Topeak JoeBlow Booster, Black

Product Information

If you can look past the plastic finish, slow gauge and slightly flimsy feel of the Bontrager TLR Flash Charger, you will be rewarded with a well-performing pump that undercuts the competition by a large margin. Compared to the inflation tanks from Specialized and Giant, which have stands, handles and smart heads, the Airshot is pretty basic but it has some really nice details – like the Presta charge valve, which means you don’t have to swap your pump internals, simple valve core adapter and it’s a quarter of the weight. Please take a look at the videos below. These show the process of pumping up road tubeless tires. DO I RECOMMEND IT? Tubeless tire inflators have a high-pressure cylinder that is charged with air from either an integrated floor pump or a separate pump, normally to a pressure of 140-200 psi depending on the model. The inflator is then connected to the tire and using a lever, the air is rapidly released, the rush of air forces the bead of the tire onto the rim and seals it tight. No swearing, no sweating, just an overwhelming sense of accomplishment: this is how you should feel after following our tubeless setup guide. There are a host of models for every budget, but the first decision boils down to the following two choices: “I already own a good floor pump” Unfortunately, we can’t recommend the Lifeline Airblast for use with MTB tires, and can only imagine it working with low-volume road tires. However, due to its poor overall construction and inaccurate gauge, we find it hard to recommend at all.

What we really want is consistency in reading. Your 22 psi might be my 26 psi on our respective gages. But if those pressures work for us, we just need to be able to hit those pressures with confidence. A low range gage enables that both from reading observation and sensitivity (linearity). The Birzman Pump Up looks great and scores with its sleek aesthetic. However, in practice, the basic and poorly designed head is very hard to use efficiently.

Analysis and Test Results

Mountain Biking product shot in the studio 2. Bontrager Dual Charger floor pump Best budget floor pump for mountain bikes Unfortunately, we did not get on well with the MilKit Booster. We like the concept, however, in practice the system is not as easy to use as advertised, and the leaky plastic threads on the inflator head are worrying. I went down to REI and got to try a lot of different pumps. They didn't have the JoeBlow Fat, but they did have a Topeak Dualie.

With the Topeak Joe Blow Booster it is suddenly a lot easier to install tubeless tyres on your wheels. This is thanks to the large integrated aluminum air chamber that you can safely pump up to 11 bar. With a simple turn of the knob, the built-up air suddenly shoots into your tyre with high pressure, so that it is neatly pressed into place. In short, with the JoeBlow Booster you don't need a compressor! Constructed with premium materials, the JoeBlow Booster is built to withstand frequent use and provide long-lasting performance. Its durable construction ensures that it can handle the high pressures required for bike tires, without compromising on reliability. The pump's ergonomic handle provides a comfortable grip, making it easier for users to pump up their tires. Hose management system does not work well, easy to use incorrectly when seating a tire, not as accurate It has a decent length 105cm hose and comes with a top-mounted gauge, which is close to the user but the numbers are quite small, so are not that easy to read. The handle is not the most comfortable either, when it flexes for the final few charging strokes, and there’s also a slightly cheap metallic feel to the pumping action. Birzman have nailed the aesthetics of their Pump Up tubeless inflator. The sleek metal body, plastic end caps and flashy inflator head all look amazing. We are also fans of the long hose, which is neatly stored when not in use. In fact, there isn’t much to dislike about the Pump Up inflator, until you try to inflate a tire with it…There’s nothing particularly flashy about this tubeless inflator pump. It’s well-built, and even the plastic parts feel robust. The wide handle is comfortable to use, and the stroke is smooth and pretty well dampened. The large, easy-to-read gauge proved to be accurate in our tests, however, it does need a little while to settle before you can take a reading. The Presta + Schrader Smarthead is a great feature, allowing you to use the pump on both types of valves without having any faff. We also liked the twist-to-release lever, which matches the overall robust feel of the pump. The Topeak JoeBlow Booster performed averagely in our lab, recording a peak flow of 2.8 l/s in our test scenario and a one-shot pressure of 24 psi. While these numbers weren’t outstanding, we were impressed by the JoeBlow’s reliability, bomb-proof build and useful features. As one might expect, our floor pump tests involved a lot of inflating. We tested for quantifiable factors like inflation speed and gauge accuracy, measured weight and dimensions, and made user-based assessments of more subjective things like handle comfort and overall construction quality. We also asked friends and fellow bicycle enthusiasts to join our testing rounds to balance our experts' perspectives on the best features for all experience levels. There are various parts available for this pump, such as pump head parts and the hose. Unfortunately we do not have these items in our range. Customers should immediately stop using Birzman Pump Up Tubeless Inflators of either version; BM17-PUMP-UP and BM20-PUMP-UP.

CONTINUE PUMPING – Completing the steps above will get you to around 80 psi. Leaving the pump on ‘1a’, continue pumping up the tire like you would with a regular pump. For my road wheels, I usually stop around 100-105 psi. The Topeak Tubibooster X is the most expensive standalone tubeless inflator in this test. It’s also rated to withstand the highest pressure, 124 bar to be exact. That’s over 1700 psi, a pressure which is impossible to reach with a floor pump. The unattainably high maximum pressure and heavy metal tank made us feel very confident charging the Tubibooster X to a ‘mere’ 160 psi for our tests. The inflator head is made of plastic and looks pretty basic. It works with both Presta and Schrader valves, providing you unscrew the end cap and flip the double-sided insert to work with its corresponding valve type. In our lab tests, the Tubibooster X scored with a great flow rate of 3.1 l/s and a one-shot pressure of 27 psi. It’s both easy to use and stable, and we were 100% confident pressurising it to 160 psi and beyond.The Milkit Booster hat tips early home-brewed attempts to build a booster pump using an old fizzy drinks bottle by modifying a familiar aluminium flask into a portable charging station. Make sure that the tubeless tire beads lay flat against the outsides of the valve stem (i.e., none of the tire should cover the top of the valve stem or air will leak out at this point. See pictures to the left and right.

Additional information on how to use this pump (with tubeless tyres) can be found here. Frequently asked questions Can I use the Topeak JoeBlow like a regular pump? We’ve had a Topeak Joe Blow Booster on the go for about two years now and we’ve never had a tyre we couldn’t seat; it worked first time seating our awkward Continental test tyre. It’s also relatively easy to charge, has a comfortable handle and feels extremely stable even when you’re going hell for leather. Solid performance, universal nozzle, long hose, air bleed valve, easy-to-read gauge, capable of seating tubeless tires BUT WHAT IF I JUST WANT TO INFLATE? – You can also use the JoeBlow™ BOOSTER pump as your regular daily pump. Just leave the pumps’ bezel on the #1a position and pump to whatever pressure you feel most comfortable. The pump’s bezel displays pressure in PSI as well as BAR. WHAT I REALLY LIKE SMARTHEAD™ – same pump head is used for both Presta and Schrader. No, I’m not talking about flipping the valve over like other pumps, I’m talking about just pressing the SMARTHEAD™ onto any valve stem and the pump head will seal over it – either Presta or Schrader.On first impression, the Birzman Pump Up standalone tubeless inflator stood out with its sleek metal and plastic construction, and high-end looks. However, our hands-on testing also revealed its flaws…