Topeak Transformer RX Pump

Topeak's Transformer RX pump is a useful thing to have in the back of the car: it's a pump, so you can top up your tyres, but it's also a stand, so you can tinker with your gears or give your bike a post-race rub-down. It's not the most sturdy thing in the world and the pump is decent rather than good, but for occasional use at races or sportives it's certainly handy to have.

Essentially this is a compact workstand where the main body of the stand is also a pump. It has two adjustable cradles for your chainstay and seatstay and two folding legs that extend under the rear wheel, and it all folds up into a neat carry case you can sling in the back of the car for sportives or races.

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Once your bike is jacked up you can tinker with the gears, give it a quick clean or pump the tyres up: the hose is long enough to reach both wheels. Just. In an ideal world it'd be about six inches longer.

The legs are the other thing that could do with being just a touch longer, to make the stand a bit more stable. There's a third sort-of-leg at the back, but that's to brace the pump against the floor while you're filling your tyres. It's stable enough on a decent surface but struggles on grass or rough ground, two things you're fairly likely to encounter near your car at an event. A full tripod base would be preferable for a bit of extra support.

The pump itself works fine; Topeak claims a maximum pressure of 160psi but realistically 120psi is about its limit in the metaphorical or literal field. The small handle isn't the most comfortable and that's the limiting factor rather than the capacity of the barrel.

It has a gauge, which was fairly accurate (within 5psi) compared to a standalone pressure gauge, but it's small and pretty hard to read in anything other than ideal conditions. It's also hinged to make the pump more compact for storage; it's hard to know whether adding an extra joint negates the benefit of keeping the gauge flush to the barrel in storage. It kind of feels like a weak point, but I haven't had any issues with it.

I've used the Transformer RX for a couple of cyclo-cross races and also at home for general tinkering. For working on your bike's gears, or pumping up the tyres, it's stable enough, but when it comes to washing or anything vigorous it benefits from a foot on the leg to keep it upright. You wouldn't want to be wrestling with your bottom bracket while your bike is wedged in it, let's put it that way. But for tweaks and easy work it's fine.

> Looking for a track pump? Check out our guide to the best here

If you intend to race or ride a full schedule over the summer then you'll probably be better served by a separate stand like Topeak's Prepstand Max and a pump, but for pre-ride fettling, the Transformer RX is definitely preferable to the usual sportive alternative, which is your mini pump and no stand at all.

Verdict

A good compromise pumping and tinkering solution for the back of the car