Last week when I asked about the best cycling accessory people had bought in the past 12 months I knew exactly which one I had in my mind. My Topeak Joe Blow Sport which was recently sent to me by the nice people at Extra UK.
When I first pulled it out of the box I wondered where on earth am I going to keep this big thing. I marvelled at its beauty. Finally I owned something that wouldn’t look too out of place in a bike workshop. I no longer had to travel to my nearest bike shop and timidly ask if I can use their pump.
The big problem with the small hand pumps that we’ve all had since the days riding around with stabilisers is that they struggle to get a tyre up to the required pressure. The result is more rolling resistance which is inefficient. Meaning more hard pedalling and frustration at the bike holding you back. Not having the bike at the correct PSI also meant more punctures.
Those days are long gone. With the pressure gauge at the bottom of the Topeak Joe Blow Sport its easy to know exactly what you are pumping the tyre up to. A few up and down movements and the tyre has gone from completely empty to full. The best part of it is you can imagine yourself blowing up a building each time you raise and drop the bar.
The fun doesn’t end there. This pump can fit both Presta and Schrader valves. Simply flick the switch in the direction labelled P or S. This means all bike types are covered. You also get the various attachments needed for pumping up footballs and so forth.
The Topeak Joe Blow Sport has absolutely everything I could ask for from a floor pump and it is definitely one of those cycling accessories I’d recommend getting sooner rather than later. There is a reason its the pump you often see on the floor in all the bike shops. Unfortunately the size of the Joe Blow Sport does mean it’s a little hard to find a new home for it.
Good things about the Topeak Joe Blow Sport:
- Finally reach the correct pressure on your bike tyres meaning less effort and punctures
- Takes about 1/10th of the time to pump up a tyre
- Solid, good quality design and at a good price
- Feel like you are a demolitions expert about to blow up a building each time you pump your bike
Bad things about the Topeak Joe Blow Sport:
- Don’t expect to be able to fit it into your panniers
Where to buy
The best price I’ve found is at Chain Reaction Cycles for £28.99 delivered. Evans sell it for £32.99 and Amazon for £29.49 but you have to pay an extra £2.50 for shipping.
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- Can you get a good cycling jacket for £50?
- Take a look at the top cycling accessories London’s cyclists chose
- London Cyclist releases a bike maintenance iPhone app
- Heavy, folding and expensive. The Abus Bordo bike lock
I love the fact that you’ve listed “Feel like you are a demolitions expert about to blow up a building each time you pump your bike ” as one of its good points. Love it.
Thanks Trevor. I try to keep my reviews interesting as opposed to the typical dull spiel you get on many sites 🙂
so that’s not just me then. good good.
I bought one a couple of years ago and they are great pumps, the adjustable marker on the gauge that you can set to your maximum tyre pressure is a real bonus on a dark evening when you get home and think ‘I could do with a bit of air in the tyres’ to assist in getting the pressure correct. Standing tall and painted yellow also means you cant lose it at all!
I bought one on offer from Halford$ after finally getting fed up with the one I bought from Aldi/Lidl – which always let out more air than it put in! It’s solid, reliable and a joy to use – yes, ‘blowing up’ tyres can be fun!
I bought one from Tredz a couple of weeks ago online and it was only £26.99 (maybe even less!?) – get involved!!
Nice, think you must of hit it in a bit of a sale!
Andreas, I got one for my birthday this weekend. Absolutely great pump. Sits in my garage next to my bikes and I check the pressure before I go out each time. Takes just a few minutes.
I meant this year
Nice! The Topeak Joe Blow Sport is a good birthday present idea for sure.
Yes I think its a great pump, I think its got the best fitting for presta type valves. Keeps the hose nice and tight onto the wheel.
i have to admit that i bought my track pump from tesco for a tenner and thats got both valves on it too, although for to pump a mtb tyre from flat to 40 takes a while (lot less for a road bike to 110-120psi) i imagine the topeak does it a lot lot quicker.
when i first got “back” into cycling i had a phobia of presta valves as i couldnt get on with them but now ive worked them out they are a lot better than their “car tyre” cousins 🙂
It’s true that I am a total novice when it comes to bike maintenance, but I just bought one of these assuming that it’d be a doddle to use, and I could stop harrassing the nice men in the Stokey bike shop. Apparently not.
My tyres have Schrader valves, I am following the instructions (http://www.topeak.com/pages/342/news/detail/42) exactly, but there is no ‘locking’ when I move the lever. The tyre valve and pump nozzle just push against each other.
Please tell me there is some obvious error I must be making?
K
Can I inflate my motorcycles tires or my car tires with it? I ordered one for my bicycle but I am just wondering if it would work. C U!!!