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review
Pumps & CO2 inflators
Birzman Velocity RG Mini Pump Birzman Velocity RG Mini Pump Birzman Velocity RG Mini Pump
Birzman Velocity Mini Pump with gauge

Birzman Velocity RG Mini Pump

8
by Stu Kerton
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Dec 19, 2013

5
£29.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Sturdy, well built mini pump that'll easily reach the pressures required for road tyres
Weight: 
116g
Contact: 
www.i-ride.co.uk
How we test

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The Birzman Velocity RG minipump can get your tyres to three-figures pressures easily, and has a handy built-in gauge to tell you when to stop.

Thanks to the advancement in tyre technology the puncture fairy doesn't get quite so many gigs as she used to, but if you are unfortunate enough to have a flat on a ride a decent mini pump is a must. The Birzman Velocity range has pumps for both road (Presta) and MTB's (Schraeder) valves with pretty impressive claims of 160/90psi maximum pressures.

In exchange for your thirty quid the quality is certainly there. That's noticeable as soon you remove it from the packaging; the highly polished aluminium body looks good and feels sturdy.

There are rubber grips on the pump body and handle for a bit of purchase. It takes 287 strokes to reach 100psi on a 700x23c tyre so you want somewhere comfortable to put your hands.

This model is the Velocity RG. The R stands for road, so there's a presta valve fitting and the G denotes the fact that there is an inline gauge on the flexible hose. It's a neat little addition and whether or not you deem a pressure gauge necessary on a mini pump or not I, found it useful to make sure there was enough air in the tyre to avoid pinch punctures.

Another smart touch is the Snap-It valve attachment. Slide the alloy cap back before pushing the end of the hose over the valve and once in position slide the cap back over and two threaded clamps keep the hose in position. It works really well and didn't blow off even at really high pressure.

Once you've finished inflating, the hose and gauge slide back inside the shaft and it's all sealed with a rubber top cap.

In terms of performance I've got no reason to think that the claimed 160psi maximum isn't achievable as I reached the recommended upper limit of 140psi on my tyres with relative ease. It took a while, but the pump didn't struggle.

A weight of 116g and at 220mm long the Velocity is barely noticed whether you decide to carry it on the bike via its included bracket or in a jersey pocket.

Trying to find issues with it has proved tricky and I can literally only find the fact the rubber grip at the hose end tends to slip down while you're using it, a very minor niggle but one all the same.

Overall the Velocity RG is one of the best mini pumps I've used and now lives in my commuting rucksack. Great build quality and the ability to get your tyres up to their max pressure at the roadside means the Birzman Velocity RG minipump is worth the money.

Verdict

Sturdy, well built mini pump that'll easily reach the pressures required for road tyres.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Birzman Velocity with Gauge 90/160psi / Velocity 160psi- Mini Pump

Size tested: Chrome

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?

THe Velocity RG is a mini pump designed for road bikes that is rated up to 160psi.I had no issues getting to 140psi so that rating seems pretty fair. The Snap-It valve connector works a treat as well.

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

Aluminium body

160psi Max rating

Pressure Gauge

Snap-It quick connector

Flexible hose

Presta compatible only

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Very impressive pressures for such a small pump.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

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

I was very impressed with how easy it was to get to 120psi, okay its a lot of strokes but the effort on each stroke is the same whether there is 10psi in the tube or 100.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The Snap-It system and overall performance.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

If the pump extendeds when you aren't using it you have to flip of the sealing cap to release the pressure.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Ribble Winter Trainer for commuting, Genesis Flyer  My best bike is: Sarto Rovigo

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,

 

Velocity RG
Birzman Velocity RG Mini Pump
Birzman
Stu Kerton

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
KiwiMike | 10 years ago
0 likes

Ok, so finally after 3 months my RG arrived - the 160psi road version.

My findings are a bit different to the review.

Test setup: 28c Conti GP 4 Seasons with butyl tube

100 strokes: 30psi
150 strokes: 50psi
200 strokes: 65psi
240 strokes: 80psi - my magic number for a rear tyre
300 strokes: 85psi
350 strokes: 105psi

(yes, I realise the last jump of 50 strokes for +20psi is an anomaly - might be the gauge isn't perfectly linear)

...and I stopped there because it was getting hard to hang onto the head end of the pump, and a bit uncomfy on an ungloved hand to push.

How the reviewer managed 140psi is beyond me.

I repeated the test 3 times, and got basically the same results.

One note is that you do need to screw the Snap-IT valve on a few turns once you've snapped it, er, on. Otherwise it blows off - happened thrice while testing. And at 105psi, the release didn't work - so had to unscrew it - veeeerrryy carefully - luckily I had remembered to tighten the valve core.

All in all I'm happy with the pump for 80psi purposes - Having used a few friend's Lezyne pumps recently and needing to top up with gas, it's definitely better.

Plus the gauge is surprisingly accurate. Seems to match pretty much spot on the Bontrager track pump I have (or they are both out by the same amount 3 )

But if you were looking for something to get up to 140 let alone 160psi - you might be disappointed.

n.b. one additional benefit is you can unscrew the Presta Snap-It valve and use it to inflate Schrader valves. Nice.

My full review here: http://gateauvelo.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/review-birzman-velocity-rg-160p...

Avatar
KiwiMike | 10 years ago
0 likes

Question:

I ordered the 90psi MTB version of this by mistake. And I cannae find anyone selling the 160psi road version anywhere. Now as we are acolytes of the 'fat-road 28C + 15% tyre drop' religion, we don't need to go over 80psi for any tyre in the family.

So should we stick with the MTB version - assuming it is a higher volume pump so will get us underway quicker than the road version?

Does anyone know of the volume difference or real-world pump-strokes required for one vs. the other, to get to say 90?

Avatar
Bikeylikey | 10 years ago
0 likes

'Will easily reach the pressures required for road tyres'. How easily? I invested in a Lezyne mini pump a year or so ago because it was billed as easy to get up to and over 100psi, but this is not the case, at all. You have to pump until your arm aches, for so long the day is slipping by, and the tyre isn't 100psi even when you're pushing terminally hard. You have to guess at the pressure because there's no gauge.

So I'm thinking of buying one of the Birzman ones on the strength of this review, but am not at all sure that it would be any better than the Lezyne one. It would be good to have a rigorous comparison test of a few pumps.

Avatar
beardyjim | 10 years ago
0 likes

I did have a hunt around but couldn't find it for sale at that price as it does look like a cool addition!

Avatar
kie7077 | 10 years ago
0 likes

Hmmm, pump 200 times or buy a CO2 pump and 20 cartridges.

+ looks like price is more now.

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