Specialized Air Tool MTB Floor Pump Review

Specialized has built some incredible accessories over the years, but none I appreciate quite as much as their line of floor pumps. The SwitchHitter II pump head makes their pumps a favorite; it's air-tight, consistent, and easy to clean. The entire line of Air Tool floor pumps uses the same basic design with a wide, heavy base and ergonomic handle.

Ease of Attachment/Detachment

The Air Tool MTB pump uses Specialized's simple smart head that automatically adjusts to whatever type of valve you're using. There's no fussing with parts, adding adapters, or picking the wrong valve hole. The chuck has a wide metal lever that easily locks in place and is comfortable to use.

This air-chuck is amongst our favorites and has been unchanged for many seasons. Engaging the lock lever creates a tight seal on a Presta or Schrader valve, preventing leaks even if it gets cock-eyed. Many years ago, I crushed one of these pump heads in the door of a van and needed a replacement. I was delighted to find that this high-quality highlight of the pump only cost $7.

Stability

The base of the Air Tool MTB resembles a flat tripod with shortened legs. Each leg is squared off toward the end, creating a stable perch for one-handed pumping or to prevent it from falling over when jostled. It's made of stamped steel, which keeps it desirably heavy, inexpensive to produce, and very durable.

At 64cm, the pump isn't very tall, and the wing-shaped ergonomic handle at the top is made of lightweight plastic and which helps the pump resist tipping and falling over. If it does fall over—because, hey, things happen —the aluminum air chamber is heavier gauge and resists denting. A combination of the stout base and lower height makes it easy to use with a single hand. I often set up tubeless tires with one hand on the pump handle and the other hand rotating a wheel with a fresh tire and sealant.

Inflation

This is a high-volume pump, not a high-pressure pump, allowing it to inflate a mountain bike tire fairly quickly. The stroke is optimized for pressures below 40 psi, with a linear progression to its highest pressure. A wide plastic wing-style handle with a bleed valve in the center sits atop the pump. While not the tallest of pumps, its ergonomics were appreciated by all of our testers. This has been our go-to pump for setting up tuebelsss tires. While air charger chambers are sometimes nice, some of those pumps seem to constrict air flow in the pump head; the Air Tool MTB does not.

Accuracy

We test our floor pumps at a range of pressures, many of which the Air Tool MTB does not reach. In the range this pump can operate (under 40 psi), it's accurate to 0.9 psi. This pump is more accurate than most in our test. We were pleased to see that when left attached to our testing rig, there was no leakage from the hose or chuck after several minutes at high pressure.

Gauge

The Air Tool MTB gauge is pretty simple. It has readings for bar and psi, but it's totally linear and uses a bright orange needle with high contrast to the black background. Reading the 3" gauge from above isn't difficult with large, easy-to-read psi numbers. Reading the bar numbers is more difficult because they are on the inside of the dial, and the gauge tops out at 2.7 bar.

Value

The Air Tool MTB isn't exactly cheap, and its limited pressure range diminishes its versatility. If you're after a pump that will be exclusively for your MTB tires, it's certainly worth your consideration. I've personally owned many of the Specialized floor pumps over the years, and have had one of these pumps for over a decade with zero issues. It's a cycling accessory that brings me joy each time I use it because it's so simple and reliable. If it were missing from my garage today, I'd buy a new one tomorrow.

Conclusion