The Truflo Mini Shock Pump promises to be more than just a shock pump: it doubles up as a pump for your tyres too. Does all this multi functionality add up to extra smiles?
- Brand: Truflo
- Product: Mini Shock Pump
- From: freewheel.co.uk
- Price: £37.99
- Tested: by Hannah for 5 months
At £37.99, it’s at the higher priced end of things for a shock pump – but if it’s a two-in-one function, perhaps it works out as a bargain? And of course, if you’re the kind of rider that wants a shock pump out on the trail (I am, I know not everyone is), then it would be a space saver as well as a financial one.
Members Only content continues…
If you have an account, please log in. If not, you can get access to some of our features by registering here for free.
You could join them and open up this and countless other articles and reviews from just £0.06/day!
All members get..
- Exclusive members only content
- Digital back issues
- New issues via iOS/Android App
- Ad free website
- Merch discounts
- Downloads, GPX files, PDFs, iBooks
Print+ members also get..
Next available print copy of Singletrack magazine posted to you. Each issue contains 148 pages of perfect ride inspiration, opinion, adventure and reviews.
A message from all of us at Singletrack magazine
We need your help
For over 20 years Singletrack has been a source of information, news and entertainment for millions of mountain bike enthusiasts and as an important focal point for an amazing community of like minded riders from around the world. But it has also been a provider of jobs and income for dozens of families of our team as well as a source of revenue for hundreds of freelance contributors.
We want to keep going through this uncertain period and create great content to inform and entertain you, but we will need your help to do it. More than anything else we want to have a reciprocal relationship with you and the best way to make that happen is through our memberships. We’d love you to join us as a paid member of the Singletrack community – we promise you a return on your investment through the content we have and will create for you.
The main body of the pump offers a pressure dial (yay – no batteries. I’m prepared to forego a little digital precision in favour of the thing actually working when I need it). There’s a bleed valve button so you can let air out as well as put it in, and the connector hose has a Schrader valve fitting on the end. In comparisons with my digital pressure gauge, the dial on the Truflo seems to measure about 5psi less than the digital gauge, which might not matter if you’re using it to find a setting that you like and stick with it, but if you’re using different pressure gauges or trying to stick precisely to a manufacturer’s shock set up, that might be to much variance (assuming, of course, my digital gauge isn’t the one that is out).
If you want to pump up Presta valves, there’s a little adaptor. Don’t lose it. Ahem. There’s also a bracket so you can attach it to your frame.
The handle of the pump turns to flip the function between High Pressure and High Volume. High pressure is for pumping up shocks and forks, high volume is for tyres. In truth, the HV setting is more of a ‘high-er volume’ setting – it’s not as quick to pump things up as something with a bulkier barrel. It takes a fair amount of effort to use it as a tyre pump, and as a mountain biker you’re probably going to need that Presta adaptor. Which of course I have put in a ‘safe’ place, and lost. So, I’m back to carrying this as a shock pump and another pump for puncture duties. If you’re able to be a little less feckless and not lose the adaptor, carrying this for adjustments or CO2 top ups, plus CO2 for speed, seems like a viable option. But on its own, as a sole tyre pump solution, I wouldn’t like to find myself too far from home in bad weather with this as my only option.
As a shock pump, it’s effective enough, though the hose lacks a bit of twizzle. As you tighten the pump onto your valve, the fixture at the end of the hose stops turning independently of the hose, meaning you have to twist the whole shock to keep things turning. If you’re a RockShox Flight Attendant owner, you should note that the end of the valve is a bit fat to fit easily onto the valve of the shock (something that I think is a problem with the design of Flight Attendant rather than this pump – most pumps I have tried have the same problem).
Overall
Sadly, this hasn’t proved to be the magic bullet I’d hoped for – partly due to my own stupidity losing the Presta adapter. As a shock pump it’s good enough, though if something with a more twizzly hose comes my way I’ll probably use that instead. But as a pump for tyres it’s a bit of a last resort – frustratingly weedy compared to a true high volume hand pump. Ah well. Back to carrying two pumps on the trails.
Join our mailing list to receive Singletrack editorial wisdom directly in your inbox.
Each newsletter is headed up by an exclusive editorial from our team and includes stories and news you don’t want to miss.
