Cannondale Precise Floor Pump Review

Cannondale isn't the first name that comes to mind when I think of bike pumps, but the Precise may change that. With a solid form factor, good ergonomics, and an easy-to-read gauge, this pump is incredibly user-friendly and priced competitively.

Ease of Attachment/Detachment

The Precise pump uses a smart head that can adapt to Presta or Schrader valves without any adjustments. A simple 90-degree head uses a metal locking lever and features a bleed valve on the pump head. The finish on the plastic pump head is good enough, but it's no work of art since it's a floor pump, after all.

There is little to no loss of air when attaching and detaching, and its ergonomics worked for all who used it. The bleed valve is a nice feature, but its placement isn't ideal. I found that when bleeding tires to an exact pressure, my finger was prone to covering the bleed hole, and using a fingernail wasn't a comfortable option. If you're not the type of rider looking to fill your tire to exactly 22.5 psi, this fine adjustment issue may not be meaningful at all.

Stability

The Precise uses a big, wide steel base that looks a bit like our favorite cartoon mouse. Those giant ears create stability and prevent the pump from falling over. Even more importantly, they create a solid footing that allows you to use the pump with one hand. The base measures 9.5" wide and 8.5" from the top of the bottom of the pedestal feet, which are coated in grip tape.

The pedestal feet angle toward you while pumping, making it feel natural to step on the base and less like you're holding the device down. A small amount of play between the main air chamber and base is a minor concern, but we encountered no leaks, nor any worsening of the wiggle over time. Notably, the air chamber (main cylinder) is made of steel and should provide far more durability than many of the lighter, aluminum pumps.

Inflation

This multi-purpose pump uses a large barrel to deliver a high volume of air. The contoured, ergonomic handle and textured foot pads on the base make one-handed operation simple and effective. Pumping a standard road bike 700x25c tire to 100 psi took just 23 pumps. The pumping action is smooth with a bit of play detected at the top of the pump stroke, but no leakage or blow-by of air. Pushing into the higher pressures, like you might ride in the velodrome, the pump worked perfectly and didn't provide difficult resistance.

This isn't the fastest inflation we've tested, but you don't have to exert much effort to push the pump handle down as you approach 100 psi. Using our mountain bike test wheels, the Precise filled tires effectively, didn't slip from our valve stems, and was able to set a tubeless seal in just a few pumps.

Accuracy

The Precise is pretty, umm… precise. Registering within 1.1 PSI from our control testing unit. The deviation from accuracy in this test ranges from 0.6 to 5.3 psi, indicating that Cannondale did a pretty good job ensuring the pressure shown on the gauge was accurate.

For most people, having your tire pressure off by 1.1 psi is not significant and isn't going to affect your performance materially. For some mountain bikers, getting their pressure exact is a bit more important, but those riders will typically travel with a pressure gauge so they can account for changes in elevation and ambient temperature.

Gauge

The Precise gauge packs a lot of information on its wide, 4.5" face. The multicolored band between the Bar and PSI readings indicates the general parameters for the inflation of different types of bike tires. While we'd suggest using the manufacturer's recommended pressure printed on your tire's sidewall, this feature is user-friendly and provides general guidelines for inflation. By color-coding each type of tire, you can use the colored areas as guidance instead of staring at small numbers.

The gauge is dual-stage, meaning that there is significantly more space between numbers lower in the pressure range. It's easy to pump your tires to 24 psi since the gauge has single increments between 20 and 30, but only small increments of 5 psi between 40 and 145 psi. While the indicator needle is red, it's only visible in the small window where guidance colors are shown. This makes the needle itself a bit harder to see. The PSI numbers are prominently displayed around the outside of the gauge and are easy enough to read. Should you be using bar to measure pressure, those numbers are a bit less prominent and harder to see from high above the gauge.

Value

This pump can work for every bike in your garage with no fuss. The long hose, high handle, and large gauge give it better ergonomics than most, and while not exactly cheap, $65 feels like an excellent value for such a well-designed floor pump. Canondale's warranty extends to this pump for one year, but if you buy it through REI, they'll stand behind it for much longer.

Conclusion

The Precise floor pump is a pretty dialed product. While I would like to see the needle a bit more prominently in the gauge, its far from unreadable. We used the pump for several months, and it became the go-to pump, even when we had to fish it out from a crowd of other floor pumps on the garage floor. The Precise does everything well and is a bit more user-friendly than most. The juice here is worth the squeeze.