SHIMANO PRO TEAM FLOOR PUMP Review

PUMPERS DELIGHT

My old pump of 15 years finally bit the dust. Actually, the pump is still good, its the gauge that rusted from the inside. Every time you push the handle down, a pump compresses the surrounding air, including the humidity/moisture in the air and part of this moisture gets forced into the tube(s) and part of it stays in the pump – mainly the gauge. Finally enough rust built up preventing the gauge from moving. it was stuck at 40 psi. So I priced out a replacement gauge – WOW, $50 and that’s through the EP program! For about the same price, I can probably get a brand new pump.

Didn’t make it further than my LBS who carries a dozen different pumps. There were red ones, yellow ones, black ones and one white one. The first thing I discussed with my friend who works there was the size and placement of the gauge.

Because, as we age, the old eyesight just isn’t what it used to be. Gauges mounted at the bottom of the pump are just plain difficult to see for us 60 year-olds. So, the first pumps I looked at were those with the gauges mounted up high. The problem was that they were real cheap, not price but quality. My friend pointed to the only remaining Shimano Pro pump and said “we can’t keep these in stock… they fly out the door.”

He said that the great thing about this pump is the quick connect/disconnect pump head. I noticed that even though the gauge was mounted at the bottom, it was fairly large. The pump also appeared to be the highest quality pump on the floor. So I bought it.

The next day was our standard early morning team ride. Since my garage is not as brightly lit as the LBS, I noticed that the gauge was a little difficult to see. I looked around for a quick fix and found some masking tape which I attached to the bottom of the pump. I next took a pen and scribed a line at 110 psi. This quick fix is perfect for seeing when 110 psi has been reached.

HOW WELL DOES IT WORK?

The quick connect/disconnect T-pump head is the best feature of all! Put the blue pump-end lightly over the Presta valve give a light push and you will hear a ‘click’. What surprised me was how easy it was to connect. Also, during the quick connect snap onto the Presta valve, I noticed that absolutely no air leaked out. Pumping the handle up and down a couple of times will put you at your desired pressure. This quick pump feature is due to the extended barrel which actually pumps more air per stroke.

Lastly, a light downward pressure on the T-head disconnects with a ‘click.’ Again, no air leaks out. This was one of the major issues with my old pump head, lost about 10psi of air every time I disconnected the pump head.

First, no matter how new the grommets were, air would leak out as soon as I pushed on the pump head.

Then, pulling on the lever the air leaking would slow, but, when finished, flipping the lever would cause considerable air to start leaking again. This was yet another reason to dump the old pump.

SUMMARY

This is an easy to use, efficient pump. So upgrade your current floor pump to the PRO Team version for great performance. The extended barrel and base are steel and pump to 160 psi. The ergonomically shaped handle is covered with a soft padding for ease of use. The 3” pressure gauge is easy-to-read and is highly accurate. The T-valve dual-sided pump head works on both Schrader and Presta valves. Other pump accessories are stored inside the handle. If you pump a lot of tires, you really should consider getting this PRO Team pump!

Rick Schultz

I have always enjoyed bicycling and, through a series of coincidences, became a Bicycle Industry Consultant and Product Tester. I test prototype products for companies and have published only off the shelf production products on biketestreviews.com.