Zéfal's FP50 Profil Max Track Pump is a tough piece of kit that's fast, effective and accurate.
At 1775g, there's a distinctly old school flavour to Zéfal's FP50 Profil Max that runs much deeper than the tough red/black livery. Its a steel barrel and base don't make it light, but they help it stand up to accidentally being kicked across the workshop floor — any mechanic who says they've never done that is telling porkies.
The dual-compound composite handle and super smooth piston make it a joy to use. The hose is a useful 110cm long. The patented Z-Switch head is a welcome innovation that overcomes the questionable durability of one-head-fits-all designs heads and the dismantle-and-swap faff factor associated with reversible heads. That said, ours seemed susceptible to air locks when toggling between valve types.
The FP50 also features a gargantuan gauge, accurate to within 2psi (verified by a standalone, digital unit) complete with integral magnifying lens and red bezel that void any excuses for under/over inflation. It got a 700×23 tubular to 160psi in 50 strokes, and a 700x24mm wire on reached 120psi in 28. To get a 700×35 to 100psi required 30 while a 26×1.75 was pushed to 80psi in 50 strokes.
Verdict
Highly recommended for workshop use, fast, effective, accurate and tough
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Zéfal FP50 Trackpump
Size tested: Red
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?
"FP50 floorpump with heavy duty steel barrel and base. The FP50 includes a 1100mm extra long hose which includes the patented Z-Switch system for either Presta or Schrader valves. Pressure capacity is 180 psi." A delight to use and I can attest to a genuine 160psi.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Steel barrel & base, composite handle, pressure gauge with integral magnifying lens, 110cm hose.
Very sturdy.
Reassuringly hefty. 1775g by my scales.
Lovely to use.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Solid materials, construction and innovative features mean the FP50 is a delight to use. Genuinely accurate to within 2psi, its 68cm stature and composite handle are comfortable for prolonged periods, while the smooth action races even the most demanding tubulars to optimum pressure.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Pretty much everything.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Tendency for air locks when swapping between valve patterns.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
About the tester
Age: 38 Height: 1m 81 Weight: 70 kilos
I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,
13 thoughts on “Zéfal Profil Max FP50 track pump”
£40 for a device that moves
£40 for a device that moves air from one place to another. I bought a track pump from Tesco about ten years back, it cost me about a tenner. Still works perfectly.
I suppose £40 gets you better quality air or something.
[more than i paid] for [nicer
[more than i paid] for [nicer thing than i have]? it’s a rip-off! you should get [the thing i have] and save yourself [the difference between the nice thing and the ordinary thing]!
*insert into every review of anything ever*
Lidl do one for £4.99. Tesco? how bourgeois.
purplecup wrote:[more than i
I’ll spend more money on products that offer something extra. A nice Gore jacket, or decent lighting (there’s several hundred quid’s worth on my bike). A good chain, a carbon alternative to a heavy component, Chris King or Hope bearings. But a pump? I doubt anyone can convince me of the need to buy a pump that’s slightly shinier than another pump, when both can do the job equally well.
It’s your money but I’d rather spend mine on discernible improvements.
£4.99? Luxury. When I was a
£4.99? Luxury. When I was a lad, etc.
What a con, I just put my
What a con, I just put my lips to the valve and blow.
you can make a perfectly
you can make a perfectly serviceable trackpump from a length of drainpipe, some pipe lagging an an old broom handle. don’t get ripped off.
Can you confirm that the only
Can you confirm that the only difference is shinyness? I’ve used neither this Zefal nor the Tesco one. I’d be concerned about getting a tub up to 160 on a ten quid pump, but then I hadn’t considered the shiny factor.
Air? Pah, I just ride
Air? Pah, I just ride directly on the rims, this whole tyre and inner tube malarkey is just a ploy by rubber manufacturers to sell more unnecessary products.
I bought a Zefal HPX frame
I bought a Zefal HPX frame pump in 1983, I damaged it last week, Zefal still do the spares, which were delivered in 3 days for under 5 euro’s. How many 5 quid pumps are you going through in 30 years?
Some friends have bought cheapo track pumps in Supermarkets, not one has managed 100psi, so they’re effectively useless for road bikes.
I have a pump that cost about
I have a pump that cost about £25 eight years ago.
It’s crap.
nowasps wrote:I have a pump
Throw it oot then.
Flying Scot wrote:nowasps
Throw it oot then.— nowasps
I fully intend so to do. However the swearing and shouting that goes on in my hall way before a ride, is an excellent warm-up routine.
I agree with previous
I agree with previous comments, price is to high 😛
I wouldn’t go for cheap bike (like Tesco or smth) but pump? Got also the one from Lidl and it workin’ fine like 3 years so far.
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