Tubeless Booster and Air Pumps with Booster: Pros and Cons, how to choose

    Posted at: Dec 5, 2022

    The booster simplifies bead raising, which is the most difficult part of tubeless installation. We have compiled a list of air pumps with booster(boost functions) that are reassuring to have one.

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    Tubeless Booster and Air Pumps with Booster: Pros and Cons, how to choose

    Table of contents

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    Difference between a booster and an air pump with boost (inflator) function

    The difference between a booster and an air pump with boost function is whether or not it is “attached to an existing pump.

    A booster does not work as a stand-alone unit, but rather, air is filled into the booster using a standard air pump, etc., and the filled air is released to raise the air pressure at once to raise the bead.

    The difference is that an air pump with a boost (inflator) function has a booster attached to the air pump itself, and can be used as a stand-alone unit as either a regular air pump or a booster.

    Which is better?

    Between a booster and an air pump with a boost function, a single booster is by far the cheaper option. So if you already have an air pump, buying a booster is the cheapest option, and even if you do not have an air pump, it is more cost-effective to buy a standard air pump and a booster respectively.

    The advantage of an air pump with boost function is that it can handle both clinchers and tubeless in one unit. However, unlike professionals who have to lift beads every day for work, hobbyists will not have to lift beads often, so considering the price, an air pump with a boost function is a bit over-specified for hobby use.

    Boosters and air pumps with boost function from major manufacturers

    Boosters

    Boosters compatible with tubeless tires are available from tire manufacturer SCHWALBE, bicycle accessory manufacturer TOPEAK, and Japanese bicycle parts brand Samuriding.

    SCHWALBE’s booster is compact and lightweight but the most expensive, while Samuriding’s “Tire Booster,” the cheapest, is inexpensive but large in size. The best balance is TOPEAK’s “TUBI BOOSTER X”.

    Pumps with booster

    Pumps with boosters are available from TOPEAK, GIYO, and CRANK BROTHERS.

    GIYO’s pump with booster is the cheapest, and CRANK BROTHERS is the most expensive. TOPEAK is also not cheap, as it costs about $200 in actual sales.

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    Tubeless Booster and Air Pumps with Booster: Pros and Cons, how to choose

    The booster simplifies bead raising, which is the most difficult part of tubeless installation. We have compiled a list of air pumps with booster(boost functions) that are reassuring to have one.

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