Just some years in the past, the battery and motor know-how didn’t actually exist to make compressors so small that you could possibly moderately think about carrying one on bike rides. Know-how is advancing fairly quickly, nevertheless. And moveable electrical pumps will not be solely a actuality, they’re shortly rising in quantity and recognition.
A number of manufacturers now provide these compact units, together with Fumpa, Silca, Rockbros, Viair, and Muc-Off (which Cory not too long ago reviewed), amongst others. Topeak is without doubt one of the newest to affix the electrical tire inflator membership with its new E-Booster Digital pump, which they launched on the Sea Otter Basic.
The parents at Topeak had been type sufficient to ship me an E-Booster Digital ($130) for testing, and I’ve been carrying it with me on all of my rides for the previous month or so. Fortunately, I haven’t actually wanted it for emergency tire inflation. However I’ve used it for top-offs and ran it by a sequence of checks to see if it performs as marketed.
Topeak E-Booster Digital electrical mini tire inflator
Topeak has been making a variety of equipment, together with bike pumps for greater than 30 years. They make properly over 20 completely different fashions of ground pumps alone, and the reasonably priced JoeBlow Sport III has been my go-to for the previous few years. It’s cheap, it’s sturdy, it really works, and the brilliant yellow shade makes it tremendous straightforward to search out in my messy storage.
Topeak don’t simply make pumps for the house workshop. From mini-pumps to CO2 inflators, Topeak sells every thing you could possibly presumably want for moveable tire inflation. I’d say their Mountain Morph is without doubt one of the finest mini-pumps that I’ve used. However it’s pretty massive, so I finished carrying it across the identical time I finished carrying massive hydration packs a couple of years in the past.
Why may an electrical inflator be a good suggestion for me?
Just lately, I’ve adopted a extra minimalist method, leaning on CO2 cartridges as my inflation instrument of alternative. CO2 is quick, straightforward, small, and comparatively light-weight. Plus, I can squeeze the separate cartridges into the corners of luggage and pockets. It’s manner simpler and faster than pumping tires by hand with a mini-pump, however creates extra waste and prices a couple of dollars each time you want one. It varies from year-to-year, however I can undergo 20-30 cartridges. Heck, generally it’s three cartridges on a single trip, as a result of as soon as I puncture, it usually occurs repeatedly.
And at roughly $3-4 a pop (relying on measurement & model), that’s wherever from $60 to $120 a 12 months. Certain, I couldn’t spend that cash through the use of any of the 4 or 5 mini pumps that I already personal, however I constantly select to not. To be clear, I understand that mini-pumps can and do get the job achieved, but I want to not use them. I additionally acknowledge that utilizing CO2 is wasteful and costlier, but I select to make use of it anyway.
That’s why I used to be excited to attempt the brand new Topeak E-Booster Digital. Might this be the one factor that replaces the 2 different strategies of moveable inflation that I at the moment use?
Editor’s Be aware: Jeremy makes use of lots of CO2 cartridges! He’s probably an edge case. Many of the remainder of us at Bikerumor use between 0-5 in a 12 months. However nonetheless, perhaps an electrical inflator might reduce that to zero for extra of us, too?
E-Booster Digital Particulars
Earlier than I dive into my expertise utilizing the Topeak E-Booster, listed below are some specs, particulars, and measurements.
The E-Booster is pretty compact with measured dimensions of 8.6 x 5.9 x 3.8 cm with the silicone cowl on. Topeak lists the claimed weight as 162 grams. I weighed it and bought 156 grams for the pump solely, one other 25 grams for the silicone cowl, 25 grams for the extension hose, and 9 grams for the storage bag. By my calculations, that’s a complete system weight of 215 grams. You don’t have to make use of the storage bag or the extension hose, so one might simply trim that weight right down to an actual 181g for driving. (However you’ll need that silicone cowl.)
Along with the elements listed above, the E-Booster comes with a small waterproof bag for climate safety. A USB-C charging cable can also be included for recharging the 600mAh battery, which is claimed to take 45 minutes.
The electrical inflator itself has a SmartHead that matches Presta or Schrader valves with the flip of a swap. Plus, the versatile, 2-inch-long extension hose threads onto the inflator and has a thread-on Presta head that may be eliminated to entry a thread-on Schrader head.
On the again of the inflator, the facility button turns the unit on/off, and begins & stops inflation. The plus & minus buttons are used to preset the specified stress on the LED display screen. When inflating, the display screen exhibits the precise stress with claimed accuracy of +/- 2psi. Topeak claims a most stress of 120psi, which is way larger than anybody must be inflating their tires as of late, OK!
On the E-Booster’s product web page, Topeak offers a chart with numerous wheel and tire measurement mixtures, pressures, common inflation occasions, and variety of inflations. There’s some variability, in fact, however the takeaway is that it ought to have the ability to inflate most traditional wheel and tire combos to regular pressures ~4 occasions on a single cost.
Adapting to packing a dice as a substitute of a tube
It’s humorous, I’m not satisfied that biking essentially wants extra batteries or know-how. I feel wi-fi shifting, droppers, and even Flight Attendant are cool. However cable-actuated parts work properly sufficient, in some instances higher, and value considerably much less. But for some unknown cause, one thing about these moveable electrical pumps actually appeals to me. I suppose, I simply strongly dislike pumping tires by hand.
Anyway, the very first thing that stood out to me concerning the Topeak E-Booster was its compact measurement. I’ve a transportable electrical compressor for automobile tires, and that factor is compact for what it does, however it’s huge compared to the E-Booster. I’m impressed that Topeak, Muc-Off, Rockbros, Fumpa, and others have packaged batteries and motors into such small items that truly work as pumps.
This factor suits within the palm of my hand.
I can simply stuff it in a jersey pocket, cargo bib liner pocket, fanny pack, or within the backside of my EVOC hydration vest. It doesn’t take up any extra complete house than the three x 20g CO2s and the CO2 inflator head that it has changed. In comparison with any mini-pump I personal, the E-Booster is roughly the identical quantity, however they’re formed so otherwise that they aren’t straightforward to match.
On that observe, the E-Booster is clearly cube-like in its form, so pocketing or packing it required a brief adaptation interval. I used to be so used to the flexibleness of packing free CO2 cartridges and thin mini-pumps, {that a} dice took a couple of rides to get used to. I’m a creature of behavior, for certain.
By way of weight, 215g (inflator, cowl, extension, and bag) is 70-ish grams heavier than many mini-pumps, just like the Blackburn Mammoth CO2 that I take advantage of sometimes. However when in comparison with the CO2 setup I’ve been carrying, the E-Booster is definitely a couple of grams lighter. Three 20-gram CO2 cartridges (68g every), together with a 16g inflator, add as much as 220g.
Utilizing the Topeak E-Booster Digital
Utilizing the Topeak E-Booster couldn’t be simpler. You principally simply flip it on, set your stress, put it in your valve, and press begin. And it shuts itself off when the preset stress is reached.
I’m keen on utilizing the extension hose and threading it onto my Presta valves. Then I can utterly let go of the inflator and are available again to it when it’s completed.
It’s additionally surprisingly fast. Not CO2 fast. However it’s a lot sooner than utilizing a mini-pump. In my at-home checks, I inflated a 29 x 2.4” tire from zero to 25psi in ~80 seconds. In fact, that pumping energy comes with a little bit of noise from the motor, however it isn’t outrageous by any means. Certain, it will be nice if it had been silent. However it’s a pocket-sized air compressor. There isn’t any avoiding the truth that it will likely be considerably noisy. Realistically, it’s most likely quieter than me swearing whereas pumping a tire up by hand.
Pumping Assessments
I’ve fortunately averted flats on latest rides, so I ran the Topeak E-Booster by a couple of unscientific at-home inflation checks in my storage. The primary spherical was with mountain bike tires, the place I inflated the aforementioned 29×2.4” tire from 0 to 25psi twice. Then, I inflated a 29×2.5” tire from 0 to 25psi one and a half extra occasions, earlier than the battery died.
Every week or so later, I did a second spherical utilizing a 700c x 45mm gravel tire. I inflated it from 0 to 35psi 3 times, and on the fourth attempt, it stopped at simply round 8Psi.
After doing my very own checks back-to-back, I spotted that Topeak recommends a 5-minute break between every use. I positively didn’t take any breaks in between, so which will have skewed the outcomes considerably. Regardless, I used to be nonetheless fairly impressed.
It doesn’t have limitless pumping energy, in fact. However I’d say it’s lots ample for the overwhelming majority of my common rides. That greater than replaces the three CO2 cartridges that I carry with me most frequently.
Potential Drawbacks
I’ve heard dialogue round seating tubeless tires with a mini-inflator just like the E-Booster. I haven’t tried, however it looks as if its means to take action would utterly rely on the rim and tire mixture. It will actually be no match for the cussed tires that require each trick within the guide to get seated. It doesn’t blast air like CO2, so it will most likely solely work for these excellent rim and tire combos you could simply inflate with a ground/monitor pump.
On rides, I hardly ever (nearly by no means) must re-seat a tubeless tire. If I puncture or pinch and may plug it, then the bead usually stays on. If I’ve to place a tube in, then I don’t must seat a bead both. There could also be some cases the place seating a tubeless tire within the subject is critical, and if that’s an enormous concern, then perhaps the E-Booster – or another mini electrical pump for that matter – isn’t for you.
Or, you’ll need to carry a backup CO2 for that goal.
For racing, I’ll nonetheless be carrying CO2 because the distinction in inflation time might be the distinction between touchdown a spot on the rostrum and ending mid-pack. Carrying the E-Booster is one other consideration. It’s fairly small, however its blocky form could throw folks’s packing methods off a bit. It most likely received’t match into tight saddle baggage, so that you may want to think about options.
Possibly somebody might 3D-print a body mounting bracket for it?
Not like a mini-pump, the Topeak E-Booster does have a restricted pumping means, and it’ll finally run out of battery. If you happen to’re actually getting on the market on lengthy rides or in distant locations, you’ll most likely be higher served by a mini-pump that received’t run out of juice. And, like another battery-powered gadget, you will have to cost it after use. Fortunately, it costs in a short time, and I’d say the claimed 45-minute charging time is comparatively correct.
It additionally generates some warmth whereas pumping, and there are even some warnings on the pump physique about utilizing it with TPU tubes with resin valves. Simply use the extension hose, and you need to be okay. I seen the pump was fairly heat after 3+ consecutive inflations of the gravel tire talked about above, however it wasn’t burning sizzling, plus the silicone cowl insulates it barely.
The E-Booster is My New Go-To
Regardless of these considerations, I actually, actually like this gadget.
Utilizing it’s so a lot simpler and faster than utilizing a mini-pump that I’m pleased to commerce the slight weight penalty for the comfort it offers. And since I burn by CO2 cartridges as shortly as I usually do, it’ll finally save me some cash AND scale back the used cartridge waste I produce.
Is the E-Booster or another electrical mini-pump crucial? Completely not.
However it provides to the rising variety of moveable inflation choices on the market. Mini-pumps and CO2 are each nice and proceed to work simply in addition to they ever have. Nonetheless, the Topeak E-Booster Digital has earned itself a spot in my equipment as a result of it’s extra handy and simpler to make use of in most conditions.
If you happen to hate utilizing mini-pumps or burning by CO2, then the E-Booster, or one thing prefer it, is value testing.
Topeak E-Booster Digital: Pricing and Availability
The E-Booster Digital mini electrical inflator retails for $130. That’s no drop within the bucket, however it’s consistent with related choices available on the market, such because the Muc-Off AirMach Professional ($140) or the Viair Recon Mini-Rider ($130).
Approach sooner than pumping by hand
No CO2 cartridge waste
Tremendous straightforward to make use of
Preset stress, auto shutoff
Fees shortly
Suits in a pocket or pack
Louder than hand pumps or CO2
Pretty costly
Weight of all of the elements provides up – nonetheless not that heavy
The E-Booster Digital is at the moment accessible at numerous on-line retailers, by Topeak sellers, and may probably even be discovered at a motorcycle store close to you.
Topeak.com
