Along with the rise of fat bikes comes the need for pumps that can handle the high volume and low pressure of the massive tires. Topeak’s answer to the problem looks to be the new Joe Blow Fat – a fat bike specific pump with a huge barrel. While quite singular in application, Topeak had a number of new products and concepts that are applicable to more than just fat bikes.
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Compared to the Joe Blow Ace, the barrel on the Joe Blow Fat is enormous. Because of this, the pump pushes a huge amount of air but is limited to just 15 psi according to the pump’s gauge. We’d like to test out the pump in a more controlled environment, but when comparing the Topeak pump to the Birzman Maha MTB pump on similar sized fat bike tires at the show, the Birzman pump actually got the fat bike tire up to a higher PSI in the same amount of strokes. One of the biggest advantages of the Topeak design though, is the resolution of the gauge which should make dialing in fat bike pressures more than a “good enough” affair.
Following in the footsteps of the award winning Transformer XX, the new Transformer RX looks like the perfect solution for travel. The tiny pump folds up for easy storage and incorporates a bike stand and a telescoping hose all in a folding package with its own carrying case.
Like the Transformer XX (above) the RX acts as a light repair stand by supporting the chain and seat stays of the bike.
In addition to the finished products, Topeak had a number of clever looking prototypes that may make it to production in the near future. Hidden tools seem to be gaining steam lately, and Topeak is showing their ideas with the Stealth pump and the BarNChain tool. Stashed inside your seat post, the Stealth pump uses a flexible rubber holder to keep the pump from rattling and keep dust out of the pump head.
The BarNChain tool makes use of those empty handlebars and stashes an 11 speed compatible chain tool along with a chain hook and allen wrench inside your bars.
On the race side of things Topeak showed off their prototype Tri-Duo and AirBooster RacePod X prototypes. The Tri-Duo uses a dual pivot arm that allows for bottles to be positioned in the perfect spot on Tri bikes plus provides Co2 inflator storage. The RacePod X clamps down onto two Co2 cartridges plus tire levers for a slick mounting system for inflation essentials.
Finally, Topeak was showing their Pressure-Rite shock adapter which allows you to inflate your rear shock or fork with a Joe Blow Ace floor pump. Thanks to the multi-chambered performance of the Ace, the pump is capable of reaching 200 PSI and the Pressure-Rite adapter allows it to reach the valves on shocks and forks. Topeak claims the combo is able to reach 200 PSI 10 times faster than their PocketShock DXG, and the adapter includes an air release knob for fine tuning.
