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Birzman Infinite Apogee Road with CO2

6
£36.99

VERDICT:

6
10
Good looking, well-made pump but the gleaming aluminium body outshines the performance of the patented Snap-It head
Very shiny
Well made
Simple to use
Head can blow off threadless Presta valves
Head not compatible with some valve extenders
Weight: 
144g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Birzman Infinite Apogee Road with CO2 is a lovely looking piece of kit, all mirror-polished aluminium, but the limitations of the Snap-It Apogee head, which is not as versatile or effective as you might hope and expect, take the shine off.

​​Although it's compatible with both Presta and Schrader valves via a CNC'd collar that you lift and twist, it appears to work better on threaded Presta valve stems than threadless ones. It has no problems with Schrader valves, which are all threaded.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The pump has a CNC'd aluminium body that's robust and solid. The sturdy piston rod, anodised green and laser etched with the legend 'Conquer all constraints, be boundless' is equally confidence-inspiring.

Birzman Infinite Apogee Road Silver with CO2 - pump extended.jpg

A heavy-duty steel braided hose is concealed inside the handle and held in there by a rubber stopper. The hose screws in at the other end – the layout is that of a traditional pump.

Birzman Infinite Apogee Road Silver with CO2 - pump.jpg

However, the Birzman has a trick up its sleeve, or rather at the end of its hose, as it can also be attached to a CO2 canister – this model comes with two of these in their own special bracket – for speedier inflation.

At 25.5cm the pump is slightly too long for a rear pocket, but it comes with a bracket that mounts to your bike's bottle cage bosses. The pump sits one side and the two CO2 canisters the other.

> All you need to know about minipumps and 6 of the best

I tested the Infinite Apogee Road on five different valve types and found that it only worked consistently satisfactorily on two. These two were the threaded Presta valve and the Schrader valve (Schrader valves are always threaded).

The Snap-It Apogee head has a collar that you pull backwards for Presta to release the pin that would depress the spring in a Schrader valve. Once it's over the valve stem, you push the collar back down and “with a short twist” according to Birzman's instructions, it seals around the valve. 

Birzman Infinite Apogee Road Silver with CO2 - hose.jpg

However, I found the head tended to blow off one threadless Presta valve stem at between 80 and 90psi – but strangely not another. This is not a problem in itself, because that pressure is absolutely fine for getting home on a 25mm tyre, but Birzman claims 160psi and an instant, secure engagement with no blow-offs at high pressures.

The same thing happened with a Vittoria valve extender, the type where you need to remove the valve core. To be fair, as far as the pump is concerned, this is the same as a threadless valve stem.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best pumps and CO2 inflators

However, there were certain threadless valves that it coped with perfectly. It stayed put on a Continental Podium tubular valve, for example. I can only think that because there's no standard for valve construction or dimensions, there are certain ones that the Snap-It head is not compatible with.

The Birzman would not work at all with the type of valve extender that screws over the top of a Presta valve. The head's Schrader pin in this case blocked the opening to the extender.

It did work as advertised with a threaded Presta valve stem and in this case it was my arms that gave up before the head blew off – at around 100psi (which was relatively quick to reach since this pump has quite a decent volume). The head was never going to blow off because the o-ring and twist/clamp system were able to get more of a purchase on the threads than on the threadless valve – but I unfortunately prefer the threadless type on my inner tubes simply because it doesn't chew up the rubber o-rings of pumps. And who actually uses the knurled nut that the threads on a threaded inner tube valve carry?

In its defence, Birzman could well be looking to the future, to a world where everyone will ride tubeless tyres – which use threaded valves because here the knurled nut is essential as it works as a locknut to seal the rim. But that world hasn't arrived for everyone yet and until then I need a pump that works on all threadless valves too.

On a Schrader valve it worked fine, screwing tightly onto the threads with no air loss while pumping.

And finally, the CO2 canister test. I knew it would work fine with the threaded Presta valve so I tried it on the threadless one – and surprisingly it held without blowing off, up to the canister's maximum pressure, about 90psi in a 25mm tyre. I then tried to top it up manually – and the head blew off.

Value

The Birzman is quite a bit cheaper than the Crankbrothers Klic HP+ Gauge but it doesn't have the gauge. It's also cheaper than the Zefal EZ Max FC CO2, which has gone up to £38.99 since we reviewed it, but the Bontrager Air Rush at £24.99 undercuts it and is pocket sized.

Verdict

The Birzman Infinite Apogee works well with Presta valves that have threaded stems and with Schrader valves, but I prefer threadless Presta valves mainly because they don't wear out the rubber o-rings of pump heads – and the Snap-It head blows off that type at 80-90psi. That's fine for getting you home, but Birzman claims it can go up to 160psi.

With deep-section wheels I prefer the type of valve extender that goes over the top of the valve to the type where you need to remove the valve core – and the Birzman Snap-It head does not work at all with those. However, Birzman may well be looking towards the road tubeless market, where all valve stems are threaded. So I'm giving it a score of 'above average' because it's nicely made and works well, but not so well on all the valve types that I use, and I'm sure that for the time being at least I'm not alone in using threadless inner tube valves and valve extenders.

Verdict

Good looking, well-made pump but the gleaming aluminium body outshines the performance of the patented Snap-It head

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Birzman Infinite Apogee Road with CO2

Size tested: N/A

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Birzman says this of the pump: Features a retractable steel mesh hose which connects either to the pump itself or to a CO2 cartridge.

And of its patented Snap-It Apogee head:

Simplicity – one simple shift of the collar to alternate between Presta and Schrader

Security – an instant, secure engagement means no blow-offs at high pressures

Peace of mind – no pull-outs or damage to the valve core

Precision and versatility – air lock ensures no air loss and enables use on front fork suspension

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Birzman lists:

Head: Snap-It Apogee (Presta/Schrader)

Barrel: CNC machined aluminium

Size: 25.5 x Ø2.5cm

Weight: 147g

Includes: 2 x 16g cartridges & 1 neoprene grip

Capacity: 160 psi / 11 bar

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very nicely made and attractive polished aluminium body/handle concealing a polished, anodised green piston rod. The braided steel hose is robust and the CNC'd head is also beautifully made.

Rate the product for performance:
 
6/10

The Snap-It head works perfectly on threaded-stem Presta valves and Schrader valves, staying locked in place with your arms the limiting factor, but it blows off some threadless Presta inner tube valve stems at a pressure of around 80-90psi – but not others – and is not compatible with the type of valve extender that screws over the Presta valve's upper threads. Having said that, the hose stayed locked onto a threadless valve stem when used with a CO2 canister up to 80psi... but then blew off when I reattached it to the pump to top it up. I tried pumping it (ie without using CO2) with a total of five valves: threadless Presta valve stem, threaded Presta valve stem, Vittoria valve extender (removable core type), Mavic valve extender (type that screws over the valve with no core removal necessary) and Schrader.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Very durable in terms of its structure but I have managed to put a couple of unsightly gouges into the polished body with my wedding ring while pumping furiously.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10

It's not a minipump and it's not built to be superlight – there are lighter and smaller pumps if that's your priority.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10

The Birzman is reasonably big and easy to grip. The rubber end that holds the hose when it's not in use supplies some extra grip for the palm of the hand when pumping.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

It's cheaper than some rivals, and the materials and quality of its construction help justify the money, but its functionality has to be taken into account too.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It performs flawlessly on Presta valves with threaded stems and Schrader valves (which are all threaded anyway). Birzman's own video shows the Snap-It Apogee head attaching to a threaded valve stem, but it doesn't say anywhere that it doesn't work so well on threadless stems, where the head doesn't grip as well on certain threadless valves and can blow off.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It looks great and is well made.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It didn't work for me on certain threadless inner tube valve stems and valve extenders. There are simpler push-on heads that work fine with all Presta valves and extenders.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Birzman is quite a bit cheaper than the Crankbrothers Klic HP+ Gauge, but it doesn't have the gauge. It's also cheaper than the Zefal EZ Max FC CO2 which has gone up to £38.99 since we reviewed it, but the Bontrager Air Rush at £24.99 undercuts it and is pocket sized.

Did you enjoy using the product? On the valves with which it is compatible, yes.

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? No

Use this box to explain your overall score

The Birzman Infinite Apogee works well with Presta valves that have threaded stems and Schrader valves, but I prefer threadless Presta valves mainly because they don't chew up the rubber o-rings of pump heads – and I found that the Snap-It Apogee head can blow off that type at 80-90psi. That's fine for getting you home, except Birzman claims it can go up to 160psi with no blow-offs. With deep-section wheels I prefer the type of valve extender that goes over the top of the valve to the type where you need to faff with removing the valve core – and the Snap-It Apogee head doesn't work at all with those. So I'm giving it 'above average' because it's nicely made and works well, but not on all the valve types you might use. If you only use the valve types it works with, consider it very good.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 50  Height: 178cm  Weight: 68kg

I usually ride: Racer Rosa custom alu  My best bike is: Colnago Master Olympic

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, School run on a tandem

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