Zefal EZ Max FC CO2 Inflator

The Zefal EZ Max FC CO₂ Inflator is a decent pump that gets air into the tyre quickly, although I have to question the choice of a metal barrel when using it for CO₂.

Unfortunately one of the biggest pains of the winter, aside from the cold and the rain, is the increase in the number of punctures. To reinflate your tyres at this you have two basic pump types: CO₂ dispensers or hand pumps. There are merits and drawbacks to both, CO₂ is instantaneous inflation, but you can run out of CO₂ canisters, hand pumps can't run out but take time to inflate.

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Zefal have attempted to get the best of both worlds with the Zefal EZ Max FC CO₂ Inflator which incorporates both a CO₂ and hand pump in one unit.

First place to start is with hand inflation, which is pretty good. It is only a small pump so it take about five minutes and some struggle once you get above around 80psi, but the motion is good and smooth and there is enough room on the mini pump to get a good grip. This sounds like a silly comment, but some of the smaller pumps are a real pain in the hand when you are trying to get into the higher pressures.

This ease of inflation is helped by the flexible hose that extends from one end of the pump and allows you to hold the pump in a number of positions. That both saves the valve and makes for ease of use. The barrel at the end of the hose can be used as either Schrader or Presta and is simple enough to switch by just twisting it off and putting it on the other way around. All of this is held under a stiff cap that stays in place well during riding. It also stays together nicely thanks to the magnetic locking system. It also means that it doesn't rattle when going over bumpy roads.

At the other end of the pump is a similar looking flap, although this is twisted off. This is where a CO₂ cartridge fits. You simply screw it in and wait for the tyre to instantly inflate through the same hose. This is easy enough to do and the actual inflation part was both quick and easy.

However, there is one drawback in that Zefal have used aluminium for the barrel. As the compressed CO₂ in a cartridge expands it gets cold, and so does everything in contact with it. It is sometimes difficult to unscrew the valve when it's white with cold. However, I managed it relatively easily wearing a pair of gloves.

It would also be better to have some kind of activation mechanism rather than instant inflation. I sometimes found that the canister would begin to discharge (and therefore freeze) before it was fully screwed in, so inflation would be slower and the pump/barrel would get frozen.

The EZ Max FC comes with a mount that sits either underneath or in place of a bottle cage. This works nicely on the few rides I tried it, it doesn't tend to get in the way of pedal strokes and sits relatively nicely on the down tube or seat tube.

The RRP is 36.99, which is expensive for a mini pump. It does have some nice features that go some way to justifying this price though, such as the smooth pumping motion and use of a CO₂ canister.

Overall, the Zefal EZ Max FC CO₂ Inflator is a well made and innovative pump that works really nicely as a hand pump alone and being able to use CO₂ cartridges as well is a big plus. However, the CO₂ element could do with a little rethink given the metal barrel and lack of control of inflation beyond screwing it in.

Verdict

CO₂ element could be improved, but this is a really strong hand pump by itself