- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
review
2022 Bosch EasyPump.jpg£69.99
VERDICT:
Tidy, portable and convenient electric tyre inflator
Automatic – no need to hold down a button
Very easy to use
USB-C charging
Slow
Limited battery capacity
Weight:
420g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
- Exceptional
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Quite good
- Average
- Not so good
- Poor
- Bad
- Appalling
The Bosch EasyPump lives up to its name, getting your tyres up to pressure without fuss. While it's not as light as a manual pump it's light enough to carry for commuting or ride-support use, especially if you're riding an e-bike and so have some capacity to spare. But it's got its work cut out to challenge the Best Bike Pumps and CO2 Inflators you can buy.
The Bosch EasyPump is a battery-powered, rechargeable inflator that makes getting a tyre up to full pressure trivially easy. Like the Makita DMP180Z that I reviewed last year it's intended for tyres and small/low-pressure inflatables, but it's much more compact and portable at 420g.
To inflate a tyre you turn it on, select the pressure you want (up to 120psi, so good for almost all bike applications except track racing), fit the nozzle to the valve and press 'start'. Unlike the DMP180Z you don't have to hold down the button so you can do something else while you wait. It whirrs away to itself for a while and stops when it reaches the target pressure. Bosh! – or even Bosch! – Job Done. It's dead easy.
The nozzle screws on to a Schrader valve and there are adaptors in a little compartment in the unit's body for Presta valves, sports balls and air beds. Like Makita's, they're super basic so to avoid faffing with the screw-on Presta adaptor I used my trusty Prestacycle EZ-Grip Big Presta Head.
Same comments apply as with the Makita inflator: someone at these huge, technically clever companies can surely come up with a better system than screw-on brass adapters.
> How to choose the best bike tyre pressure — balancing speed, comfort and grip
If you need to pump up a tyre in the dark, there's a tiny white LED next to the hose so you can see what you're doing.
It's a bit odd to me that the big red button turns the device on and off; that's a colour more usually associated with emergency cut-off in electrical equipment. If you were going to follow IEC60204-1 recommendations, you'd perhaps make that button white and use green for the button that starts the air flowing.
Speed
The EasyPump is much slower than the Makita DMP180Z. It took 2min 20sec to inflate a 30mm tyre to 80psi where the Makita took 45 seconds. But doing the same thing with a Zefal HPX hand pump took two minutes of actual pumping with a 30-second break to check the pressure at what turned out to be 60psi, so overall a win for the EasyPump.
I was able to inflate my 30mm tyre to 80psi seven times before the EasyPump ran out of charge, giving up when it got to 40psi on the eighth run.
Charge time with a USB-C PD source is 2hr 14min.
Rivals
The Makita DMP180Z is an obvious rival, but only if you already have an LXT charger and battery, and don't need it to be portable. There are loads of other cordless inflators out there (here's a selection from Amazon for example) but few of them are as portable as the EasyPump. This unit from Sealey is very similar and can charge your phone too.
Conclusion
At 420g the Bosch EasyPump is still a heavy lump of a thing to be carrying around compared to a frame pump, mini pump or CO2 inflators. But for commuting and other practically minded riders it may be worth the weight for the reassurance of being able to reliably and quickly get a tyre back up to full pressure. For e-bike riders it's surely a no-brainer, and if your e-bike has a USB socket you can even charge it from the main battery.
Who should buy the Bosch EasyPump?
Anyone who hates pumping up tyres, but doesn't have to do it multiple times per hour. It'd be perfect for e-bike commuters: you won't get sweaty pumping up a tyre after a puncture and you've got the spare power to carry the extra weight that a fully acoustic rider might begrudge.
Verdict
Tidy, portable and convenient electric tyre inflator
road.cc test report
Make and model: Bosch EasyPump
Size tested: NA
Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
It's a rechargeable inflator in a handily portable form.
Bosch says:
At home or on the road: Bosch's intuitive and handy compressed air pump
Inflation of up to 10.3 bar with real-time measurement and autostop function
Ideal for inflating tyres (car, motorcycle, bike), balls, and smaller water sports equipment
Everything ready at hand: various adaptors are neatly stored in the tool handle
Intuitive and practical: easy-to-use, ergonomic, and small design with big display
Integrated battery and USB-C charging, brightly illuminated by LED light
Pump it up: the cordless compressed air pump sensation for intuitive, everyday work
Small tool, big performance: the EasyPump is Bosch's intuitive air pump for all applications of up to 10.3 bar. The unit's real-time measurement and the pre-select function supports convenient and precise inflation results. The pump features a clear interface and a roomy display, readable during daylight. Its compact and lightweight design makes it an ideal companion to take along. Equipped with various adapters, neatly stored in the storage compartment, the EasyPump can inflate all sorts of tyres (e.g., car, bike), balls (e.g., footballs), and even small water sports articles. Inflating has never been easier.
Conveniently inflate almost any tyre and other objects
All information at a glance when inflating car tyres
Flexibility for inflating smaller objects
Makes short work of flat bike tyres
Also for smaller water toys
Small pump, big performance and always ready at hand
Functions and Advantages of EasyPump
Pressure inflation precision
Pinpoint pressure inflation: the pump allows you to pre-set a desired target pressure. The automatic switch-off stops inflation process just as this target value is achieved.
Perfectly prepared for any task
The integrated accessory storage holds a selection of the most common adaptors (ball needle, French valve adaptor, balloon adaptor), neatly stored in one compartment.
Easy reading even in broad daylight
Bosch's clean and bright display design makes for easy reading of the screen, even in broad daylight. Always showing the current as well as the target value, the display lets users keep an eye on the data.
Illuminates the valve area
Integrated above the hose, Bosch's bright LED light makes sure the valve area is always illuminated.
Premium hose for safety and convenience
The premium hose has textile cover and a threaded metal coupler, small enough to also reach valves in narrow spaces. The attachable 24-cm hose is rotatable 360°.
Intuitive and comfortable use, ideal vision
The intuitive layout control panel guarantees immediate use and provides three different units. Tool's 30° angle for comfortable reading.
Impressive stamina, easy charging
Universal charging: at home or while travelling. USB-C makes charging quick and hassle-free. Battery runtime ensures enduring performance.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Technical specifications
Battery voltage: 3.6V
Max. Ah: 3Ah
Max. pressure: 10bar
Max. pressure: 150psi
Max. pressure: 1,030kPa
Max. output volume: 10 l/min
Hose length: 0.2m
Tool dimensions (L x W x H): 265 x 123 x 87mm
Weight: 0.4kg
In the box:
French-valve adaptor
Ball needle
Volume adaptor
USB cable
Textile bag
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Tidily put together as you'd expect from Bosch.
Rate the product for performance:
7/10
Not as quick to inflate as a track pump or Makita's 18V inflator, but nowhere near as heavy or expensive.
Rate the product for durability:
7/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
7/10
Rate the product for value:
5/10
A sensible price for its capabilities.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Really well.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
USB-C charging; being able to do something else while it inflates.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
It's a bit slow.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
The Makita DMP180Z is an obvious rival, but only if you already have an LXT charger and battery, and don't need it to be portable. There are loads of other cordless inflators out there (here's a selection from Amazon, for example) but few of them are as portable as the easyPump. This unit from Sealey is very similar and can charge your phone too.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
The Bosch EasyPump scores for its effectiveness, ease of use, and being reasonably portable if you don't mind a bit of extra weight compared to a hand pump. But it's relatively slow, and has a limited capacity if you need to inflate a lot of tyres from scratch. Overall, then, it's a 'Good' rating from me.
About the tester
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
Age: 55
I usually ride: Scapin Style My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, mtb,
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
Latest Comments
- EM69 5 min 53 sec ago
About time someone took Render's down a peg or two...
- mark1a 7 min 50 sec ago
Errm, no I don't.
- richliv 9 min 14 sec ago
That 60 mile hilly ride to Cheddar and back across Mendips in cold and damp weather, is going to be much more pleasant in well designed technical...
- stonojnr 11 min 38 sec ago
Its that time of year again, the annual Network Rail most hit railway bridge by HGVs list, a mere 1532 this past year, so only 1 every 6 hours....
- Sredlums 11 min 52 sec ago
That bike is awesome. Always like the Mondriaan-esque style, so bold and recognisable.
- Secret_squirrel 25 min 19 sec ago
Why are they overpaid? They are partly responsible for bringing in hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars of TV revenue money for a very...
- Mr Blackbird 26 min 11 sec ago
Did the driver also claim that he was a member of Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple?
- chrisonabike 1 hour 41 min ago
I think I saw something like that at a Welsh international - it looked a bit leeky though.
- dreamlx10 1 hour 53 min ago
Ah, Endura the company owned by the man who told his employees to vote against Scottish independence as it would result in Scotland having to leave...
- Mr Rodgers 2 hours 3 min ago
My money would go to the Giant Defy range. The Mrs has a 2023 model last year which has 105 di2, capably handled bike-packing LEJOG, and has lots...
Add new comment
6 comments
Or you could try the radical smaller and lighter alternative that does not require any batteries, or compressed CO2- although my guess is that neither of these could cope with a fully deflated tubeless tyre
Is it water proof, shockproof and sweat proof, from first glance I couldn't see it lasting long on my commute.
If e-bike manufacturers could agree on a standard connector, voltage, and current for accessory power, maybe e-bikers could carry something like this but without the built-in battery.
Or, how about a pump that's charged by your phone? That could be handy for the acoustic bike riders.
The specs show a 3.6 V, 3 Ah battery. That's almost the same as my phone battery. Not sure if I'd want to use 15% of my phone battery to pump up a tyre.
Hopefully it'd be a rare situation, but phone batteries are getting bigger. My phone is almost never under 50% at the end of the day, so I'd quite happily use 15% of it. There'd also be the option of carrying an external battery bank which could be used for either a phone or the pump.
Just checked and my phone's got a 5020mAh battery - a Redmi Note 9s.