Zefal Gravel Mini Pump

While the Zefal Gravel Mini Pump isn't the fastest, lightest, smallest or cheapest we've reviewed, it does have a load of well-thought-out features that make it a joy to use on the trails.

If you want something that can do higher pressures, check out our guide to the best cycling mini pumps for more options.

Almost as soon as I mounted this pump to the bike, I had occasion to use it. Having borrowed a friend's cyclocross bike for some under-biked fun on a flowy gravel ride in Wales, I almost immediately slammed a pothole (sorry Josh!) and pinch punctured. Already cold and wet, my riding companions finished the descent towards shelter, leaving me to deal with the puncture – and I was happy this pump did the job quickly and easily.

Yeah, you can use your regular road mini-pump for gravel riding, but it's going to struggle to fill high volumes, and take a beating it's not designed for as well.

My favourite feature on this 'gravel-specific' design has to be the machined casing. The entire aluminium body is ridged, so wet or muddy hands won't slip – it's especially good if you're pushing toward the upper end of the psi range.

My next favourite is the hose that's stowed away inside the body of the pump, and sealed in by a rubber cap. It'll always be clean when you need it, rather than gritty, wet and potentially blocked – though the cap is starting to get a bit 'baggy' already.

I really like the soft rubber mounting strap too – it doesn't slip, as hook-and-loop (Velcro-style) straps can – and lastly, the pump's handle is kept in check, when on the bike, by magnets. It stays securely stowed on rough ground instead of sliding open on its own.

This pump is rated to 5.5 bar/80psi, which is fine for gravel tyres, if a little low for road use. I'm not really sure why Zefal also states tyre width limits (35-47mm), but I assume it's to keep users in the right ballpark; narrower tyres may well need higher pressures than this can handle, and wider ones (mountain bike ones) will have such volumes that the Gravel Mini Pump would take forever to fill them.

For reference, and in a more relaxed environment than that Welsh hillside, it took 325 strokes to inflate my 38mm gravel tyre to the minimum recommended tyre pressure of 45psi (although in reality I usually run them a little lower than that anyway).

Value

At £33.99 this is reasonably priced; the Lezyne Grip HP Drive, for instance, which Stu tested last year, is just slightly more at £35, while the recently reviewed and really quite compact Silca Pocket Impero II Pump is a whopping £125.

Okay, the Gravel Mini Pump is beaten by the Birzman Swift Hand Pump on weight (86g) and price (£27.99), but the Zefal wins on inflation efficiency – it's 35-40% faster. The Birzman, which George tested back in 2020, took beyond 400 strokes to get a 28mm tyre to 60psi, whereas the Zefal took 260.

Overall

This is a great little pump – it punches above its weight, and is well tuned to the volumes and pressures of gravel tyres in particular. Plus, unless you need more than 80psi, there's nothing that would stop you using this for road rides too.

Verdict

Great little pump that punches above its weight and is well suited to gravel tyres and rough trails