If you’re looking for a new pump to take with you on daily commutes, tours, and epic MTB rides, look no further than the Grifter from Serfas. A cross between a tiny little frame pump, and a full size floor pump, the Grifter could best be described as a compact floor pump.
This is the pump to have, unless you are a total weight weenie. Commute by bike? Going on a bike tour? You won’t even notice the Grifter in a backpack, pannier, or hidden under a water bottle mount. Mountain biking? Yeah, it weighs 320 grams, but the first time you need it, you’ll realize it’s worth the extra weight over a mini pump or CO2 unit. Like most products from Serfas, it looks good, works great, and has had a lot of thought put into the design. Pop it off your frame or take it out of your pack, and give the base a twist. Now you have a small “foot” to stand on. Pull the handle up, and another twist turns it into a one-handed T. While you can’t stand totally upright, you don’t have to bend too much either. This is important, because while the pressure gauge is white and orange on black for contrast, it’s only about an inch in diameter. Of course, that’s better than no gauge at all.
In use, we found the Grifter to be easy to set up, and simple to operate. At first glance, it looks like a regular compact frame pump, which threw off some of our cycling friends. But once it’s ready for action, it really looks more like someone shrunk a floor pump down a few sizes. And the Grifter makes quick work of flats. The head has a presta fitting on one side, and schrader on the other. No need to take anything apart to switch it over. Just thread it on to the valve, and start pumping. By design, it takes very little effort, and the pump itself has decent volume too. The Grifter can get up to 100 PSI.
The only point of concern we could find had to do with the pump head itself. It would be nice if there was some sort of cover, just to keep dirt and debris out when not in use. Other than that, this is a great little pump, and with a very reasonable price – MSRP is $32. Check it out at Serfas.com
– Brian
Disclosure of Material Connection: We received the Serfas Grifter for free from Serfas in consideration for review publication.