While Topeak isn’t an official partner of Project OneBike, they definitely have become an unofficial part of it. I picked up a handful of their products over the last year that have become essential parts of my ride prep, ride, and maintenance routine. This is the final review of the week covering the JoeBlow Booster. Our previous articles this week reviewed the Prepstand Pro, Ratchet Rocket Lite NTX and Nano TorqBar, and we have some additional news from Eurobike here and here.
JoeBlow Booster
With swapping tires back and forth between road, gravel, and cross tires, all of which are being run tubeless, a powerful pump is definitely needed. Tubeless is getting better, but there are some tires that just need a little extra oomph to get them seated. Most pumps, even with the valve removed from the stem, can’t give you enough power. And not everyone has access to an air compressor, so that is where something like the Joe Blow Booster comes in.
The JoeBlow Booster can be your everyday pump and your go-to tubeless blaster. It handles both with a twist of a lever that sits around the easy to read, top-mounted gauge. In the inflate position, it acts like your standard track pump, with plenty of volume and power to pump up anything from fat bike to road tires. When in the charging position, your pumps start to fill up the second air canister. In about 45-50 pumps, the canister is charged to around 160psi, and ready to snap on your stubborn tubeless tires with a flip of the lever.
The main chamber and the booster chamber are made from aluminum and it features a sturdy, stable steel base. There is some plastic covering the base and other parts of the pump, but it still feels very sturdy and has held up very well in the year I have been testing it. Even the gauge has a bit of a rubber coating around it to protect it in the case of falls. Other than charging for tubeless installs, I doubt you’ll ever hit the 160psi (11 bar) max of the pump, but it is there if you need it. The SmartHead DX-3 works with both Presta and Schreader heads, and there are bleed buttons on both the pump head and the pump itself to help dial in your tire pressure right where you want it. I haven’t gotten around to measuring the hose length, but it is noticeably longer than other pump hoses, which means filling tires while on a stand or resting in the trays of my hitch rack are not an issue. When not in use, the pump hose can be hooked around the base, back up over the handle and clipped in to keep it in place and lock the pump handle in, which is very convenient for travel and storage. The pump handle is a dual-density polymer for durability and comfort, which is has been comfortable even when setting up multiple sets of tubeless tires in a row.
Over the last year, I’ve set up more sets of tires that I care to remember, from Schwalbe, Kenda, Pirelli, Maxxis, Hutchinson, and others on tubeless-ready and not so tubeless-ready rims from Astral, A-Class, Mavic, 3T, and Vision. There were a few combinations that I just couldn’t get set up with the JoeBlow Booster, but even those I struggled with an air compressor. For the majority though, the Topeak pump was enough to get tires snapped on the first try. I do recommend removing the valve core to allow for maximum airflow. Something like the MilkIt tubeless valve is my preferred valve since it has rubber flaps at the bottom of the valve that holds the air in, even with the core removed. The Joe Blow Booster has also worked great as an everyday pump for topping off tires before rides or filling up tubed clincher tires. For dialing in air pressures, I find the air release buttons to be extremely useful.
I probably have 5 or 6 different pumps around our East Coast Service Course, including battery-operated hand compressors, a small tank air compressor, and multiple track pumps from well-known brands, but the Topeak Joe Blow Booster is the one that gets the most use. I don’t have to worry about grabbing or charging batteries, it’s not loud like the compressor, and it has a few features like the air release buttons, long hose, and easy to use head that just make it a great pump. At a little over 6 lbs and a little over 29” long, it might not be the lightest or most compact pump to take with you to races, but if you are running tubeless, it definitely makes it worthwhile. At $160, it’s not the cheapest pump on the market, but it is cheaper than buying a stand-alone air compressor, and easier to use than many of the other separate canister type chargers out there (I have not tried Topeak’s new TubiBooster yet).
If tubeless is your preference, and you don’t want to run to the shop every time you need to get a tire seated, give the Topeak JoeBlow Booster a solid look. It will be a pump that sticks around our Service Course for a long time to come.
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