off-road.cc

The Truflo Easitrax 3 is an entry-level floor pump at an entry-level price. It’s lightweight, well constructed and easy to use, and its sleek looks are up there with the more expensive units. It's a little flimsy and breathless and the gauge is hard to read, but there's no denying it gets the job done (eventually).

• Is it worth converting your mountain bike to tubeless?
• 11 tools every home bike mechanic should own
• Nine cheapskate alternatives to proper cycling products

While the all-important barrel is steel, the rest of the pump uses plastic from base to handle. That makes it very light, if prone to a bit of flex in the base and handle when a lot of force is put into it.

The handle is padded on top for comfort and grip, and the underside is grippy too thanks to the grooves, so it's easy to use nonetheless.

The base is very small – perhaps to avoid it snapping – but it’s reasonably stable with a foot planted on either side. The base is home to the gauge, which is also small, and the markings on its face are smaller still. I find it hard to read and have resorted to the adjustable indicator arrow to mark my target pressure, which is something I’ve never had to do with other pumps.

The head is also plastic, but feels very solid. Truflo has fitted the Easitrax 3 with a traditional valve selection method, where you unscrew and flip a chip inside to switch between Schrader and Presta. This is not only easy to do but, assuming you run the same valves in everything, it’s fit and forget. This mechanism is also massively reliable.

It's a no-fuss performer. The head fits securely and the action is silky smooth, though it can't match the efficiency of pricier pumps. For reference, getting to 30psi on a 2.35x29” tyre took 50 strokes, which is a fair bit more than others I’ve had on test. You’ll definitely have a hard time seating a tubeless tyre using this pump alone, too.

The Truflo Easitrax 3 is well worth considering if you’re on a budget and don't bother with tubeless – especially given online discounting of up to 50 percent. If you’re using and swapping high-volume tyres a lot, however, you can find better-performing, more solidly built pumps starting at around £10 over this one's RRP.

• www.freewheel.co.uk

You might also like:

• When should you replace your bicycle helmet?
• The best mountain bike handlebar grips you can buy - tried and tested