Cyclocross season is fully on us, and that means a shift for many of us from sleek road set ups to bikes that are ready to take the abuse cross presents.
For me, it means swapping tools in my race day bag, but there is one thing I’ve come to rely on all year round, the Craftsman C3 19.2-Volt Cordless Inflator. You might ask why it is such a big deal when you can use a standard floor pump. Read on to find out why it is something I can’t live without.
The cordless inflator itself resembles a cordless drill. In fact, when preparing for a recent ride promoting the upcoming Reading 120, someone actually thought I was drilling into my rim. The battery pack clips into the handle, and adds some size and weight to the bottom of the unit. The trigger is in a pretty predictable place, and the air hose attaches to the front. There is plenty of length with a locking Schrader pump head on the end. On the backside of the compressor, there is a screen that displays the air pressure, and a few buttons to adjust settings or set a preset limit.
While I am not averse to pumping my tires the conventional way with a floor pump, there is something that just feels so “pro” about using the cordless inflator. If you have been watching cyclocross at all for the last five years, you’ve probably seen the Craftsman starting to enter into the U.S. scene. Many mechanics are starting to use it. In Europe, many mechanics have been using the Bosch PAG, a similar handheld cordless inflator.
While the only negative I can see involves going to use it and the battery being dead, there are plenty of benefits. More on the battery below. There is the convenience of not having to continuously push and pull on the plunger of a floor pump, which is something that can be quite a work out for the typically skinny armed cyclist. For many cyclocross racers, you might have multiple bikes and wheels sets that need to be prepared for an event. The task then goes from one set of tires to potentially two, three, or more. It does make the job easier and quicker with the Craftsman Cordless Inflator.
For me, one of the biggest benefits is the display. In cyclocross, racers obsess with tire pressures depending on the course, conditions, and tires they are using. Mountain bikers can relate, but typically, roadies aren’t bothered by a pound or two in either direction. While I can’t comment on the accuracy of the pressure measurement, it’s one of those things that once you set your baseline, you can repeat it every time to get the results you are looking for. If you are particularly obsessive, you can dial in to a tenth of a pound, up to 99.9 psi. You can even preset the limit of how high you want the pressure to go, and it will automatically cut out when it reaches that point. Max pressure is set at 200 lbs, something that most cyclists will never hit.
For most cyclists, there are three additional items you’ll need to buy with the Craftsman Cordless Inflator, the battery, the charging station, and the presta chuck. This is where things can get a little more expensive. Since you are going to have to go to Sears or Sears.com to pick up the inflator, the batteries and chargers will be waiting for you there. The inflator itself retails for $60.99, which could be a little steep for some, especially when adding on the additional costs of the C3 battery ($49.99-99.99) and the charger ($54.99 alone, or $99.99 bundled with the standard battery). You’ll also need to pick up some sort of a Presta chuck to either convert the Schrader head to Presta, or completely replace the head all together. Personally, I just used an old Silca chuck that fits into the Schrader head, in case I ever need the Schrader head. Yes, it’s expensive, but a good floor pump from Silca is now $450.00-500.00 and Park Tool runs into the $50+ range.
With the C3 batteries, you have a few different options, depending on how much power you need, and how often you want to recharge. So far with the standard battery, I haven’t had any issues with going a few weeks without needing a recharge. Even when I used it in a shop for a weekend of changing blown tubes and airing up tires on rental bikes, it was still going strong. Realistically, you can probably safely go anywhere from two to four weeks, depending on use. For the more expensive and higher capacity batteries, that time will increase.
Yes, the Craftsman C3 19.2V Cordless Inflator is on the expensive side when you add up all the additional bits needed for it to work, but is there really a price you can put on convenience and accuracy? Personally, the work and hassle it saves me is worth the cost, especially during the harsh conditions faced during cyclocross season.
Cordless Inflator – $60.99
Base C3 Battery – $49.99
C3 Charger – $54.99 ($99.99 with bundled C3 Battery)
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
Dream Bike – I’ll tell you when they make it
Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
Favorite Rides – Quiet country roads of Amish Country, some of the best roads around.
Food of Choice – Sweet potato roll
Beer of Choice – Unibroue Grand Reserve 17, aged four years
Bourbon of Choice – Widow Jane 10 Year