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Topeak Airbooster Race Pod X

8
£29.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Great idea for long distance time trials or triathlons like the Ironman, where things like pockets are at a premium
Weight: 
228g

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A puncture in a long distance time trial or triathlon can be the difference between a placing or a long walk home. You don't have a whole lot of storage in a pair of Speedos or a skinsuit, so the Topeak Airbooster Race Pod X makes a lot of sense, especially considering how well it suits an aero seatpost – a very niche marketplace.

Intitial thoughts were that the Pod X is rather expensive for what are off-the-shelf parts. Closer inspection shows that it's only going to cost you 2p less if you buy everything individually, and that doesn't get you the seatpost bracket, which you do want because it's actually really good.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The Topeak mount is designed to work with both aero and round seatposts thanks to its flexibility, with its Velcro strap keeping things tight and secure. You aren't going to feel this thing moving around.

Topeak Airbooster Race Pod X - on bike.jpg

The strap feeds through and back over itself to tighten, which means it's quick and easy to get into position and, just as importantly, to remove, use and reattach. There is enough length in the strap to wrap it around an inner tube too.

So, what do you get in the kit? Two 16g threaded CO2 canisters (one of which will get a 700x23 tyre up to around 115psi), two tyre levers and an inflator head.

Topeak Airbooster Race Pod X.jpg

That aluminium alloy inflator head is CNC machined, which gives it an excellent feel and finish, with rounded edges and clean threads. It's shaped like a T-piece with the valve connector at the bottom and two threaded ends above. One is just threaded for storage of the CO2 cartridge, keeping everything together, the other side behind the dust cap is the end that you use to inflate. It has a pin inside to break the seal of the cartridge and as you push the head against the valve it dispenses.

For attachment to Presta valves all you do is push it against the valve, while with the Schrader alternative you need to screw the head on.

It's a really quick and easy operation. You can add a little bit of gas, release hand pressure on the head to make sure the tyre is seated, and then push again to fully inflate. The only thing to keep in mind is that the cartridge gets very cold – cold enough to stick to your skin if you aren't wearing gloves.

> Check out our guide to the best pumps and CO2 inflators

The tyre levers are strong and I've had no issue with any breakages even on some tight tyre/wheel combinations. The pronounced clip on the back fits snuggly around both aero and round spokes to aid tyre removal.

Overall, the Airbooster Race Pod X is a neat piece of kit, ideal for any rider but especially those who tend to race. It's quick and simple to use, which is exactly what you want when time is of the essence.

Verdict

Great idea for long distance time trials or triathlons like the Ironman, where things like pockets are at a premium

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Topeak Airbooster Race Pod X

Size tested: 12x6.3x5.5cm

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?

Topeak says, "The AirBooster Race Pod X is a compact and completely self-contained tyre inflation kit featuring an AirBooster CO2 inflator, two tire levers, two 16g CO2 cartridges, mounting module with strap. The unique mounting module straps to the aero or round tube, and provides lightning fast access to the AirBooster inflator, extra CO2 cartridge and tire levers. The perfect CO2 tire repair solution for racing, endurance or triathlon events."

It fits perfectly on aero seatposts, making it ideal for fast road bikes and those used in time trials and triathlon.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Head: Presta / Schrader w/ integrated dust cap, CNC aluminum

Tyre Levers: Engineering grade plastic

Contents: 2 threaded 16g CO2 cartridges, Mount Module for aero or round tube.

Size (L x W x H) 10 x 6 x 12.3 cm / 3.9' x 2.4' x 4.8'

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

The CNC machined inflation head is a lovely piece of kit. The tyre levers are pretty robust too.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Inflation head works great, tyre levers are impressive and the bracket stays in position. Really impressed with how it works with an aero seatpost.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

I've used the tyre levers on really tight tyre/wheel combinations and they haven't snapped or even scratched. Again, the inflation head really impresses here.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10

Lightweight alloy used for the head and everything else is on par with the competition.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Buying the components independently would set you back £29.97, minus the bracket. A CNC machined head is always going to be more expensive than a cast item, but worth it for the quality of the threads etc.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Ideal for race situations. Quick to grab and use.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The aero seatpost mount.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

You could buy cheaper variants without the bracket.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? For racing, yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

There are cheaper options out there in terms of CO2 inflation but for the likes of time trialling or triathlon, where pockets in clothing are somewhat limited, the Topeak makes sense. It's quality kit too and justifies the price with its machined inflator head.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: Mason Definition

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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5 comments

Avatar
Filliny | 7 years ago
0 likes

I think i will lost all on the first potole, and i will do not even know about it 

Avatar
schlepcycling | 7 years ago
0 likes

And you'd need a repair kit or spare tube, you might as well have a small saddle bag.

Avatar
surly_by_name | 7 years ago
0 likes

I don't understand why you would use this over a saddle bag ..... surely as soon as you start attaching things that you might normally keep in a saddle bag to your seat post or saddle in approx the same position as woudl be occupied by a saddle bag you have already broken Rule 29 (at least in spirit). A saddle bag would appear to have numerous advantages.

Avatar
hennahairgel replied to surly_by_name | 7 years ago
0 likes
surly_by_name wrote:

I don't understand why you would use this over a saddle bag ..... surely as soon as you start attaching things that you might normally keep in a saddle bag to your seat post or saddle in approx the same position as woudl be occupied by a saddle bag you have already broken Rule 29 (at least in spirit). A saddle bag would appear to have numerous advantages.

 

Probably because you're breaking Rule 42 as well

Avatar
Langsam | 7 years ago
0 likes

Alternatively get an 8 quid CO2 inflator from Decathlon and use a couple of your existing tyre levers, taped together and stuck under your seat.

This Topeak thing looks like a 5-year old designed it with stuff left over from Mum's sewing box.

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