As more and more of us are trying out different styles of cycling that are away from standard road bikes and slim high-pressure tyres, be it fat-tyred gravel bikes, cyclocross or mountain bikes, it soon becomes apparent that a standard high-pressure track pump just doesn’t cut it when the tyres need to be pumped up.
- How to inflate a bicycle tyre — everything you need to know about pumps, valves, pressure and more
- How to choose a bicycle pump
Yes, any high-pressure track pump will inflate a bigger tyre, but you’ll be there a lot longer than you should. The beauty of Bontrager’s solution is to combine both high volume and high pressure in a single unit.
Despite the Dual Charger Track Pump's modest price, I'm impressed with the quality, all of the important parts are metal, there are no cheap plastic internals or base to be found here.
It’s very well designed with a large three-spar footprint, which is detailed with grip tape inserts to keep your foot planted. The gauge is easy to read thanks to its massive 4in diameter and the sensitive needle proved accurate when I checked pressures against my digital gauge.
The long 1.3m hose has a pressure relief button at the joint with the pump’s shaft and the head smartly switches between Presta and Schrader valves, the long 2in lever locking into place tenaciously.
Switching between high volume and high pressure is done via a large switch mounted on the edge of the gauge. It’s easy to flick between settings with your foot, so you can use the high volume for the first few strokes and then switch to high pressure to get more accuracy.
It took me 14 strokes to get a 28mm tyre up to 80psi, a combination of six strokes at high volume and then steadily increasing the pressure with the HP setting. On a large volume tubeless 45mm 700c gravel tyre it took 15 strokes to get to 50psi, using the high volume setting. Thanks to its height (680mm) and wide design it can achieve 160psi, though why you’d want to, who knows?
If I had a criticism, then the hard plastic used in the handle could be a bit more tactile, but it’s very well shaped, and I did like the neat handle inserts that hold airbed and football adaptors. That’s a very small gripe on what is a very well-made, clever and well-priced pump.
