Electric mini pump? Is it really good for inflating your tires or just another useless piece of junk? Will it replace the normal mini pumps? These were the questions I asked myself before the test and finally got the answers.
CYLPLUS AS2 PRO MAX electric mini pump
A couple of weeks after our big pump test last year, CYCPLUS contacted us to test their new electric pump, which will be released in February. I hadn’t heard too much (anything) about this brand before and finally googled who and what this manufacturer does. It came as no surprise that it was a Chinese company, but based on their products they are not in the lower end of the market, at least in the smart rollers and e-pumps category. Then we said yes to the test and the pumps were here a few days before Christmas. Yes, pumps, because they sent us one of the older models, so we had a basis for comparison.
CYCLPLUS AS2 Pro Max on the left, CYCPLUS AS2 on the right
If someone had asked me before the test what kind of cycling accessory I was dreaming of, I would not have said an electric pump. So I was a bit sceptical about the products, whether they had any justification and whether they would work at all. The conclusion to be drawn from our big pump test, mentioned above, is that mini pumps only make the bad things less bad, none of them inflate our tyres in a second, they all need to be worked on and the result is questionable. If you want to be on the safe side you should take a cartridge with you, but it’s a single use cartridge. That’s why I’ve taken a cartridge and a mini-pump on all my bike rides, especially in winter when it’s not good to freeze on the roadside for minutes while I breathe life into my tyres, but luckily I get punctures relatively rarely.
Dimensions
Out of the box I was surprised to find that these are really small, none of them are half the size of a brick, you don’t have to carry them in a backpack, they fit in your jersey pocket or even a saddlebag, plus the older small CYCPLUS AS2 with its 115 grams is about the same weight as my mini pump. The new top model, the CYCPLUS AS2 Pro Max, is twice as heavy, weighing 233 grams, which is not heavy either, just put your mobile phone on the scale to see how much you usually carry. The AS2 measures 45.5x28x65 mm, the AS2 Pro Max 54x32x81 mm, although this does not include the added silicone cases, which add 1-2 mm to both models. I used the word brick before, not by accident, they are shaped like it 🙂 .
CYCLUS AS2 takes up very little space compared to Iphone13
The smaller pump (AS2) has a maximum of 6.9 bar according to the factory data, which it can reach 1x with 1 charge but it can inflate a 25 mm tyre to 5.5 bar 2 times. I had no information about the AS2 Pro Max until 1 week ago so I had no choice but to try it out, I suspected it would do more than the smaller one.
The CYCPLUS AS2 Pro Max is also significantly smaller than an Iphone13
CYCPLUS AS2
The CYCPLUS AS2 mini e-pump has only one button to turn on and start/stop pumping and this button also contains the battery charge LED. The valve can be converted from auto to presta by rotating it, there is no hose, you just have to push it. It also has a USB-C port for charging. But let’s see what it can do!
CYCPLUS AS2
I started by blowing a 622-28 tyre with it. It wasn’t a lightning bolt, the stopwatch just spun the seconds as the tyre started to harden. Since it doesn’t have a pressure gauge on it I relied on the gauge built into my finger. The sound of the pump started to get more and more forceful and hotter (hence the silicone to protect your hands), the factory says it reaches max pressure of 6.9 bar in 2.5 minutes (probably size 25) but I let it suffer for 3 minutes. I then put the pressure gauge on the rubber and it showed 6.8 bar, so it really does do what it promises at max pressure. I got a yellow light from the inflator, but I tried to see how much was left in it, my 25 tyre took another 3 bar and then it went completely drained.
I recharged it, which really only took 20 minutes, as the manufacturer promises, and then the 2×5.5 bar test. It took less than 2 minutes to inflate my 25 mm tire to 5.5 bar, which I repeated again after draining, the second time it went to 5.4 bar when it was drained.
CYCPLUS AS2 115 gram with silicone case
Since I do a lot of graveling I tried it with wider tires, the 622-40 tire blew up to 3 bar in a little over one and a half minute, which I did again after draining and the pump was not fully deflated. So it’s safe to use for gravel bikes, and probably more suitable than for road bikes, especially if you like high pressure. Of course, it is important to note that all pumps have problems with high pressure, whether electric or conventional.
CYCPLUS AS2 Pro Max
The CYCPLUS AS2 Pro Max already seems to be a significantly more complex structure than the AS2. There are three buttons, a display and a hose can be connected to it. The display shows the pressure and the charge level, while the buttons are used to adjust the pressure, in addition to switching on the tyre, because the AS2 Pro Max inflates the tyre to the pressure that you set in advance. According to the manufacturer, the pressure gauge is accurate to +-1PSI. This e-pump can be used without a hose, but it’s better to use the attached hose for more comfortable inflation and less chance of pressure loss. The connectors are very sophisticated, far from being a shoddy piece of junk. It also comes with a few accessories, a valve converter ball, a spare gasket and a plastic pouch to carry it in your pocket in times of heavy rain. I’ve already mentioned that I had no info on its capabilities during the test, so I tested it in a similar way to the older model. Let’s see!
First, I tried the maximum pressure, and it was easy to guess the value, because the pump allowed a maximum of 8.3 bar. It got to 8.3 bar on a 28 tyre in just over 2 minutes (the factory says 75 seconds, but probably for a 25 tyre). Towards the end this pump didn’t sound as nice either, but it was nowhere near as effortless as the AS2 and didn’t heat up as much, which is not so surprising, bigger pump more power. Then I tested how many more times it would inflate the 28 mm tyre to 6 bar, it inflated 4 more times and by the fifth time it could only get to 3.5 bar. If not for the first max pressure test it would have inflated 5 times without any problems. An inflation up to 6 bar takes 79 seconds. Of course, it is faster with 25 mm tyre. The performance of the battery is determined by how long it takes it to inflate a tyre. The cord inflation warmed up the pump quite a bit, even with the silicone case it felt very hot, without it it was hot.
It took 1 hour to recharge after the discharge and then the 622-40 gravel rubber. I was able to inflate it 7 times to 3 bar, which makes it safe to take it on longer bikepacking rides, because it won’t let you down.
CYCPLUS AS2 Pro Max 233 grams with silicone case
Based on its size, the AS2 fit right into my tool box, which I usually put in the place of the second bidon and from then on it accompanied me during all my winter bike rides. By the way, the AS2 Pro Max would fit without the silicone case, but I’d have to do a lot of work to get everything to fit. Now that the weather has improved and I need a second bidon, the AS2 is in my back pocket instead of the normal mini pump. For the longer gravel rides in the spring I’ll probably switch to the AS2 Pro Max just in case we get more punctures so no one in the company has to fiddle with a normal pump. I’ve also thought about using the pressure gauge on mixed terrain and if there are longer asphalt sections (like on the KalandKör400) I’ll inflate the tire and deflate it on the bumpier sections.
Is the electric mini pump useful?
Definitely yes. It is significantly better than a normal mini pump, much faster, has a higher pressure and you don’t get tired when pumping, not to mention it is not heavier and doesn’t take up more space (the AS2)
Of course, an e-pump is not the answer to everything, I would not use it as a substitute for a workshop pump, because a good workshop pump is much faster to inflate the tyre. In addition, it is not a perfect replacement for cartridges either, as it cannot inflate tubeless tyres, plus one cartridge inflates tyres faster than an e-pump, although the advantage is that it can be used more than once and the AS2 is lighter than 2 cartridges and a head.
For me, there is no question that I will take one of the CYCPLUS e-pumps instead of the traditional mini pump for training or touring, I can’t say any disadvantage for my use on the road or off. For gravel racing I don’t know yet whether I will start with the cartridge or the AS2, although I am leaning towards the latter, but I might carry both, because when my tubeless tire is flat I use the e-pump, and when I need to put inner tubes in I use the cartridge (I will update this article with this information in the season).
There is also a new little brother of the AS2 Pro Max, the CYCPLUS AS2 Pro, which you can read a review of by clicking here, and more information about it here: CYCPLUS AS2 Pro
