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The Topeak Joe Blow Booster is a double-chambered shop-type floor pump that’s designed to make inflating your tubeless tires easier. It features two aluminum cylinders; one is a normal floor pump, while the second, larger one is a pressure tank. Most of the pump is metal with plastic used in the gauge housing and the cups at the end of the barrels. The hose is long enough (59 inches) to allow access to bikes in a stand, and attaches with a swivel fitting for no-kink use. A simple push-button pressure release is located on the hose swivel, where it attaches to the pump body. That allows for quick tire pressure adjustments should you overinflate. The base is stamped steel and should last a while. Weighing in at a substantial 7.7 pounds, this isn’t your everyday portable pump, but it’s certainly easy enough to tote around for a weekend of racing.
How it Works:
The Joe Blow Booster has two modes: inflate and charge. The first works much like a normal floor pump. Simply turn the bezel on the large top-mounted analog gauge to “inflate,” attach the pump’s patented Smarthead to your tire’s valve, and start pumping. The Smarthead itself is similar to other offerings in the Topeak line and is compatible with Presta, Schrader, and Dunlop-type valve stems. Simple in design, the inner portion of the head is self-adjusting, which allows use on all valve types without disassembly or a swap of small parts that tend to get lost over time.
To inflate tubeless tires, change the setting of the bezel to “charge,” directing airflow to the secondary tank. It takes about 45 full strokes of the handle to pressurize it to 160psi. Each charge is enough to seat one tire.
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Once you are ready to seat the tubeless tire, install it on the rim, pull the valve core from the valve stem (key to getting proper airflow into the tire), attach the pump head, and open the secondary chamber via the bezel ring back to the “pump” setting to let the pressurized air into the tire/wheel.
Of course, seating tubeless tires has its own special list of concerns. The air you’re pumping into the tire needs to push the beads up into the shoulder of the rim, where they lock in place. If the tire/rim interface isn’t tight enough, air can leak out too fast to create enough pressure to do that. A second wrap of tubeless-style rim tape is usually enough to get the tires to seal against the rim.
Our Take:
We inflated a few dozen tires on various rims. Tire/rim combinations ranged from 25mm road tires to the 2.8-inch 6Fatties on a Specialized Stumpjumper. In almost all instances the tires seated on the first try. In the cases where they didn’t, a second wrap of tape on the rim was enough to provide an adequate seal.
The Joe Blow Booster has good construction, and has held up well over the course of testing. We took it on a few weekend outings and loaned it to the local shop for a bit of on-the-floor, real world testing. There are easily replaceable O-ring seals in most places that may need service. The handle and footprint are both large and easy to grip, even when standing on the pump in road-cycling shoes. And at almost eight pounds, it offers a good solid feel in use.
While it is true you can pick up a decent, small air compressor for about $100, even the small ones are heavy and need power to run, which makes them less than ideal for travel use.
If you install tubeless tires in a light to moderate amount, the Joe Blow Booster should see you though years of use, and offer a quieter experience than a powered compressor.
Price: $160
Weight: 7.7 pounds
Info: Topeak.com
