The Flextail Small Bike Pump is a sturdy pump half the time

Social media’s algorithms know that I dawdle a bike nearly on every day foundation. My quiver incorporates a city bike, mountain bike, and gravel bike, to boot to to 1 or two e-bikes I’m consistently in the approach of reviewing. I’m furthermore the family mechanic, which makes me to blame for as a minimum 16 to 18 tires that I must serve inflated. So, you’d better imagine I took to find when Instagram served me loads of adverts for the Flextail Small Bike Bump.

The mini rechargeable pump works with Presta (the thin one) or Schrader (the veteran fatty) valves and promises extremely-hasty inflation that maxes out at 100psi (about 7 bars) — ample for any bike that doesn’t require a stretchy cloth wardrobe coordinated with your shoes and helmet.

The origins of the pump are suspect, as I stare what appears to be to be the exact similar product equipped with branding admire Cyclami, Toptoper, Rrskit, and Epoom at a vogue of sign choices, some as microscopic as $25. Flextail sells its model for $85 and lists the manufacturer as Huzhou Jingwei Out of doorways Products on the sector and machine itself. The foremost pump Flextail sent me couldn’t pump a tire past 19psi sooner than death. Flextail sent me one other that (largely) lives as much as the claims.

The article that’s now now not talked about in the adverts I’ve seen is how loud the minute pump is: 76dB at arm’s length, in my testing, which is equivalent to bending over to scrutinize a running vacuum cleaner or rubbish disposal. Utilizing it whereas stopped alongside woodland trails generates extra scowls than seeing a mountain biker in Lycra.

The Flextail Small Bike Pump does work, though. It’s much faster and smaller than the mini hand pumps riders in overall elevate in case of danger. At 3.9 oz. (111 grams), it’s furthermore moral a microscopic heavier than the true 3.4-ounce (96 grams) Unich pump I on a normal foundation elevate. But the Flextail pump furthermore doesn’t stress your air valve mounts as much because it doesn’t require lengthy lessons of vigorously erratic pumping.

The Flextail pump’s perfect map back is that it’s handiest just correct for about a zero-to-tubby inflations sooner than wanting a recharge, nonetheless that may well vary by tire size and desired stress. It’ll final much longer when you happen to’re moral topping up tires. Its minute 2.59Wh battery recharges in as microscopic as 25 minutes.

In my testing, on a city bike fitted with extensive 700 x 40c tires and Schrader valves, I became ready to pump one tire as much as 45psi in Forty five seconds. Then, piquant to a gravel bike fitted with wider 700 x 42c tires and Presta valves, I became ready to hit 50psi in 90 seconds sooner than the pump quit quick of a recharge. That’s two proper-world inflations per price, for these keeping glean.

The Flextail Small Bike Pump is so little and light-weight that I in the starting place belief it will be ideal for bikepacking journeys and even lengthy day rides. But with handiest two inflations in the tank, I’d soundless must retain a hand pump as backup alongside my patch package and spare inner tube(s). But there’s no approach my gram-obsessed mind would allow me to retain two pumps.

In case your rig is an e-bike with a constructed-in USB charging port, then you’re already traveling with a extensive vitality bank on wheels. That makes it easy to recharge the Flextail pump after depleting it because your aspect-of-the-aspect dual carriageway flat tire repair didn’t rush as planned (it happens!). Dazzling don’t neglect your USB-C cable… and perhaps a carbohydrate bar to snack on whereas you wait.

In case you’re soundless , all I can deliver is that one in every of the two Flextail Small Bike Pumps I tested worked as marketed, and I wager you’ll have identical success from various manufacturers that sell what appears to be to be the same Huzhou Jingwei Out of doorways Products battery-powered pump for a lot much less.

For each person else, moral purchase a mini hand pump for a lot much less money. They by no map want charging, are too massive to lose, and can must soundless most likely final a human lifetime — or two.

All pictures by Thomas Ricker / The Verge