Fabric Stratosphere Sport Track Pump 2020

The Fabric Stratosphere Sport Track Pump is a basic floor pump straddling the budget/decent-at-full-price line. It will do you fine for most tyres, but if you're after a more premium feel or for daily use, there are better options. It's also expensive compared to the competition.

Two years back, James reviewed the Fabric Stratosphere Sport, giving it three stars and finding it a bit budget on feel and performance for a middling price – in other words, it did the job, but you'd expect a bit more for the money. The 2020 version looks to be exactly the same pump, just in white (though black is still available).

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At the budget-but-decent-expectations end of the floor pump market, candidates need to do three things really well to stand out from the crowd: have a decent hose length to make pumping in awkward spaces (sheds, garages, workshops) practical, have a smooth-acting head that seals effectively and removes quickly, and have the right compression-to-volume ratio to deliver the required air effectively in a sensible number of strokes. To my mind, there's no need for swivelling hoses, ergonomic handles, bleed buttons or lifetime warranties.

Hose

The Stratosphere's hose is 117cm long, which means it's good for valves about 1m above the ground. You need to allow some wiggle room for the head which sits horizontally, and for the fact that the hose attaches at the back of the pump base, so you lose some reach there unless you pump with it facing 'backwards'. So if you have a bike in a workstand at eye level, chances are the hose will be too short. This wouldn't be an issue except Fabric states that the hose is 'extra long'. I'd say it's the bare minimum. It is nicely retained by a press-in clip at the top which secures the handle, and then the head attaches to a clip at the bottom of the hose, so it's tidied away.

Head

The head is perfectly serviceable, attaching to both Presta and Schrader valves with a smooth metal-lever action and staying sealed all the way to the maximum 140psi. Ours disconnected cleanly and quickly from Presta valves but removal from Schrader valves was a fight, requiring a fair bit of wiggling and pulling.

Pumping

The pumping action is rather noisy and feels and sounds rougher than other pumps I've owned or reviewed, including a decade-old Bontrager Charger (current RRP £23) that's seen literally thousands of efforts, including many hundreds of recharges of tubeless tanks to its maximum 160psi.

Once you get past about 80psi things start to get hard. By 100psi you can feel the plastic handle bowing ever so slightly, and some real welly is needed to get to the maximum of 140psi.

> How to choose the best tyre pressure

I didn't find it impossible, but then I'm six feet tall and fit – I couldn't see someone of a shorter or slighter build having much fun at the post-100psi end of the scale. Not that 100+ is a typical use case these fatter-tyred days, but if you are wanting a pump to charge a tubeless tank, or to regularly get a track bike or turbo trainer tyre north of 100psi, this probably isn't the one for you.

Gauge and base

The gauge is nice and large, the needle bouncing about as needles do, but it's easy enough to track where you are at. Either side of the gauge is a roughened, sandpapery surface for your feet to grip onto, lest the pump scoot out from under you and embed itself in a wall, child or, heaven forbid, bike. No, I don't know why it's like that either.

The base itself is extruded plastic, and seems sturdy enough to survive a modicum of poor treatment.

Value

As mentioned, my benchmark here for value is the £23 Bontrager Charger, and even a cursory look at comparisons shows the Fabric Stratosphere is decidedly lacking in the value stakes. 

> Buyer’s Guide: 13 of the best track pumps

Tony really liked the Topeak Joe Blow Sport III, which costs £8 more but sounds well worth it. Or you can spend less than half the price of the Fabric Stratosphere on the highly rated (by purchasers) Lifeline Essentials Track Pump. 

Conclusion

I may seem harsh here on the Fabric Stratosphere, but for £32 I'd expect a smooth pumping action that didn't get noticeably harder within realistic pressures, a longer hose, and a head that removed freely from both common valve types. And even then, I'd expect those at a lower price.

Verdict

A good-enough pump for semi-regular use, but expensive for what you get