Portland Design Works Ninja Pump & CO2 Inflator

Solid construction, surprisingly tiny little bugger, but it does what it’s supposed to and really well. I like the presta and schrader valve compatibility and the magnetic (?) “lock” when the handle is all the way in.

Not too slow as one reviewer pointed out – at least not for me.

I was able to rescue my buddy after he fumbled with his CO2 cartridges – inflated two 25mm tires in a couple of minutes.

I only wish it had a pressure gauge, but then it would be much bigger.

I have the tendency to over analyze certain parts that I am looking for and a portable pump for my bike was no exception. There are a ton of pumps out there to choose from ranging from cheap-o plastic junk to really nice and expensive ones. Then there are the CO2 inflators which are usually small and simple, but require you to carry CO2 cartridges and if you run out of those, you’re stuck. I like to plan for the worst and hope for the best, so I would rather spend more time on the side of the road pumping a flat tire instead of relying solely on a one shot deal. With this pump from PDW, you can get the best of both worlds, which appealed to me, so I gave it a shot.

It weighs 72 grams and the construction of it is very nice and the pump does not feel flimsy at all, even while pumping, there is no flex. With a deflated road bike tire, it took me 1:37 to get the tire firm enough to the touch to be able to ride home safely. I tried counting the pumps, but got lost after 158 or so pumps. What can I say, I’m not good at counting fast, my bad. If I had to guess, it would easily be over 200 pumps, but they go quick. If you plan on using this as your only pump for any bike, get the taste out of your mouth right now. It is way too impractical and moves very little air and high pressures are not easy to do. After 1:37, I checked with my Birzman gauge and was surprised to see I was only at 65 psi… Guess my “sidewall squeeze test” isn’t very accurate, haha. In my opinion, this pump’s only purpose is to get your bike rideable again so you can get home. The CO2 inflation is super easy and went just as planned, so no issues at all with that. Pumping it up to 100 psi took forever and what do you know, I lost count again, apparently me no count good. When you get to the higher pressures, it gets pretty hard to pump.

My biggest gripe about the pump was how hard the Presta attachment was to get loose the first time. Seriously man, I’m not some weak little human being that can’t open pickle jars and stuff, I’m the one that opens them for those kind of people. I thought I was going to break the pump in half and throw it across the road, I was so mad. I had to use some pliers to get it loose the first time, which no one carries on their bike when they’re riding, so you would be screwed if you didn’t do it before you need it. For this, I knocked a star off. Other than that, it is a great pump and will get you home if you need a pump. It came with a small mount that goes under a bottle cage, but I don’t use it and instead put it in my SpeedSleev Saddle bag. Anyways, I hope this review helps someone and if you do get it, make sure you pull the Presta valve attachment out before you actually need it, for real.

Some critics here ding this mini-pump for how many strokes it takes to inflate your tire. Well of course, that’s the drawback to a MINI pump! I use this primarily as a CO2 inflator. The hand-pump I find useful mostly for partially inflating my punctured tube to find where the leak is, and for testing my patching job to ensure it’s leakproof. But to really inflate the tire once it’s mounted back on the wheel, that’s where the CO2 cartridge is necessary. I would highly recommend planning to use it in this manner, not as a pure hand-pump inflator.

Note I use Schrader valves, not Presta. I have had no trouble using this with Schrader valves, and cannot comment on the criticisms here of using this pump with with Presta. But if you also use Schrader valves with it, I doubt you will have issues.

Meanwhie, it’s a tiny pump, and the included mount tucks it behind and to the side of a water bottle cage where it’s barely noticeable, but easily accessible when you need it.

I do wish they included a CO2 cartridge sleeve to insulate your fingers from a freezing-cold CO2 cartridge. Most CO2 inflators come with one, and I know PDW makes a nice leather one, so it seems an inexcusible oversight not to include one with this device.

I have not experienced the valve lock-up some have described using this as a CO2 inflator. It might be related to the cartridge brand. I exclusively use Pro Bike Tools’ 25g cartridges with this and have had no difficulty after about a dozen uses between two of these pumps on two bikes.

I have used co2 inflators in the past, but always carried a hand pump just in case i needed a back up. I thought this combo pump/inflator was an elegant solution.
At first i only used the hand pump and the performance did not blow me away or anything. It’s a lot of effort to get up to a decent psi, but this is for emergencies and for that it would do the job. The trouble started when i ran over a construction staple on my way to work and opted to use the co2 inflator for the first time. I could not get the valve to open no matter how hard i tried, had to pump by hand and was late for work. Even when i got home i still could not open the valve, not even with vice grips which pretty much mangled the nob anyways. Unfortunately this all happened on the last eligible day for a return and i don’t have a way to print the return label and mail it out by tomorrow. I wouldn’t recommend this pump and as this is my first pdw product, i will probably steer clear in the future.

I pumped up 2 near-dead flat tires in less than 5 minutes with this thing. Secures to the tire well and pumps with ease. Just be sure to brace one finger on the opposite end and not try to grab it at all. I got a little overzealous and pinched the ever-living @&$# out of my finger; a valuable lesson learned. Definitely a buy, though.