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Muc-Off CO2 Inflator Kit

8
£24.99

VERDICT:

8
10
High quality, simple yet effective design with added bling
High quality
Confidence-inspiring valve
Controlled release
Screw-on design means cold fingers when removing
Weight: 
160g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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According to the description on the website, the Muc-Off Inflator kit helps you "inflate your tyres quickly and get back to riding in no time!" – and I'd have to agree. The chuck works really well, inspiring confidence that it won't release gas while attaching, there's a button that lets you control the release once it's attached, and a neoprene sleeve to stop you freeze-burning your fingers – which not every CO2 inflator comes with.

In the kit you get two 16g road cartridges (there's a mountain bike version of the kit with 25g cartridges), one CNC-machined inflator head with soft-touch press down button to control the CO2 release, and the neoprene sleeve.

> Find your nearest dealer here

As far as quality goes, the adaptor head is a tidy piece of kit. It's CNC machined from aluminium alloy and is threaded to enable it to be screwed onto either a Presta or Schrader valve. This means there's no swapping out of components if you happen to have bikes with both valve types. The head fits any weight of threaded cartridge, from 12g to 25g.

With the chuck attached to the tyre valve, CO2 is released by pressing the button on the rear. This lets you control the flow of gas with surprising ease given the speed that it's capable of inflating at.

In use, the chuck goes frosty, and each time my tyre has inflated with no discernible leakage – as I've experienced with some cheaper chucks.

> How to repair a punctured inner tube

> How to avoid a puncture

I found the threaded valve much more confidence-inspiring than alternatives that simply push-fit, though it does mean getting cold fingers when unscrewing. If you haven't used an inflator before, you might not be aware of how cold they get when the compressed CO2 gas is released; it's cold enough to burn your skin and even stick. Definitely something to be avoided!

Muc-Off's solution to this is simple yet effective: a neoprene sleeve is supplied with the canisters and provides a welcome barrier between metal and skin. This sleeve slots snugly over a 16g cartridge but can be used loosely around a 12g cartridge if needs must. It's often taken for granted that a sleeve will be provided with a chuck, but this isn't always the case, so is something to look out for. For example, one is not included with the Genuine Innovations AirChuck.

One of the supplied 16g canisters is enough for most road tyres, but for gravel riding or bigger than 28mm tyres you'll want to invest in some larger canisters or Muc-Off's off-road version of this kit. A 16g canister was enough to get my 23mm tyre up to 100psi with gas to spare, a 25mm to 90psi, and just about managed around 65psi with a 28mm 700C tyre... enough for most.

> How to choose your tyre pressure

Inflators come in a wide range of styles and prices. Given the inherent risk of finger freezing, I've always steered clear of the cheapest ones unless they've been well tried and tested. The Muc-Off offering sits fairly near the upper end of the price scale – it's slightly more expensive than the Birzman Roar Control inflator, though slightly less than Lezyne's Control Drive – but you do get a well-made product from a brand that knows what it's doing. The seal is good, and the pink, although not to everyone's taste, adds a bit of bling to the low points of rides.

Verdict

High quality, simple yet effective design with added bling

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Muc-Off CO2 Inflator Kit

Size tested: 16g/road

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?

Muc-Off says: "The Muc-Off Inflator kits help riders quickly inflate their tyres and get back to riding in no time! Coming in 25g cartridge size for MTB and 16g for road inflating tyres up to 30psi and 100psi from flat respectively. Each kit contains 2x cartridges, 1x compact and durable CNC-machined inflator head with soft-touch press down button which easily controls CO2 release. Dual head nozzle compatible with Presta and Schrader valves and 1x neoprene sleeve to help avoid freeze burn. Cartridges are also available separately."

I was impressed with the simplicity and build quality of the road kit that I tested which included 2 x 16g cartridges.

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

Muc-Off lists:

1 x CNC aluminium chuck

2 x 16g road CO2 canisters

1 x neoprene sleeve

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

CNC machined aluminium makes for a lovely looking and feeling product.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Quick and easy to use with good modulation and secure fit, but because it's a threaded fit you have to unscrew a cold canister to get it off again.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

Really well made, so should last.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
9/10

Compact and light, easy to pocket or pop in a saddlebag.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10

Includes a neoprene sleeve to protect against freeze burn, and button is placed well to avoid unnecessarily cold fingers.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Well made but doesn't offer any features or performance over similarly priced products.

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

Worked well, inflated road, cross, and mountain bike tyres quickly and easily.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It just looks neat... and has pink bits.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Cold fingers to remove it from a valve.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

About in the middle... The Pro Bike Tool CO2 inflator that Steve tested recently is very similar and will work out at about the same price when you add on two CO2 canisters. It's slightly more expensive than the Birzman Roar Control inflator but that doesn't look as good... vain I know. There's also the Lezyne Control Drive inflator which works out slightly more expensive; despite its age is still rated highly.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's a neat bit of kit that works well and looks good while doing so.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 22  Height: 6ft  Weight: 70kg

I usually ride: Specialized venge pro 2019  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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2 comments

Avatar
fixit | 4 years ago
0 likes

You dont have to unscrew the cartridge after inflation. Just put the whole thing back in your bag and remove it at home.

Avatar
Jamie Williams replied to fixit | 4 years ago
0 likes

Hi fixit
The cold fingers arise when unscrewing the chuck from the valve and not from the canister. Sorry for the confusion.
Jamie

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