The New CYCPLUS Tiny E-Pumps are floor pumps in your pocket

Last year I wrote up a review of the original CYCPLUS Tiny E-Pump. I called it a “surprisingly handy gadget,” which was true. It was a novel yet significantly pricey alternative to co2. I am now here to tell you that their two new models are on another level entirely. A few months ago, CYCPLUS sent me the upgraded Tiny E-Pump AS2 PRO and Tiny E-Pump AS2 PRO MAX for review. Honestly, I haven’t used my floor pump since! These things are faster, easier, more precise, AND I can take them with me on my ride. Incredible.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE E-PUMP PRO AND PRO MAX:

• Display screen for PSI and battery life

• Ability to set the specific PSI you want to pump!

• Significantly longer battery life

• Splash-proof carry bag

• Schrader valve converter

Out of the box

Contents, photo by @photorhetoric

HOW WE TESTED

My initial plan was to take these on a riding trip to Girona in March and try them out there, kind of in the same way I did my previous review. However, when I saw the new upgrades, I decided to try them out ASAP. For the past three months, I’ve had the PRO in my saddle bag and the PRO MAX (aka the bigger one) at home. I’ve been using the MAX to inflate tires before going on rides but I’ve recently switched to using the PRO instead, just to test out battery life. On our travels, I took just the PRO for both pre-ride and in-ride needs.

So to date I’ve used this at home, on the road on bike rides and on bike-related travels. It has been 3 months of me using both products. I am not particularly scientific with my reviews: my style is to use something frequently enough to throw away the instructions and try it out in a variety of environments. I expect a good product to hold up to real usage, which for an inflation tool might mean that it sits unused in my saddle bag for a month until I suddenly need it (like what happened with the PRO) or getting used on a daily basis (the PRO MAX).

The only thing I didn’t really use or care for in my reviews was the Schrader converter and the carry bag. Nice to have, but I simply did not use them.

CYCPLUS TINY E-PUMP REVIEW: THE GOOD

I am reviewing both the PRO and PRO MAX, as they are basically the same product in two different sizes (MAX being the larger one):

• Easier and faster to use than a frame pump. The original was cool and fun to use but you’d have to count 1 second per 1 PSI. Now you just set the PSI using the buttons, attach it to the valve, and it does everything else by itself. I haven’t used our floor pump in almost 3 months!

• Battery life is unexpectedly long. The MAX lasted me about a week and a half of daily usage before it ran out of battery, and it didn’t go fully dead either! So this is roughly 12 tire PSI “touch ups”, which could translate into about 5-6 fully flat inflations per full charge. Co2 can’t do that.

• Battery life didn’t drain when unused for a month. One thing that CO2 had over these pump cubes was that you didn’t have to worry about battery life. Cycplus has fixed that – my PRO went unused in my saddle bag for a month and had 2/3 battery left, which I was not expecting! So as long as you remember to charge it once every 6-8 weeks you’re probably fine.

• No reduction in original benefits. Safe for plane travel, charges relatively quickly, comes with a protective rubber sleve.

CYCPLUS TINY E-PUMP REVIEW: THE NOT-SO-GOOD

I honestly believe both of these pump cubes are excellent products. Having said that, there are only two problems:

• You still have to keep the charging port away from dust, sediment, or potential rain collection. This isn’t new, and it might always be an issue until they provide a plug for the port. I could see Cycplus not doing that because someone will definitely try to turn it on with the plug still on and cause issues.

• It’s expensive. At $109 (PRO) and $129 (PRO MAX), they are not cheap. At $3 per Co2, it’s more than 36 canisters for the PRO. Having said that, I don’t think I’ll every buy another Co2 canister or a pump again. These accomplish both, so you are getting a LOT for your money here.

CONCLUSION: THESE THINGS ARE AMAZING

Last time I wrote about these, I said they were “worth it.” I was mostly comparing them to Co2 cartridges, which are a classic option but prone to user-error and generally frowned upon for travel (and banned for European airlines). These new models are another level entirely: you can take the equivalent of a floor pump in your pocket. I don’t even use my floor pump at home anymore, and it cost roughly the same amount as the Cycplus PRO MAX!

If you are looking for a solution that can top up your tires before riding, fit in your saddle bag to take on your ride, and even travel anywhere where you might not have a floor pump for a few days, then this is actually it. I would say the PRO one is probably the best value for your money, unless you mainly want to replace your floor pump and prioritize travel, in which I’d say the PRO MAX might be better for you.