These are the very best floor pumps, track pumps and tubeless tyre inflators to keep your mountain bike tyres properly inflated, and get your tubeless tyres seated and sealed. We’ve puffed and panted our way through the latest options on the market to ensure these products deliver on their promise to make going tubeless a stress-free experience.

While you’re here, it’s worth checking out these guides too:

• Buyer’s guide to the best tubeless sealants
• Buyer’s guide to the best mini-pumps
• Buyer’s guide to the best tubeless repair kits

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1. Topeak JoeBlow Booster

Best floor pump for mountain bikes

Weight: 3,486g | Rating: 10/10

Reasons to buy:

• Easy to read gauge
• Long hose
• Stable base
• Quick to charge and seats most tubeless tyres

Reasons to avoid:

• Slight handle flex when really adding pressure

We gave the Topeak Joe Blow Booster top marks when we first tested it two years ago, and we’re still using it regularly now in our workshop. One air chamber does the pumping, the other one stores pressurised air that you can then blast into your tyre in one shot to seat a tubeless bead. A large bezel surrounding the easy-to-read gauge diverts the air between the main pump and the pressure chamber. To charge the chamber to 160psi took 40 strokes, which is not bad. That’s enough to inflate a typical 29×2.4in tyre to over 20psi, which means you only need to top up with a few strokes to really finish seating the bead.

We love the long hose (150cm) that makes it easy to reach a bike in a workstand, and the chuck automatically converts between presta and Shrader valves. It’s also relatively easy to charge, has a comfortable handle and feels extremely stable even when you’re going hell for leather.

Read our full review of the Topeak JoeBlow Booster pump

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2. Bontrager Dual Charger floor pump

Best budget floor pump for mountain bikes

Weight: N/A | Rating: 10/10

Reasons to buy:

• Solid and stable
• Storage in handle
• Good price

Reasons to avoid:

• Bit of handle flex
• No bleed valve

The Bontrager Dual Charger floor pump is a really effective floor pump, but its real draw is that it’s simply superb value for money. Stable in use, thanks to the steel construction, it boasts the ability to switch between high volume and high pressure via a lever on the base. Use high volume to inflate a flat tyre, then top up in high pressure mode.

While the handle is a bit flexy, we appreciated the internal storage – useful for stashing a valve tool, adaptors, and patches. Although the gauge is on the base, it’s large enough to be easy to read.  The only thing missing is a bleed valve.

Read our full review of the Bontrager Dual Charger floor pump

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3. Cannondale Essential Floor Pump

Best easy-to-read gauge

Weight: 1,887g | Rating: 9/10

Reasons to buy:

• Big volume and rapid inflation rate
• Great value
• Large stable base
• Easy-to-read dial

Reasons to avoid:

• Uncomfortable plastic handle

The gauge on Cannondale’s Essential floor pump is actually the largest part of the base, and this makes it both stable when pumping and easy to read. And the colour-coded zones give a good ballpark target to aim at while you’re inflating. We were impressed by the amount of air shifted, too. Expect roughly 1psi per stroke with a 29in mountain bike tyre, with 21psi reached in just 20 strokes. The gauge is pretty accurate too – only 10% out compared to our standalone pressure gauge.

With a long 130cm hose it’s easy to reach a bike in a workstand, and for the price it does a great job.

Read our full review of the Cannondale Essential Floor Pump

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4. Blackburn Chamber

Best floor pump for ease of use

Weight: 2,980g | Rating: 9/10

Reasons to buy:

• Loads of grip
• Stable
• Charges quickly and dumps loads of air
• Long hose

Reasons to avoid:

• Tall handle might not suit shorter people

Blackburn has taken a pretty funky design direction with its Chamber pump. Instead of a plastic handle, Blackburn has upcycled a bar, stem and grips. You can even upgrade it with your favourite grips or a wider bar if you really want to make this pump your own.

Even if you leave it stock, the basics are sorted. There’s a really long hose for reaching a bike in a workstand, and there’s a huge volume, so it only took 37 strokes to charge the Chamber to 160psi. We like the fact that the chuck fits both valves without mucking about with switching internals, and the high-mounted gauge is easy to read.

Read our full review of the Blackburn Chamber pump

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5. Bontrager TLR Flash Charger

Best value tubeless tyre inflator

Weight: 2,881g | Rating: 9/10

Reasons to buy:

• Great value
• Easy to use charger handle
• Stable

Reasons to avoid:

• Gauge is not the easiest to read
• Not the smoothest pump action

The Bontrager TLR Flash Charger was one of the first booster pumps on the market, and while it remains unchanged, we still regard it highly. It combines a high-pressure alloy pump with a secondary chamber, and charging the tyre is done by flicking down the large red strirrup on the top of the pump – it’s intuitive and easy to operate.

It has a decent length 105cm hose and comes with a top-mounted gauge, which is close to the user but the numbers are quite small, so are not that easy to read. The handle is not the most comfortable either, and it flexes for the final few charging strokes.

Having said that, the Flash Charger produces a good blast of air and seated our test tyre first time. If you’re only fitting tubeless tyres occasionally, the Flash Charger is easy to use and great value; the original and still one of the best.

Read our full review of the Bontrager TLR Flash Charger pump

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6. Airshot

Best portable tubeless tyre inflator

Weight: 486g | Rating: 9/10

Reasons to buy:

• Cheaper than a blaster pump
• Portable

Reasons to avoid:

• Falls over
• Hose isn’t very long
• No pressure gauge

The Airshot is secondary air chamber that’s charged using a high-pressure track pump (or any pump, really). It was one of the first tanks on the market and we’ve tested it several times. In only features a 50cm hose with a simple Presta fitting on the end, but a Schrader adapter is available for £2.99.

Charging the Airshot to 140psi (the recommended pressure) took 53 strokes, but it does offer a really powerful blast of air that seated our test tyre first time. You can top the tyre up by leaving the track pump attached, but we only needed a couple strokes as the pressure usually settled at 22-23psi. If you’ve already got a decent floor pump, and want to add an effective tubeless seating tool, the Airshot is all you need.

Read our full review of the Airshot tubeless blaster

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7. Milkit Booster

Best multi-purpose tubeless tyre inflator… and water bottle

Weight: 239g | Rating: 10/10

Reasons to buy:

• Cheaper than a blaster pump
• Portable
• Doubles as a drinking bottle

Reasons to avoid:

• No hose – direct connection only

The Milkit Booster hat-tips early home-brewed attempts to build a booster pump using an old fizzy drinks bottle, by modifying a familiar aluminium flask into a portable charging station. There are two sizes to choose from – 0.6L and 1L – depending on how great the thirst of you or your tyre. Each bottle comes with two caps – a standard bottle top, for using with your favourite cold beverage, and a special thread-in inflator.

It might sound like a gimmick, but the Milkit actually works surprisingly well. Inflated to 140psi, our 1L bottle even inflated 2.8in tyres, with just a bit of topping up needed to get the beads to pop into place. You’ll still need a decent floor pump to pressurise it, but if you don’t want an Airshot rattling around the back of the car, using this as a water bottle will mean you have a tool to get you out of trouble at the trailhead.

Read our full review of the Milkit Booster

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How we tested the best floor pumps and tubeless tyre inflators

When testing the pumps and air tanks we wanted to know how many strokes it took to fully charge the air chamber, did the blast of air seat our test tyre (which for the purpose of this test is a two-year old Continental fitted to a narrow Shimano rim) and how much pressure did the pump/tank get into the tyre. We also looked at the ergonomics, like handle comfort, valve fittings and hose length. We then factored in the price to pick winners in both categories.

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What to look for in best tubeless tyre inflators

What type of pump/inflator you choose ultimately depends on what type of pump you currently own. If you don’t own a floor pump already, then buying one of the all-in-one booster pumps makes a lot of sense. However, if you have a floor pump already, then something like the Airshot is cheaper and means you’re not doubling up. Of course something like the Airshot is a lot more portable than a floor pump, so if space is at a premium in your vehicle, then buying one to leave in the car is smart option. You can even leave it pressurised and use it to top up your tyres before a ride.

What is a smart head?

A smart head automatically works with the two main valve types – Presta and Schrader. It doesn’t unwind the removable valve core found in tubeless vales and offers a secure, leak free connection without having to flip any internals.

Do I need a long hose?

A long hose is not crucial, but it’s definitely handy for inflating your tyres when the bike is in a workstand. It also loops round the handle for storing or carrying the pump.

What’s the most portable tubeless booster pump?

A lightweight cannister, like the Airshot, takes up very little room and can be pre-charged and used to seat a tyre at the trail head.

Do I need a high pressure pump or a high volume pump?

Mountain bike tyres are low pressure and high volume compared to road bike tyres, so a high volume pump is best. That way you push a lot of air through with each stroke. However, for a booster pump, or to charge a cannister such as the Airshot, you need to pressurise it to well over 100psi. Which makes a high pressure pump the right tool for the job. Some floor pumps let you switch between the two types.