Sometimes great things come in small packages, and that's absolutely the case with the Truflo MiniMTN. It’s a super compact little pump that extends to nearly twice its size in use, and takes little effort to work. It even has a retractable hose to protect your valves – the only thing missing on the MiniMTN is a pressure gauge.
- How to go bikepacking: a beginner's guide to getting started
- Is it worth converting your mountain bike to tubeless?
- 7 trailside fixes every cyclist should know
The main barrel of the Truflo MiniMTN is CNC-machined aluminium, with an anodized finish and laser-etched graphics, while the head is made of a similarly durable plastic.
The whole unit (when compressed) measures in at 180mm, while weight is just 118g. So not only is the pump sturdy with a premium finish, it's extremely light to transport. And it's still good for up to 80psi, making it good for gravel bikes too.
The plastic head is attached on the end of a rather short (but still very useful) hose, which protects your valve from any vigorous pumping. To accommodate various valve types, the head of the MiniMTN is reversible – you unscrew it and flip the seals inside to switch from Schrader to Presta or back. It’s a pretty old school mechanism, but it keeps the pump compact and it’s a reliable solution. There’s also a dust cap for the head, a welcome feature.
In action, the Truflo MiniMTN is smooth and it doesn’t stiffen in its travel at all. Due to the barrel being telescopic it clunks and wobbles a little as you push through the stroke, but it’s a very small price to pay for the air volume it delivers. While it’s not as efficient as larger pumps, it filled my 2.35x29” tyre reasonably quickly and with almost no arm fatigue.
My only concern with the durability of the MiniMTN is the very small, thin locking lever on top of the head. While made of an extremely hard, solid chunk of plastic, I can see it snapping if too much force is put through it – and it needs a bit of oomph to operate.
If you’re looking for a compact pump that packs a punch, the Truflo MiniMTB can’t be ignored. You'll be hard pushed to find another pump that performs this well, that’s this small and this well built for what this excellent device costs.