If your bike fleet consists of everything from road bikes to fat bikes you may have a difficult time getting a precise tire pressure on the low-pressure end. Especially if you’re using a standard bike pump. Fabric’s Accubar gauge aims to get your low-pressure tires as dialed as a fine watch by making standard pumps high-volume accurate.
Gauge Build
The Accubar measures in at 228mm long and the gauge at 63mm tall and 44.5mm in diameter. The gauge has a metal ring top and a nylon bottom with a rubber hose. Its dial has .5psi, 1psi, 5psi and 10psi increments up to 40psi. Anything less than 2.5psi will not register. It works both inline with the pump and as a standalone gauge. The $50 device feels nice in-hand and brings durability to mind.
The alloy head works with Schrader and Presta valves by screwing the end in and out. While its rubber hose is just long enough to reduce strain on valve stems.
To the left, there’s an air bleed button that releases pressure in .5psi increments. And it will also release pressure when attached to tires in excess of 40psi.
A pump head attaches to a standard Schrader valve on the bottom of the gauge. The piece is made of plastic which might show wear over time.
Personally, I don’t find the display very large, but the digits and indicator contrast enough to get close to your desired psi. And after topping off you can get it perfect by bleeding air as needed.
Thoughts
The first thing that came to mind was, “why would I need an inline pressure gauge when there’s already pumps designed for high-volume tires?”. It wasn’t long after that its possibilities were revealed. Rather than hauling dedicated tools on trips, the Accubar lets one pump get the job done for all tires. Additionally, the inline functionality makes it significantly quicker to set pressures compared to checking with a separate device. Plus, it should satisfy anyone’s need for super precise tire pressures. Ultimately, I find it’s a nifty tool to have in the car, shop or bag that saves space and is quite functional.
