Pros
- Seats tubeless tyres with ease
- Ergonomic handle and length
- High level gauge is acceptably accurate
Cons
- Lockout lever can be quite stiff to engage
- Need to switch parts manually for different valve shapes
- Not as stable on its base as some
Price as reviewed:
£94.99
The Truflo Airstore joins the ever expanding band of versatile track pumps that also feature a separate chamber designed to store pressurised air specifically for the job of seating tubeless tyres.
The sleek, gloss black finish hides a pump that has similar proportions to many of its rivals. A height of 680mm when stored extends to nearly 1200mm so creating a very comfortable and ergonomic pump action even for users over six foot like myself.
Truflo construct the Airstore out of metal for long-term durability, using steel for the base and aluminium for the chambers, shaft and handle. A rubber skirt around the base increases grip on slippy surfaces along with two small rubber sections for your foot to grip when pumping. Although the base isn’t as stable as other designs and the high overall weight means it can be easy to tip the Airstore over.
The handle has a teardrop shape that feels really comfortable on the hands even when pushing down hard to fill the secondary chamber.
Tear drop shaped handle is comfortable to use. All-metal construction is durable but chunky and can be unstable.
The head also follows the all-metal, durable approach and has a valve lock that grips so tightly that it can be difficult to look fully in place on occasions, but be assured it grips like a limpet when on. A small lever underneath this controls the action of the pump, flick out to engage and prime the high pressure chamber, flick back to release air or operate the Airstore as an ordinary pump.
To swap between presta or schraeder valves you need to unscrew the end piece, reverse and reinsert. It only takes a couple of seconds so isn’t too much of an issue but still a bit more faff than a double head or multi-valve version. It also lacks a bleed valve – I know this isn’t a common thing found on pumps but when you use a pump with one it is a real godsend with setting accurate pressures.
The all-metal pump head has a stiff but solid locking mechanism. The smaller lever controls the tubeless chamber.
All you need to know about going tubeless
In action the Truflo Airstore is comfortable and relatively quick to use. As a test it took 33 strokes to inflate a 700x28c Bontrager R3 tyre from 0-80psi, as registered on its gauge. To pressurise the chamber up to 180psi took 11 strokes – Truflo claim you can pressurise up to 260psi but I found going over 180psi to be exponentially harder to achieve and 180psi was more than enough to seat and inflate any tubeless tyre I cared to test. For example, 180psi seated and inflated a 700x42c WTB Resolute tyre to 14psi, requiring a further 21 strokes to pump to my usual 35psi for tubeless gravel tyre use.
Accurate enough. The gauge is within 2psi of true pressure readings and is relatively easy to read.
Aiding in the inflation is a relatively easy to read, high-positioned gauge. When tested against my accurate pressure gauge the Truflo unit over read by approximately 2psi, which is perfectly adequate for road use and a pretty good measure for gravel and MTB. The only thing I don’t like about it is the fairly cheap and plasticky nature of the gauge’s construction.
Verdict
Performance wise the Truflo Airstore is a reliable way to seat and inflate tubeless and 'normal' tyres alike. It quickly inflates tyres of both large volume and high pressure and the gauge is really quite accurate. It is a little unstable on its base at times and the head is a bit more fiddly to use than with some other pumps but overall it works well.
Details
Contact: www.freewheel.co.uk
