BOSCH EASYPUMP REVIEW

Words by Robert Johnston
Photos by Adam Lievesley

Some tools and gadgets are essential, whereas others simply make life a little more pleasurable than the alternative options. The Easypump cordless pneumatic pump by Bosch falls into the latter category, removing the manual effort from pumping a tire and letting you focus on the finer things in life.

THE LAB
The Bosch Easypump is a portable air compressor, with an integrated 3Ah battery that has a USB-C port for simple charging. Measuring in at just 20cm long and 10cm deep with a weight of 430g, the Easypump is convenient to stow away in the door pocket of a car or even at the bottom of a rucksack, allowing it to be on hand any time the need arises. On the end of the head unit is a 24cm flexible hose with a rotatable Schrader valve head, making it easy to reach awkward valves. Under a sliding storage window are adaptors to connect to sports balls, air toys and most importantly Presta valves.

The Easypump is capable of inflation up to 10.3 Bar (150 PSI), with a maximum flow rate of 10l/min; there is no tubeless “boost” level of airflow here, but that is not what it is designed for.  The bright LED display shows the battery level; pressure currently in the object being inflated as well as offering the selection of the maximum pressure Autostop, at which point the pump will cut off leaving you with the pressure you desire. You have the option to select from Bar, PSI or KPa units, depending on your preference, with 0.5 PSI increments between each maximum pressure setting. On the front panel are buttons for power on/off; start/stop of the pump; maximum pressure +/-; pressure units; and a light button which turns on an LED at the front of the unit to illuminate the valve in the dark.

THE DIRT
As with the rest of the Bosch equipment I have used, the body of the Easypump is made almost entirely from tough plastic, which gives a purposeful and sturdy feel, if not the most luxurious. The buttons and connections are much better however, with good positive clicks and a good threaded fit onto valves.

It is hard to imagine a way to make the process more user friendly than with the Easypump. It is simply a case of turning it on, toggling the + or – to select the desired pressure (if you need a different setting from last time), threading onto your valve then hitting start. Wait for the pump to do its thing, unscrew the valve head and you are good to go. While it is pumping, the long hose allows you to sit the Easypump on the ground and leave it going, so you can perform other tasks. Whilst it definitely takes longer than attaching a track pump to inflate a bike tire by a couple psi; for bigger pressure increases or as a replacement for a portable mini pump it saves a whole load of effort and potential arm cramps. For a short period of time, I had a tire with a very slow leak that would withstand a quick ride just fine but lose pressure over the course of a few days sitting. This was the perfect opportunity to really make use of the Easypump, which you could set to pump when you first rolled up to the spot, and by the time you had donned your helmet and gloves and done your car park yoga, the tire would be good to go.

Pumping up most modern bike tires relies on threading the Presta adaptor onto the valve stem, followed by threading the Easypump hose onto the adaptor. The Presta adaptor features a rubber seal that keeps the air locked into the system well, avoiding re-pumping relatively well if the autostop function kicks in when you are not near the pump. I learned the hard way that it is vital to have the Presta valve core tightened adequately, as the valve core once came out with the Presta adaptor and put a stop to my riding plans.

Battery life of the Easypump is acceptable if not mind blowing, with it surviving around a week worth of deliberately using it at any given opportunity to check both my friend and I’s tire pressures before rides – both high volume MTB tires and high-pressure BMX tires. A test run to pump up a car tire showed its limits however, with the higher volume requiring a good amount of time to inflate by 10psi and burning through the majority of a full charge in the process. Charging is simple with an easily accessible USB-C port and took around 2 hours to hit full-juice from empty.

At £60, the Easypump may be hard to justify for some. But as a premium gift for a pneumatic-wheeled-sport lover, or as an addition to the toolbox of someone looking to maximize the efficiency of their ride routine, it is a really neat bit of tech you didn’t know you wanted until you have it. Sorry North American folks, Bosch does not currently offer the Easypump in the NA market, so you will have to rely on that old friend or British Uncle again to get your hands on one.

The Wolf’s Last Word

The Bosch Easypump is one of those nice-to-have gadgets that, when incorporated into your pre-ride routine, can amount to a jealousy-inducing way to save some energy and time getting your tires to the right pressure.

Price: – £60 /€69.99
Website: bosch-diy.com