The Crankbrothers Gem floor pump and Klic HV hand pump have arrived, ready to breathe some fresh air into the Flow test fleet! With one in the workshop and the other in our riding pack, here’s our thoughts so far on these shiny pumps from the Californian brand.
Crankbrothers Gem Floor Pump
- Weight: 1,560g
- RRP: $99.95 AUD
Designed to suit a wide spectrum of bikes from road through to MTB, the Crankbrothers Gem is a generously-sized floor pump that’s built around a big diameter alloy barrel. It features a nifty lever that allows you to switch it between HP (High Pressure) and HV (High Volume) settings, and it gets a sturdy tri-arm steel base for stability.
There’s an enormous analogue gauge that is easy to read, though the 160psi range means it’s pretty hard to tell the difference between 21 and 23psi. It’d be great to see an MTB-specific version of this pump with a narrower pressure range, though the current setup does mean the Gem has been useful for inflating the tyres on our gravel, commuter and road bikes. We’ve found the gauge to be pleasingly accurate too, which isn’t always the case with floor pumps.
With the pump set to the HV mode, inflating a mountain bike tyre takes no time at all thanks to the big barrel and long stroke. The dual valve head is simple enough to use on both presta and schrader valves, though it does require a forceful push when locking it in place. We also like the sensible hose length that’s long enough to inflate your bike’s tyres while it’s in the workstand, but not so long as to end up in a tangled mess. The fact that you can get a $5 AUD rebuild kit to replace the seals in the valve head is great too.
Crankbrothers Klic HV Hand Pump
- Weight: 136g (without mounting bracket)
- RRP: $84.95 AUD
Thanks to the ethereal power of magnets, the Crankbrothers Klic pump has a neat party trick up its sleeve. Or rather, inside its barrel.
Fold out the handle, and you’ll find a pull-out hose and valve head hidden inside the base of the pump. The hose affixes to the top of the pump using a magnet, resulting in a satisfying ‘click’ as the two components are sealed together.
The Klic pump can be had in HP (High Pressure) and HV (High Volume) specific versions. We’ve got the HV option, which uses a longer and bigger diameter barrel to pump a large volume of air into plump mountain bike tyres. Each Klic pump can also be had with or without a gauge. We were sent the model with the gauge, though the 100psi range makes it pretty useless for off-road pressures.
The threaded valve head is reversible, making it compatible with both presta and schrader valve stems. It’s a bit dicky to thread onto a presta valve, which isn’t helped by the long metal barrel for the gauge. Once fitted, the Klic HV pump works well, dumping plenty of air per stroke and proving to be comfortable in use thanks to the wide fold-out handle.
The pump comes with a bracket for mounting it underneath your bottle cage, though it doesn’t provide the most secure fit. We found the pump would slide downwards while riding, and the loose hose and fold-out handle resulted in some annoying rattle on the trail. As such, the Klic HV is better off stowed inside your riding pack. We were just able to fit it inside our bum bag, as the 260mm length is on the longer side.
Given the somewhat useless gauge, we’d recommend saving yourself ten bucks and getting the standard Klic HV model. Or if you’re not fussed on the magnets and hose, consider the Crankbrothers Sterling hand pump that sells for $69.95 AUD and features a nifty HV/HP switch.
