A good bicycle pump should easily and reliably inflate any inner tube. With more and more cyclists turning to tubeless tires, today’s riders are looking at pumps to do more than just inflate tubes. A quick blast of air is usually required to set the bead on a tubeless tire, which can be a challenge for the home mechanic with a standard floor pump. It’s possible to use an air compressor to do this, but compressors can be very loud and cumbersome.
Crankbrothers gives riders the best of both worlds with the Klic Digital Floor Pump with Burst Chamber. The Klic pump is a regular floor pump that can easily be converted into a tubeless bike tire inflator with the added burst tank. The pump has a magnetic quick-connect gauge/hose that stores in the handle. When ready to use, simply pull the gauge out of the handle and click it into the body to begin inflating. You can also easily click the burst tank onto the pump to use it as a tubeless pump as well.
The Klic features an all-aluminum body with a large, attractive digital gauge. Crankbrothers also offers the same pump with an analog gauge for those who prefer a more traditional setup. The overall quality of the pump is apparent from the moment you open the box. The pump feels sturdy and certainly looks like a high-end product. In use, the pump action is very smooth and consistent. The magnetic quick connectors are extremely reliable and easy to use. Overall, the Klic is a very solid and attractive bike pump.
When using the Klic pump on its own without the burst chamber, it performs as well as any floor pump should. The pump has a very clean, almost futuristic aesthetic that falls in line with the rest of Crankbrothers’ offerings. It is compatible with presta or schrader valves, has a max pressure of 160 psi (11 bar), and the version I tested includes an extremely accurate digital gauge. The Klik pump is a very solid floor pump for home or travel use.
When adding the burst pump, there are a few steps involved. The tank seamlessly connects to the pump body using a magnetic connector, identical to the connector for the gauge and hose. Once connected, it’s possible to begin charging the tubeless chamber. The gauge will not show any information on the pressure of the chamber unless you first swap the pump head to schrader, then thread that head onto the schrader valve on the chamber. Once the chamber is charged to the desired pressure, remove the hose, switch it back to presta, and then attach it to the tire valve. When ready to set the tire, simply turn the switch on the front which will let out a quick “burst” of air which should set the bead.
In use, the pump works well in every way. It has an accurate gauge, inflates tires, and sets beads exceptionally well. The only issue I ran into was with the number of steps required to use the burst feature. Having to switch the pump head and attach the pump to the chamber to read the pressure was a bit of a hassle. The burst chamber does have a guide on the back that indicates the number of pump strokes that will result in a set pressure, but I prefer the accuracy of the digital gauge.
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The Crankbrothers Klic tubeless pump is a gorgeous, award-winning pump that looks appropriate in any bike shop or living room. The magnetic click mechanism proved to be extremely solid and reliable. The pump performed flawlessly in my testing and has a five-year manufacturer’s warranty. At $225 the Klic definitely sits on the high end of the tubeless pump category, but with an accurate gauge and attractive construction, it is a perfect fit for the discerning cyclist.
Thanks to Crank Brothers for providing the Klic Floor Pump Digital + Burst Tank for review.
