The idea behind designing and manufacturing a floor pump seems simple. Build one that will inflate a wheel and have a reliable, trustworthy gage. You only have to look at Topeak’s range of floor pumps to realise it’s not that easy, especially when taking the added demands of mountain bikers into consideration. Enter Topeak’s JoeBlow Mountain.
With this dedicated mountain bike floor pump Topeak have managed to take all the lessons learned from their standard JoeBlow and listened to the needs of mountain bikers.
For starters the barrel diameter has been increased from 30mm on the JoeBlow Sport to 44.4mm. This means bigger volume with every stroke, so you will need fewer strokes to inflate your tires. Inflating a 2.35 tire from flat to 40psi takes 23 strokes vs 51 with the JoeBlow Sport. I’ve had mine for over a year and am yet to meet a tire it won’t inflate or mount from completely flat which makes mounting UST tires a breeze.
TwinHead switches between Presta and Schrader; the JoeBlow Mountain’s 44mm barrel next to its smaller sibling
Specifications
Head: TwinHead
Barrel: Painted Steel
Gauge: Base Mount Analog
Hose: X-Long
Pressure Tuning: Air Release Button
Handle: Oversize Padded
Capacity: 75 psi / 5 bar
Base: Composite
Added Features: Ball/Bladder Heads, Hose Dock
Size (L x W x H): 17 x 23 x 69 cm
Weight: 1.74 kgs
Another stand-out feature is the dedicated mountain bike gage that only reads to 5 bar/75psi compared to the Sport’s 11 bar/160 psi. This saves on valuable display “space” which means you will be able to fine tune your tire pressure better as the increments are smaller and therfor a lot more readible on it. In a world where 5 psi can make all the difference this is a big bonus.
Then there’s the usual Topeak features. The Double-sided TwinHead™ works with Presta or Schrader valves by flipping it over. No need to swop out the inners or carry extra bits around with you. The head has an easy to use leaver that locks the head in place and opens the valve to inflate the tyre. A built-in air release valve makes it easy to fine tune even further.
The pump has a wide composite base to keep it stable trail-side. The hose is extra long and there are guides at the top of the barrel with a hose dock at the bottom to keep it secure. The handle is oversized and padded, mimicking mountain bike grips. The mountain bike parents among us will be glad to hear it also ships with a pin to inflate soccer or rugby balls.
In the end
An affordable, reliable, well thought out floor pump that keeps going year after year. It makes pumping up MTB tyres that much easier and does away with most of the gauge that you won’t ever use. For those with tubeless tyre setups, this is surely something to look at, as it could do away with the need for compressors once and for all.
A great pump, hi volume on each stroke, the gauge is easy to read and the twinhead means the wheelbarrow is easy to inflate.