Hoy Hi Pressure Track Pump

The Hoy Hi-Pressure track pump is functional, stable and decent value. It doesn't rewrite any of the rules of what track pumps do, but it does the job just fine and it looks good too.

The narrow barrel and decent length stroke mean you can add air to a typical 700x25C tyre quickly, and easily achieve high pressures. The pump is rated, by Hoy themselves, to achieve pressures up to a whopping 240psi or 16+Bar. That's about 100 psi (7 bar) more than I've ever put into a road tyre, racing or otherwise. In fact, I currently don't own a tyre rated to even half that pressure. So, despite the fact that no one, even track riders - who will generally settle around 120-140psi for riding and racing on the velodrome boards - will need that sort of air pressure, you could achieve it.

Pumping up tyres (to normal pressures), with the Hoy pump is easy thanks to its smooth action; the result of quality materials and good manufacturing tolerances. It's a pleasure to put your feet on the cast alloy bse of the pump to stabilise it and bear down on the comfortably broad and gently pale wooden handle. Incidentally, the handle is machined to a larger diameter from the centre outwards towards the ends to fill the palm. For the Sir Chris Hoy fans out there (let's be honest, who isn't?), the pump shaft bears the great man's signature – a nice touch.

The pumps chuck is an alloy affair. Good news. Track pumps, even handsome blue steel throwing 'Derek Zoolander' ones like this, get kicked about and anything that isn't metal often gets ruined or broken, quickly. The anodised alloy chuck is pretty bump proof and uses a reversible screw fit head, that is easily switchable between valve types in seconds. The two respective ends of the chuck head say 'Presta – Dunlop' on one side and 'Schrader' on the other. Props to Hoy for mentioning Dunlop, a rarely used (on modern road or mountain bikes at least) valve stem design. Few will own tubes with Dunlop valves – or know that they do, but it's a nice touch all the same. The flip action locking lever is alloy and has a nice firm locking action. I found the narrow pointy lever shape attractive, but my human thumbs really wanted a broader, flatter, slightly curved shape, maybe with a fine file grip.

As is traditional for track pumps, our Hoy model features a pressure gauge. The pressure gauge on the Hoy track pump is, for the time being, reading accurately (enough), for all but the most detail obsessed riders, who will no doubt also have a separate digital pressure gauge anyway. We say for the time being, because, in 30 years of using track pumps on a near daily basis, the basic needle gauges are always the first element to fail. We have our fingers crossed that, in due course, our Hoy Hi-Pressure track pump bucks the trend.

We also liked the adjustable position hose guides on the pump's barrel. They're tough ABS type plastic, though they look like alloy, and use a hidden Allen key clamp to adjust their position by sliding up or down the barrel, if you ever felt the need to.

We tested this one against a few other track pumps of various styles and designs that we had handy and it neither over or under performs in any area by comparison. There were faster and slower pumps, better and worse heads, but when all things are considered, the Hoy does hit a good spot, with solid build quality, effective action, accurate pressure readings and the right money to make it a good choice.

It's a handsome and effective tool to have about the place, collecting plenty of plaudits for its black and silver grey barrel topped with Rapha-esque striped colour bands and hickory handle. You shouldn't really fall in love with a track pump, least of all for its looks, but my Facebook status (for track pumps) currently reads 'it's complicated'.

Verdict

Well made, effective and elegant to look at