Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Pumps & CO2 inflators
Zéfal Profil Max FP50 track pumpZéfal Profil Max FP50 track pump

Zéfal Profil Max FP50 track pump

8
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Mar 10, 2014

13
£39.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Highly recommended for workshop use, fast, effective, accurate and tough
Weight: 
1,760g
Contact: 
www.zyro.co.uk
How we test

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.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

Zéfal's FP50 Profil Max Track Pump is a tough piece of kit that's fast, effective and accurate.

At 1775g, there's a distinctly old school flavour to Zéfal's FP50 Profil Max that runs much deeper than the tough red/black livery. Its a steel barrel and base don't make it light, but they help it stand up to accidentally being kicked across the workshop floor — any mechanic who says they've never done that is telling porkies.

The dual-compound composite handle and super smooth piston make it a joy to use. The hose is a useful 110cm long. The patented Z-Switch head is a welcome innovation that overcomes the questionable durability of one-head-fits-all designs heads and the dismantle-and-swap faff factor associated with reversible heads. That said, ours seemed susceptible to air locks when toggling between valve types.

The FP50 also features a gargantuan gauge, accurate to within 2psi (verified by a standalone, digital unit) complete with integral magnifying lens and red bezel that void any excuses for under/over inflation. It got a 700x23 tubular to 160psi in 50 strokes, and a 700x24mm wire on reached 120psi in 28. To get a 700x35 to 100psi required 30 while a 26x1.75 was pushed to 80psi in 50 strokes.

Verdict

Highly recommended for workshop use, fast, effective, accurate and tough

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Zéfal FP50 Trackpump

Size tested: Red

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?

"FP50 floorpump with heavy duty steel barrel and base. The FP50 includes a 1100mm extra long hose which includes the patented Z-Switch system for either Presta or Schrader valves. Pressure capacity is 180 psi." A delight to use and I can attest to a genuine 160psi.

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

Steel barrel & base, composite handle, pressure gauge with integral magnifying lens, 110cm hose.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Very sturdy.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10

Reassuringly hefty. 1775g by my scales.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Lovely to use.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

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

Solid materials, construction and innovative features mean the FP50 is a delight to use. Genuinely accurate to within 2psi, its 68cm stature and composite handle are comfortable for prolonged periods, while the smooth action races even the most demanding tubulars to optimum pressure.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Pretty much everything.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Tendency for air locks when swapping between valve patterns.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

Zefal FP50 Track Pump
Zefal
Track pump
pump
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

Latest Comments