Topeak Roadie DAX Pump

Not to be confused with the smaller DA (review to come), the Topeak Roadie DAX pump combines a larger chamber than most with a useful Dual Action stroke that's always pumping, whether you're pulling or pushing.

• Pros: Impressively efficient, well-made, reliable
• Cons: Too long for pockets, unexciting looks, Presta only

If it looks very similar to its smaller brother, that's because it's identical bar an extra 7.5cm length in the aluminium body. This boosts capacity to 33.5cc, meaning the DAX pumps 67cc of air per push/pull stroke – a near doubling of the standard DA's 36cc. The penalty is an extra 21g and a 26cm body that no longer fits inside a jersey pocket.

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Mitigating this is the included frame mount, which is small yet very secure, is just 12g, and sits to the side of bottle cages. Add the 118g pump and the DAX is 130g ready to go.

The long, 16.5cm stroke makes this noticeably easier to use than pocket-sized pumps, and the Dual Action pays off quite noticeably. Tested on a 25mm tyre mounted on a 19mm rim, 100 strokes – a minute's easy effort – resulted in 60psi. After this point I found resistance ramped up quite steeply, so that reaching 150 strokes was actually quite hard work. Then again, at this point it had reached 85psi, so fair enough.

It's rated to 120psi, but getting far over 100psi still takes serious work you may not fancy just for the sake of getting home. Nothing about the pump will hold you back, however. Construction is stiff and strong, with rugged nylon encasing the black-anodised aluminium barrel. The head is just long enough for a full-fingered hold, and the raised rim and matt-finish plastic create good grip.

At the other end, a bevelled plastic cap keeps palms happy no matter how hard you're working, though with its fixed head instead of a flexible hose you must take care not to work so hard you rip your valve clean off. However, avoiding a hose – along with making the DAX Presta only – keeps complexity and weight down, which is a fair trade-off.

The DAX has both the look and feel of quality, as materials, design and finish are all impressive for the price. It's understated rather than flashy (if not a little dull), though at least the black masks some of its extra size. It might not stop some people thinking you've stuck a mountain bike pump on by mistake, though...

If you're running high-volume tyres, ride gravel or other puncture-prone surfaces, or just hate spending years at the side of the road clacking away to little effect, this pump is impressively deep-breathing. In fact, with just an energy gel's-worth of extra weight between this and the good-yet-unexceptional DA, the DAX is arguably the Roadie to go for. Especially if you typically frame-mount your pump anyway. At only £1 extra, price isn't really a factor.

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For a capable alternative that still fits in pockets – and arguably looks far more exciting when you take it out – it's worth checking out the Zefal Air Profil FC03. It has nothing like the efficiency of the DAX, though it does offer a flexible hose, Presta and Schrader valve compatibility, and a 102g all-metal body.

More akin to the DAX is the Unich High Pressure Long Mini Pump which, at 23cm and 100g, is just slightly sleeker. Still too big for pockets, though. It too offers a flexible hose and multi-valve compatibility – plus shiny alloy good looks – though it falls pretty much halfway between the DAX and its smaller DA sibling for performance.

Verdict

A dependable, no-nonsense tool for making punctures less of an arm-deadening delay