Threaded #58: Large electric tyre inflators, reviewed

Dave Rome

Electric tyre inflators have been a common sight around mountain bike and cyclocross races for the past 15 years or so. Still, the category of mini inflators has absolutely boomed amongst cyclists in the past 24 months, while larger inflators haven’t just become a common sight at the start of pro races, they’re now often the only means of inflation.

Last year, I tested 19 Mini and pocket-sized electric inflators designed for taking on a ride, for travel, or even for pre-ride top-ups. The findings of that test still hold, but I wanted to address some questions about how larger inflators fit into the picture. Often based on a mainstream drill battery, these larger inflators are designed to be left at home or in a car. If the mini inflators are the e-bike equivalent of the mini pump, then these larger ones are the e-bike of floor pumps where the benefits are in inflation speed and longevity between battery charges. Here, pressure checks and top-ups can take literal seconds.

Best Electric Mini Bike Pump: 19 Tested (Mini to Mid-Size)The product category with all the buzz. A decade of experience testing electric tyre inflators, plus answers to commonly asked questions.Escape CollectiveDave Rome

This test was originally intended to be a simple comparison between the Milwaukee M12 Compact Inflator and Makita 18 V DMP181Z, the two pumps I see most frequently used at WorldTour races. However, like a moth to a lamp, I found myself distracted by other competing products, and as such, there are now five pumps in this test, ranging from can-sized to six-pack-sized.

The smallest pump in this test, the new Fumpa Pro, does overlap with some pumps tested previously in my portable electric inflator comparisons. I’ll offer some benchmark comparisons here for how these bigger pumps stack up against the likes of a Fumpa O.G, Silca Eletricco Ultimate, Cycplus AS2 Pro Max, or Bosch EasyPump, but with a consistent test protocol, you can compare any pump tested here to those in the previous test.

Before you jump to the included raw figures to help make a decision, just beware that some of the best numbers are associated with pumps that are not worth owning.

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Escape Collective is a member-funded cycling publication with no affiliate links, or ads from the brands we cover. This test took countless hours to compile, following a decade of reviewing products in this category. We stand behind our findings and you can be confident in the products recommended.

You’ll need to be a member of Escape Collective in order to see the winners and losers. You can access this article with a single-month membership (and then binge-read the whole Threaded series), but consider sticking around to see what Escape and its community have to offer.

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Electric inflator vs air compressor

Before I get into the testing, let’s discuss how electric tyre inflators differ from air compressors. After all, they both compress air, just with different outcomes.

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