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Birzman Maha Push and Twist II Floor pump

8
£74.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Very nicely made track pump that has the performance to match its looks
Weight: 
1,320g

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Birzman's Maha Push and Twist II Floor pump is a really high quality unit, and the new head is simple to use and effective for both Presta and Schrader valves. It's expensive, but a very nice thing and definitely worth a look if you're after a good-looking pump with performance to match.

  • Pros: High quality build, nice long hose, new head is good
  • Cons: Expensive

We've reviewed some of Birzman's track pumps in the past, with the Zacoo Maha II the most recent. Those pumps had Birzman's Snap-It head, which allowed you to simply push the head onto a Presta valve for a good connection. The downside was that you had to unscrew the Snap-It bit to do Schrader valves, and then it fell off the garden bench and ended up in that hole in the patio. Okay, that was just me. But it was a bit of a pain.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

The new head is called Push and Twist. You'll never guess how it works. Go on, guess. No? Here's a handy video to explain...

Most of the rest of the pump construction is similar to the previous incarnations. It's a tall pump and made entirely of alloy, and it's very nicely designed and feels extremely solid in use with very little wobble at the handle even when fully extended. The barrel is slightly angled towards you when you're pumping, which you don't notice is a nicer position until you go back to a pump that's vertical.

The long hose (it's well over a metre long) means you seldom have to move a wheel to make it reach the valve, and fitting the head to the valve is simple and effective. A push and a twist is generally all it takes, although for some valves (for example the one on top of my Airshot tyre booster) you need to screw it on a bit more than that. It's a very simple head to use and it gives an airtight connection first time nearly every time. There's certainly a knack to it, but it's probably one of the best I've tried once you get the hang of it.

In terms of capacity the Maha put 100psi into a 23mm tyre in 26 strokes, which is pretty good. It's designed for high pressures; up to 220psi is allegedly possible but the most I needed was 160psi for the aforementioned Airshot, and that was no bother at all, with the aluminium handle staying comfortable even at higher pressures and the tripod base remaining stable.

> Buyer's Guide: 10 of the best track pumps

If you go over the pressure you want there's a release valve on the head, and the gauge is easy to read even though it's not the biggest. The barrel is fairly narrow to enable those high pressures, so filling up a big chamber mountain bike tyre takes a while, but it's not any bother.

If you want a pump that'll pump up your tyres easily and last for a long time then there are lots of track pumps on the market that'll fulfil those criteria and cost you a lot less than the £74.99 Birzman is asking for this one. The Lezyne Sport Floor Drive will pump your tyres up without any fuss for £45, as will the Blackburn Piston 3, now £49.99.

Most of them aren't as well made as this one, though, and hardly any of them look as nice. If longevity and good looks are important to you in your track pump then this should be on your list. Performance is excellent too.

Verdict

Very nicely made track pump that has the performance to match its looks

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: Birzman Maha Push and Twist II Floor pump

Size tested: Silver

Tell us what the product is for

From Birzman:

- Insert, PUSH the collar down and TWIST it by one turn to secure engagement.

- Simply pull back the collar to disengage.

- Ergonomically designed 5° tilted barrel.

- Pressure bleed button ( CAD ) for ultimate accuracy.

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

Head

Push & Twist (Presta / Schrader)

Handle

CNC machined aluminium

Barrel

CNC machined aluminium

Base

CNC machined aluminium

Capacity

220 psi / 15 bar

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

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

Very good performance, the new head is an improvement.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

New head is good, construction is high quality.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Expensive.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? I think I'd struggle to justify the price tag.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, if they liked shiny things.

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a very good pump. It's expensive, but if you like well-made things that look good and perform too, you'd enjoy this one.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 44  Height: 189cm  Weight: 94kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Kinesis Aithein

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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5 comments

Avatar
Ad Hynkel | 5 years ago
0 likes

Topeak SmartHead ThreadLock upgrade kit, no rubber grommet thing to wear out from repeated clamping around the threads of a valve. It screws onto valve, not clamp. Only issue is it can unscrew a removable core if core not tightened properly and it is not held reasonably straight when undoing it. Only happened once so far in 2 years...

AFAIK it fits most standard track pump hoses.

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes

You can get a replacement smarthead by topeak, mine has given me at least a decade.

It uses some sort of evil magic and just knows... 

Avatar
abrooks | 5 years ago
0 likes

Had the head on a Topeak Joeblow fail in less than a year, it was never that great in the first place.  Can anyone recommend a bombproof track pump? Willing to spend a bit more so that it just works.

Avatar
Nyderscosh | 5 years ago
0 likes

I had mine go after 11 months, went back to the wholesaler (i-ride iirc) and got a warranty replacement.  I found I had  to be careful when removing the head as it can wear down the very small teeth inside the unit which screw onto the valve stem..

Avatar
daflj | 5 years ago
0 likes

The valve head on my Zacoo Maha broke pretty soon after getting it. Anybody know where to get replacement Birzman valve heads at a reasonable price?

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