Topeak Ninja P Pump

Topeak has set out to create a bicycle pump that hides away, inside your seat tube, until it's needed. It does that bit very well, but the Ninja P is too skinny to deliver a good shot of air and is a bore to use.

Part of the range that includes the Ninja C Chain tool and the CO2 Plus bottle cage/CO2 inflator, the Ninja P (for 'pump') is another result of Topeak's attempts to find solutions to rather minor problems: 'this super-light Ninja pump hides inside your seatpost to keep the clean lines of your bike, while still easily accessed when needed', it says.

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You may well agree that your bike frame is no place to keep your pump, especially those little mounts behind the bottle cage, in which case you probably keep yours in a jersey pocket.

Now, if you were to keep your pump inside the seatpost, it means you'd probably need to have a multitool on hand, because not many road bikes come with a quick-release seatpost. And if you're reaching into your pocket for an Allen key, well, you might as well produce a pump, mightn't you?

The means by which the Ninja P is secured in the seatpost is simple and secure. A rubber ring at the top makes a snug fit, while a second at the other end is compressed by turning the plastic knob to expand it to fit. The instruction sheet warned me to check the pump is installed in the seatpost properly 'before every ride' (yeah, right). This worried me that it might be a bit prone to ending up down by the bottom bracket, but I had no problems with that and nor did it rattle in use. On the other hand, should you push the pump too far up the seatpost, you might have trouble getting it out again. Topeak has thought of that and included a hex tool socket in the end of the knob to allow you to loosen it.

So, if you want a pump that's kept out of sight, and especially if your bike has a QR seapost clamp, you might find some value in an out-of-sight, out-of-mind tool such as the Ninja P. However, you won't thank its minimalist form when it comes to actually shifting some air into your tyres.

'Ooh, this is easy!' I thought, as I rapidly ran up a hundred strokes of the pump. By 250 pumps I was beginning to understand why: I still only had less than 40psi in the 25mm tyre. By 350 I was beginning to tire, and the hard plastic knob was becoming uncomfortable on the palm of the hand. By 450, I had managed to get it up to a rideable 70psi but that was about my limit. Also, it was getting quite difficult to prevent the head from blowing off the valve. Compare that with the GT Attack's 100psi in around 190 strokes, or the Birzman Velocity Apogee's 80psi in "220-ish easy strokes".

Topeak claims 160psi is possible, but if you're aiming for that, you'd better have a clear diary.

Verdict

A pump that's skinny enough to fit inside your seatpost, but too skinny to deliver a decent shot of air into your tyres