PRO Performance 2way minipump

At 29cm long and 163g, this Pro Performance 2Way mini pump is definitely at the maxi end of mini. It's not one you'll want to stick in your jersey pocket but it is one you should consider fixing to your bike, because it's a solid performer.

What do you get for your £24.99? Well, you get an alloy barrel and shaft and a nylon T-bar handle, that clips into place using a magnet when the pump is stowed on your bike. The chuck is a standard two-piece one with a dust cover that's flippable for presta or schraeder, and it locks on using a plastic locking lever that doesn't catch your fingers when you use it. The supplied bike mount is an under-the-bottle-cage one with a decent plastic clip and an O-ring for extra security.

That's all well and good, I hear you ask, but how does it do on the whole pumping-the-tyres-up thing? Very well, it turns out. The 2Way in the name refers to the fact that it pumps when you pull as well as when you push, meaning you get two blasts of air into your tube for each stroke. That, and the fact that the pump has a decent-sized barrel that's narrow for pushing high pressures, means it makes short work of road flats. Well, for a mini pump.

Normally when I'm testing mini pumps I give myself 100 strokes to warm up (careful) and then check the tyre to see how much of a sysiphean ordeal getting to any meaningful pressure will be. However, after just the hundred ins and outs I'd managed to get 97psi into a 700x23c tyre with this little beauty. Job done. If you're a sucker for a harsh ride you can easily get to 120psi with this pump. I say "easily": it's more work than the same number strokes of a normal pump because you're pushing and pulling air. But it's not like you need hulk-like biceps to get back on the road.

Any negatives? Well the plastic parts might degrade in the salt and cold of winter, the plastic locking lever probably being the most likely to succumb. The shaft is a bit wobbly at full extension. But other than that, it's a keeper.

All in all the Pro Performance pump puts in an excellent, er, performance. It's not madly expensive, the build quality is good and most importantly it'll pump your tyres up, hard, without giving you a coronary. It's too big for a pocket but will look fairly smart on anything other than your posh race bike.

Verdict

Excellent pumping performance in a (fairly) small package; one to recommend