-ride will be easy to achieve with a good, quality floor pump (also known as a track pump) while getting you home safely post puncture will be the responsibility of a mini pump you can take with you on your ride.
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 tires, or if you're more of an adventure cyclist, the best gravel bike tires and to think about going tubeless.
An ideal floor pump will enable you to get tire pressure just right for each ride, adjusting for conditions. In winter, you should run lower pressures to improve grip on wet roads, whereas in summer slightly higher pressure means less rolling resistance and helps you cover longer distances more easily.
A mini pump is hopefully more of an insurance purchase, and one of those items that you won’t use often. When you do require its use, it'll be worth its weight in gold. There’s not much worse than getting a puncture mid-ride and discovering that your pump is woefully inadequate, resulting in a ruined ride on squishy tires, after a half-hour long arm workout as you desperately try to reach an acceptable pressure level to get home on.
A quick note on valve types. You'll need to make sure that the pump you choose is compatible with the valve of your inner tube. For the vast majority of you this is likely to be a Presta valve. Theses are created for higher pressures and are distinguished by their long, slim profile and valve head that is unscrewed before inflation. It's also the standard used for the majority of tubeless set-ups. The other common valve type is the Schrader; shorter, fatter and easily recognised by drivers as the default valve for cars.
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 tire but also the accuracy of the dial, the ease of use and the quality of he build among many others. This list features our favourite pumps for home use and carrying on the bike.
What are the best mini pumps and floor pumps?
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When it comes to mini pumps there are two criteria that you'll probably focus on above all others: size and inflation time.
If you're primary concern is finding a small pump that's easy to stow away in your jersey pocket then the Topeak Microrocket AL is hard to beat. It measures just 160mm long and weighs only 65g.
However, if you're after a mini pump that will help get you back on the road in the shortest time, then we'd recommend Specialized Air Tool Road. It delivers 60cc of air per stroke, which allowed us to inflate a tubeless road tire to 65psi in 120 strokes, some 80 less than the Microrocket AL. However, this does make for a larger pump, with the Air Tool measures 270mm in length and weighing just under 100g.
Given the growing propensity for tubeless tires on both the best gravel bikes and the best road bikes, when it comes to the best floor pump our choice is Topeak's Tubi 2Stage pump, which features a knurled knob to remove a presta valve core so you can get more air into your tire quickly. Likewise, for high-volume gravel tires, the Lezyne Gravel Digital Drive Pro is also a good fit.
If you're after a floor pump well-suited to road tires fitted with inner tubes then the Specialized Air Tool Comp Floor Pump is ultra reliable, with a 120psi maximum that's easy to reach should you need it.
Best bike pumps: Mini pumps
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 tires 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.
The head fits really snuggly over the valve but is limited to Presta valves only. The minimal 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 tires.
Read more: Specialized Air Tool Road mini pump full review
The Lezyne Carbon Drive Lite Mini pump is the perfect cycling accessory for anyone wanting to balance the need of carrying 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, such as the LifeLine Performance Road mini pump, 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 down side 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're wanting 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
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 keen, as on test 200 strokes only got us to just above 60psi on a 23mm tire. 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
Technically we wouldn't really include a product that hadn't hit high scores on test, but the iPump Twist mini pump will appeal to a lot of riders, so it's good to know what you're getting in the claimed 'world's lightest bike air pump' and where you'll have to decide if the performance compromises are worth it.
Tipping the scales at just 25g, it really will be hard to beat the barely-there mini bike pump on weight. Even the best CO2 inflators will struggle to beat this flyweight, and of course, it's arguably more environmentally friendly in that it's reusable.
A thin, Presta-only hose is pulled out of the handle when it comes time to put it to use, which does increase the usability of the full carbon fibre pump, and helps to keep that weight to the same as most energy gels.
On test however, we found 200 strokes only got us to 60psi, but this alone took quite a lot of effort, and the body of the pump became quite hot.
It's a mixed review, but if you're just looking for an emergency option and saving weight and space are your priorities (and truth be told you're just showing willing that you do carry a pump, but know that you'll borrow the bigger and heavier option that your cycling mate always carries) then it might suit you just fine.
Read more: iPump Twist mini bike pump full review
A digital gauge on this mini pump from Lezyne will give you accurate tire 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 PSI's, more than just get you home levels and, cross checked with a regular gauge, actually really accurate.
Its length and weight are heavier 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 sight of 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, assuming of course that you are not wanting to seek psi's over the maximum volume.
Read more: Lezyne Digital Alloy Drive mini bike pump full review.
Similar to the Topeak Mini Morph G mini pump, this mini pump from LifeLine falls in the middle ground between mini and floor pump.
Too long (295mm) to fit in your jersey, the frame mounted bike pump comes with a fold out foot peg and handle allowing for a vertical stroke, which should make it easier, like with the Topeak, to reach higher tire pressures.
With no gauge, an exact PSI will be tricky to reach, but if you are in tune with your own tire squish readings then it's a great option for anyone on a budget.
The frame mounted aspect will mean possible bottle cage loss, or replacement with a side opening version, but it's potentially another great bike pump option for riders who need to ensure they are able to reach high volumes while out on the road or trails.
Best bike pumps: Floor pumps
The Tubi 2Stage pump incorporates a knurled knob to remove a presta valve core, so that you can get more air into a tubeless tire 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 tire was a bit longer than with a standard pump.
Read more: Topeak JoeBlow Tubi 2Stage bike pump full review
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 tires up to pressure in 20 pumps, rather than the 30 it took for a competitor pump at a similar price point, which our reviewer tested in comparison. Our tester also found enough air was delivered to seat tubeless tires 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. Our tester also found enough air was delivered to seat tubeless tires, on occasion.
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 tires 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 riders.
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
Having a flat or changing tires is one of the more simple but probably most frustrating jobs for the home mechanic. The range of different volume and pressure of tyres and more than one valve type can all add in to this.
The Specialized Air Tool Comp Floor Pump isn't going to inflate your tires for you, but it does do a pretty good job of minimising the fuss of inflating tires regardless of your valve, tire 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 120 psi which is easy to achieve and the dual-scale gauge makes it easy to get lower pressure in gravel tires too.
Read more: Specialized Air Tool Comp Floor Pump full review
This does feel a little like a Topeak buyer's guide, but it does show 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 tire to 100psi in 11 monster strokes making it the best bike floor pump for swiftly inflating your tire.
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 tire 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 tire 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
The follow up to the successful Zefal Profil Max FP50 (opens in new tab), 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.
Read more: Zefal Profil Max Fp50 bike pump full review
If you're looking for one do it all floor pump, this is it. The Blackburn Chamber will, according to the brand, easily seat tubeless tires as well as give them just an air top up with the flip of a switch changing from chamber to regular floor pump.
This is also the perfect bike floor pump for anyone who is finickity about tire pressure, coming with a handy air bleed button on the pump head for micro adjusting pressure to get it just right.
We love the idea of being able to switch out the standard handle for a pair of your favourite bike handlebars thanks to the 31.8mm stem clamp. It might not provide any extra pump performance, but does give it excellent individuality for your home workshop.
The extra long 4ft of hose should give you enough floor space to effectively pressurise and use (as well as a decent safety distance for tubeless tire conversion incidents), although this could mean a slight loss of pressure in the hose.
It isn't the smallest footprint, and it's also not the cheapest on the market, but if you are running a tubeless set-up, it provides both space and money saving with only one bike pump required.
With two valve options (Presta/ Schrader) there's plenty of versatility and a lifetime warranty for performance reassurance.
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 above, both of which come with a reservoir tube that holds air in, so it's the perfect option for seating tubeless tires.
Its ease of use and easy to read gauge make tubeless conversions or tire changes a doddle, and well worth investing if you're intending 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 set up, 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. This is certainly a good, reliable option if you're serious about going tubeless.
Read more: JoeBlow Booster reservoir bike pump full review
If you're looking for something a little less pricy 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 by limiting its extra functionality keeps the cost down.
On test we found that it took just 19 strokes to get a 23mm tire 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
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 tire 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 life long dedication, you can't get better.
Read more: SKS Rennkompressor bike pump full review
An Editor's Choice pick, Lezyne's gravel tire pump adds more air per stroke than a more road-oriented pump, so it's good for higher volume tires and may help achieve easier seating of tubeless tires 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 tires. Although designed for gravel tires, the 100psi maximum rating means that it's more than adequate for road bike tires 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 tires. 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 tire 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 tires 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 tires. 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 tire that you can continue your ride in comfort and so your tire doesn’t feel overly squishy – which for a 23mm clincher means reaching near 80psi, or 70psi on a 25mm tire.
Ideally pumping up a tire 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 tires 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 tires 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 tires 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 tire. 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 tire’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 tire 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 tire 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 tire 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 barrel and handle are important considerations if you plan to use the frame mount.
Some are so mini 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.
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