Specialized Air Tool Sport SwitchHitter II Floor Pump

Specialized's Air Tool Sport SwitchHitter II floor pump is a generally decent pump with a couple of thoughtful touches that make it friendlier and easier to use. It's a solid entry in a very crowded market; well worth considering but without anything that makes it utterly compelling.

• Pros: Comfy handle, easy-to-use smart chuck
• Cons: Not really "all-metal"

The SwitchHitter II part of the Air Tool Sport's name comes from the 'smart' chuck, which easily accommodates both Presta and Schrader valves. The lever then closes it firmly around either type, and it releases easily too. With some floor pumps, you need to really yank the chuck to get it off the valve when you're finished. That's not the case here, all you need is a gentle tug, so you're less likely to damage the tube, and the washer that seals the valve should last well.

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With the chuck firmly clamped round the valve, it's time to start pumping. The handle is really nicely shaped, with a cross-section that almost looks like an aerofoil. No, Specialized hasn't taken to designing pump handles in the wind tunnel. That would be silly. Rather, the shape provides a flat section to press against and a round area for your fingers to curl around. It's a nice touch.

It took 30 strokes to get a 28mm tyre up to 90psi with the Air Tool Sport, compared to 29 with my old faithful SKS Rennkompressor. There are faster track pumps out there, but they tend to have other problems, like difficulty getting to high pressures for light users or mechanical complexity. Zefal used to make a floor pump, the Double Shot, that pushed air into your tyres on both the up and down strokes. It got tyres – even fat tyres – up to pressure in a dozen strokes, but its fiendishly clever concentric shafts and all-plastic construction made it more than a little fragile.

The Air Tool Sport doesn't feel fragile at all and I got a tyre to the maximum 160psi fairly easily, though the last couple of strokes did need quite a bit of oomph with most of my 95kg behind it to shove the air in. If you want to pair the Air Tool Sport with a separate tank to blow tubeless tyres into place it'll do the job, but there will be tubeless tyre and rim combinations where it won't work on its own.

Getting that 28mm tyre up to 90psi was easy for me, but my partner's 55kg daughter struggled. This is a perennial problem with floor pumps. Petite or svelte riders just don't have the mass to shove the plunger all the way down at higher pressures. Switchable pumps like the Ravx Dual Phase or Bontrager Dual Charger can help, and light riders would be better off with a pump like that than with the Air Tool Sport.

There are three places a floor pump maker can put the gauge: right at the top of the shaft; by the foot; and somewhere in the middle. Specialized has put the gauge down low where it won't get damaged if the pump falls over, but the downside is that it's not as easy to read when it's all the way down there. A movable arrow on the outside of the dial provides a more-visible indicator of your desired pressure.

Nicely executed as the SwitchHitter II chuck is, its plastic construction is a slight cause for concern. A recent user report on Specialized's own website mentions the head coming away from the hose at high pressure, though I had no such problem. The body of the chuck is attached to the hose with a plastic nut and while it's all acceptably thick and dense, I'd really like to see more pump makers offering a metal smart chuck for improved longevity and general robustness. Topeak has one on the Joe Blow Ace Dx, but that's a £140 pump.

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Browse any of the big online retailers and you quickly realise you're spoiled for choice when it comes to mid-range floor pumps. For about the same money as the Air Tool Sport, the Crank Brothers Gem quickly inflates fat tyres too, while the slightly pricier Bontrager Dual Charger boasts a bigger gauge as well.

Compared with those pumps, the Air Tool Sport has a nice, solid feel, even though it lacks some features. If you want an unfussy pump that just gets on with the job, it's well worth a look.

Verdict

Solid, easy-to-use pump that does the job without being especially exciting