Pro Bike Tool Mini Bike Pump

The Pro Bike Tool Mini Bike Pump is truly very small, well made and gives a secure fit on your valves. If you want to reach the claimed 100psi, though, make sure your gym membership is up to date.

• Pros: Quality construction; fits in a pocket easily
• Cons: Small size means a small amount of air per stroke; gets hot in use

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Having a mini pump on you is more about insurance rather than performance, so you want something that is going to be discreet on the bike or ideally fit in a rear jersey pocket without the risk of losing it. At just 185mm in length, the Pro Bike Tool offering does exactly that.

Even some of the race jerseys I've worn with pretty shallow pockets will swallow this pump with ease and with very little worry that it is going to slide out when in a crouched position.

It doesn't weigh much either, at 100g or, if you want to attach it to your bike, 113g including the mount.

Diminutive it may be, but when you do need it its size does mean there is a bit of a compromise on performance. You only have 115mm of stroke, which means there isn't a whole lot of air going into your tube or tyre for all of that hand movement.

From flat I managed to get about 50psi into a 700x28mm tyre in 200 strokes, and it was warm work with the barrel and handle getting hot from the friction.

From 160 strokes there is a noticeable increase in the amount of effort required to keep forcing air into the tyre, and to go above that 50psi it is only going to get tougher.

I got tired of counting but managed to get the tyre up to 75psi, which is ample for most and definitely enough to get you home.

To attach the pump to the valve you'll find a flexible hose hidden inside the handle. You unscrew it and select which valve head you need (Presta or Schrader), then screw the opposing end to the bottom of the pump. The end you need to use then screws over the valve for a secure fit.

The hose is 150mm in length, which gives you a little bit of room for manoeuvre and means you don't need to be so close to the wheel when pumping begins.

It is simple and easy to use.

Quality is pretty good too: the whole thing feels solid in use and the turned body and handle have very tiny grooves for a bit of extra grip.

Rubber caps are fitted to each end of the pump to stop water ingress when not in use.

Money-wise, the RRP of £24.98 is about right for a decent mini pump with this kind of construction. Dave Arthur found the BBB Samurai Telescopic Mini Pump easier for getting air in and it could also switch between high pressure and high volume setups, which makes more sense for both road and mountain bikes. It does cost a fiver more, though.

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Another option could be the Topeak Roadie DAX pump for £22.99. It works well but isn't quite as compact, so you won't be able to carry it in your pocket.

Overall, assuming (hoping!) you'll be carrying the Pro Bike Tool mini pump a hell of a lot more than you'll be using it, its small size makes it ideal, and should you need it there is still enough puff to get you home.

Verdict

The perfect size to fit in a jersey pocket but requires a fair bit of work to get a tyre up to pressure