When we first found Birzman’s pumps, the quick connect Snap-It valve head really looked appealing. Not only did it seem quick and easy to use, but wouldn’t accidentally unthread a valve core during removal. Fortunately, it’s mostly proven to work just as well in practice as in theory. We’ve been testing the Zacoo Maha II all-alloy road bike floor pump, and the rest of the pump is built rock solid and has some pretty nice features beyond the Snap-It valve.
We’ve also been testing some of their tools after lugging almost 20 pounds of solid metal from Eurobike and provided a quick overview last October. Now, with about 10 months of use on the pumps and tools, here’s how they’ve held up…
The Zacoo Maha II, like all of their floor pumps, has hose retention clips. This model sports an alloy shaft and base with extruded alloy handle that’s quite comfy. They tilt the shaft backward at 5º to further improve ergonomics. It’s a nice feature, but at 6’2″, I’m bending over too much to really notice. Shorter folks might enjoy that feature more than me.
The gauge is easy to read and sits next to a convenient accessory holder for all the various needles and adapters you’d need to pump up other sports and recreational equipment, and all those little parts are included with the pump. It’s a much appreciated touch. The solid base provides plenty of footprint and foot space and keeps things from rocking or flexing when pumping.
Birzman’s road-oriented floor pumps go to 220psi, and their high volume mountain bike ones go to 110psi. These worked great to get road and ‘cross bikes set up with tubes, but they didn’t move enough air to seat a tubeless tire. I’d like to try their high volume versions.
The valve head has a pressure release button that’ll let air out of the tires for fine tuning the psi. To fit Schrader valves, just unscrew the Snap-It head and thread the silver base onto the valve.
Overall, it’s a great pump. It’s held up well and the Snap-It valve head is incredibly convenient. Except when it’s not, and that’s really the only gripe. One other minor gripe is the short-ish hose. In a stand, you’ll need to have the valve at the bottom of the wheel, and even out of a stand, unless the pump is within a few inches from the bike, you’ll need to have the valve on the lower 2/3 of the wheel to have much slack in the hose. Other models from Birzman do have longer hoses, so choose according to your needs. UPDATE: All floor pump models now ship with the longer hoses.
Now, about those Snap-It heads:
The Snap-It valve works by clamping two small jaws (arrow) around the threads on the stem. Slide the head over the stem, then slide the bezel down to seal it around the stem and close the jaws. As the name implies, it “snaps” shut to hold itself in place.
Depending on what type of valve stem you’re using, it may or may not work for you. Obviously it, and any pump that threads on, won’t work on smooth stems or extenders. It grabbed well on most threaded valve stems, but occasionally it’d fit a little loose. This chart shows a few common stems so you can see generally what worked. Even on the valves where it was a bit loose (presumably because the valve stem was a shade narrower than normal), you could hold the valve in place and pump with your other hand. Not ideal, and not something you could do with the mini-pumps, but not the end of world. If you stick with standards like Stan’s valve stems and the like, you should be fine. Just make sure it has threads.
