Truflo Supertrax Floor Pump

The Truflo Supertrax Floor Pump pretty much nails it: it blows up tyres efficiently, stands solid and stable while you do it, and displays the pressure on a big, easy-to-read dial. It's a well-made tool for your shed or car, and proof that you don't need 'exotic' materials and huge price tags to get this mundane job done well.

Our best track pumps buyer's guide covers our favourite workshop inflators, with our best bike pumps buyer's guide adding mini pumps, CO2 and tubeless inflators to the mix.

While some people still find plastic a bit new-fangled and inferior – it's only been ubiquitous for 60 years, give them time – I personally think modern composites are the best materials for pump handles. The one here is a good example, with a comfortably broad top, sloping edges to avoid pressure points and a smidgen of comfort-enhancing flex. Hammering away at a rounded wooden 'premium' one is far less pleasant.

Some might consider the steel baseplate 'cheap' as well, because it's pressed rather than machined or forged, but it's rigid, very firmly attached to the steel barrel and only needs a single foot on top for security – even when pumping to max pressure. Basically the construction puts function ahead of form (and cost), as it should.

The steel foot's low-down weight also makes the pump harder to knock over than many, which I greatly appreciate – track pumps that topple over if I so much as breathe near them tend to end their days as javelins.

If these material choices are simply too basic, you can always spend three or four times as much and get cutting edge materials such as aluminium (created 1825) and wood (360 million years ago) – as used in, for instance, the £180 Silca Terra Floor Pump – and enjoy the far more luxury air that comes out.

The Truflo's composite chuck is easy to get on and off either type of valve (though the latch is relatively heavy), and the 96cm reach of the hose is long enough if your bike's on the floor rather than up in a stand.

The one meaningful issue I had with the Supertrax was a production fault on the first one we were sent. While everything worked effectively up to 160psi, it made some odd noises, and leaving it attached to a tyre would see the handle slowly rise on its own. The obvious conclusion is it was haunted, though I suppose it could have been a leaky seal.

The importer Madison sent a replacement that behaved entirely normally throughout the test, and despite the issue I feel this is a well-made pump. Every production line has a failure rate, and this was a manufacturing issue rather than anything failing in use.

When contacted Madison said its figures showed a return rate (this model has been out a while) of only 0.7%, which if accurate is actually very impressive. Furthermore, those were damaged in transit – apparently I was the first 'customer' to return a faulty one. The pump has a two-year warranty, which it seems you have a 99%+ chance of not needing, though on the downside I'm not sure it covers haunting.

In the centre of the handle sits a a chunky 'high volume/high pressure' switch, and while it moves with a nice positive click and makes going right up to 160psi pretty easy, this is one part that doesn't revolutionise the experience over traditional designs.

Testing this on a 45mm gravel tyre (mounted on a 23mm ID rim), it took 26 strokes to reach 45psi in the high-volume setting, which is pretty average. Meanwhile it took 44 strokes to get to 160psi once I'd swapped to an Airshot bottle and the corresponding high-pressure setting.

For comparison I also pressurised the Airshot with a 'regular' track pump (the Topeak JoeBlow Roadie EX mentioned below) and to my surprise it took exactly the same amount of strokes – 44 – to reach 160psi. The regular Topeak took noticeably more effort, though, as resistance became meaningful at about 70psi instead of the Truflo's 90spi, and ramped up quicker and further from there.

While the Truflo's HV/HP switch does make things noticeably easier at high pressures, there's still effort involved and it's not going to change your life. Still, it's simple and nice to have, and you don't seem to be paying a premium for it.

The three-inch gauge is big and easy to read, and until 40psi it goes up in 1psi increments. After that it switches to 5psi gaps, and there's a second scale in BAR for those who like to get all engineery with their pressures. Tragically there's no mmHg scale to really nerd out with, which will surely further alienate the wooden handle lovers out there.

Value

£44.99 is a very reasonable price for this given its solid build and performance, though you can pay less. The SKS Airkompressor Compact 10.0 is a little cheaper at £38, for instance, and our reviewer Laurence felt it 'covers the basics' (so presumably it pumps air), though its small gauge is hard to read. He found the latch confusing too, as it flips down instead of up.

Cheaper still is the Topeak JoeBlow Roadie EX at £36.99, though even its base is [GASP] plastic, and really didn't everything start going downhill when we stopped using marble? Beyond some silly niggles such as the movable pressure tell-tale being camouflaged to invisibility – seriously – and the inner rod being a bit wobbly at full extension, it's an excellent device that easily and reliably squashes air into your tyres. The Truflo does feel more solid and substantial thanks to its steel base, brighter gauge and thicker, more stable inner rod, if that's a factor.

Obviously you can spend lots more instead, such as on the £130 SKS Rennkompressor NXT with its beautifully uncomfortable beech handle and not-as-strong-as-steel premium aluminium base. But then according to our reviewer, and oh, look, it was me, the NXT is as stable as a tired three-year-old who's just heard 'no.' It also has an overcrowded dial that's hard to read, and features stupid legs with questionable ergonomics. Still, it doesn't feel cheap or plasticky or very modern, so have at it, grandad.

And then of course there's that £180 Silca Terra Floor Pump, which our reviewer Iwein thankfully found 'truly excellent'. It's an option I always save for last, because that's where punchlines go.

Overall

This is solidly built, easy to use and gets the job done very efficiently. The HV/HP switch reduces the force needed at high pressures, and while it's hardly game-changing it's nice to have. This is an effective tool that feels built to last.

Verdict

Effective, efficient and solidly made track pump for a good price