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On test: Blackburn AirStik SL, December 14, 2008
Tiny yet effective
Blackburn's new AirStik SL is barely larger than some CO2 inflators but packs a surprising amount of punch, says Cyclingnews' technical editor James Huang.
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The Blackburn AirStik SL is just 16cm long and weighs a paltry 60g so it's easy to tuck into your pocket as you're heading out the door. But unlike many pumps of this size category, this one can actually get the job done when you're pulled off on the side of the road without too much cursing.
Blackburn claims the AirStik SL delivers "37 per cent more air per stroke" than comparable pumps and while we didn't empirically confirm that figure, it does put out a surprising amount of volume for its diminutive length. Still, the 16cm overall length yields just a 9.5cm-long stroke: after 200 cycles we were still only at 60psi, pump effort got pretty high and our spindly cyclist arms were about out of steam.
A little more effort would obviously bring the pressure up to a more reasonable figure but even without, it's enough to get you home. Don't even think about using this on a mountain bike tire, though; you'll be pumping away until you can't feel your arms anymore and you still probably won't have as much air as you want in there.
Downsides include a Presta-only press-on head that requires a fair bit of exposed valve. It doesn't seal as well as lock-on types, plus an inverted pump body design doesn't leave much room for your non-pumping hand to hold on, especially as efforts increase. Best use caution when pumping to avoid bending or breaking the valve stem.
Overall, the Blackburn AirStik SL gets the job done in emergencies but you might want to consider something a little more substantial if you anticipate anything more than rare-to-occasional use.
Price: US$24.99 (including frame mount)
Weight: 60g (pump only); 13g (frame mount)
Pros: Tiny length and diameter; durable alloy construction; decent output;
awesome Blackburn warranty policy
Cons: Road tyre pressure requires many strokes and much effort; non-locking
head leaks a bit until pressure builds and requires a lot of exposed valve stem;
inverted body design leaves little room for non-pumping hand to hold on
Cyclingnews rating: 
More information: www.blackburndesign.com
Photography
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Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com
- The Blackburn AirStik SL is tiny and light but takes a lot of strokes and effort to inflate road tires to pressure.
- The non-locking head fits Presta valves only and the inverted pump body design leaves little room to support the valve end during inflation.
