Review: Crank Bros Power Pump Mini

I picked one of these up a few years ago and was delighted to have a new, small pump to carry. This was to replace my old, trusty Blackburn Mammoth Mountain Pump (MMP-1).

The CBPPM, it takes too much to keep typing, was small enough to shove in a pocket in my jersey or in my water pack. This was in contrast to the MMP-1 which I had carried on the frame for years.

When I first picked up the pump, I deflated a tire and tried it out. The pump came with a dual head, different from the single-nozzle + flip the innards on the MMP-1. One side of the head of the CBPPM was for schraeder and the other presta style valves. I have all presta valves. So I shove it on the tube. Its really hard to get on! It took quite a bit to get it onto the stem, but I did it. I then began to pump like a fiend. Nothing was happening though I could hear air being expelled from the pump. I eventually found the little flip-switch just under the head. A difficult quarter turn locked in the valve and I was on my way.

It took a bit to fill up an MTB tire with this size pump, but I am sure no different than any other of its size. When the pumping got tough, I flipped another knob, located on the end of the pump handle to the high-pressure setting. A few strokes and I was up to my desired pressure.

It also took a bit of effort to pry the sucker off the valve. I hoped over time, it would become easier to put the pump on and off. A few rides over the last couple of years as well as a ride last week proved to counter that assumption. Every time I try to use the pump, it is always difficult to connect but easy to work once connected. Unfortunately, when patience is scarce or the cold is too much to bear, a difficult to attach device is the last thing someone wants. So, we never got the pump completely attached and moved on to someone else's. I do have to say however that before I pulled out my pump, one of those "insta-flate" CO2 pumps failed to do the trick.

My conclusion is that the pump works, but you have to get it on the valve to experience the bliss. I will more than likely unearth my old MMP-1 and rebuild it (I've done it twice) or pick up another one over the winter.