This $28 bike pump takes all the frustration out of inflating my tires and checking their pressure

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• A high-quality bike pump has an easy-to-read and accurate built-in pressure gauge, attaches to your tube valve without fuss, and requires minimal effort to operate.
• I like the Vibrelli Performance Bike Floor Pump because the gauge has large white numbers on a black background, the base doesn't wobble while I'm pumping, and I'm able to inflate a variety of items with it.
• Though it features a mid-range price (currently $27.98 on Amazon), its quality rivals that of the upper-range models, and it's backed by a five-year warranty.

When you own a bike, there are a few essentials you must have: a helmet, a lock, a bike rack, bike lights, and a bike floor pump. We're here to talk about the latter.

Even when your bike is sitting idle in the garage, the tubes leak air. Often times, what appears to be a flat is just a tube that has leaked excessive amounts of air over time. This can be fixed easily with a bike pump. Plus, when you keep your tires inflated to the proper level, your bike will perform better and will be less likely to get actual flats.

As part of my regular bicycle maintenance, I check the tire pressure and add a couple of drops of lube to the chain (I recommend Finish Line Wet Bicycle Chain Lube) before my first ride of the week. Recently, Vibrelli sent me their Performance Bike Floor Pump to test. Here are my experiences with it.

How the Vibrelli Bike Pump performed

The Bike Floor Pump works on Schrader, Presta, and Dunlop valves. The T-valve serves Presta/Dunlop on one side and Schrader on the other. You simply flip the switch on the valve to securely attach it to your tube. I found that you needed to push somewhat hard to get the lock into place, but once it was there, the seal was tight. I didn't hear any air escaping.

I used the bike pump once per week for about three months to keep my Co-op Cycles CTY 2.1 Hybrid Bike rolling. The tires feature Schrader valves, and unfortunately, I didn't have easy access to any Presta valves so I was not able to test how the pump worked on those valves.

I also had another limitation in my review. During the testing period, I rode over 500 miles, and I didn't get any flats. Consequently, I wasn't able to test out the glue-less puncture repair kit that comes with the pump.

The Vibrelli Performance Bike Floor Pump itself features a durable steel barrel that is unlikely to break. But, if it does, Vibrelli backs the quality of this pump with a five-year warranty. The base is 10.5 inches wide and made of composite nylon. My giant, size-15 feet fit comfortably on the base, and it never felt unstable.

The cord is nice and long at about three feet, and it wraps over and attaches to both sides of the handle for convenient storage. Where the cord connects to the pump, there is a rotating connector so you can maneuver the cord with minimal effort.

Being mildly nearsighted, I appreciated the large, easy-to-read gauge that displays pressure readings in PSI and bar. PSI is in large white numbers with a black background for maximum contrast. Additionally, the gauge sits approximately seven inches off the ground, which is helpful when every inch matters for viewability.

To test how quickly the pump inflates tires, I counted how many strokes it took to get from 20 PSI to 80 PSI. By my count, it takes 35 strokes. However, at no point was it hard to make any of the strokes. There was very little difference in effort between the first and 35th stroke. This is in contrast to many of the high-capacity pumps that start to push back as the PSI increases. I should note that while the pump is rated to inflate to 160 PSI, I didn't inflate anything beyond 80 PSI in my tests.

When we got my five-year-old son a new bike, the tires were quite flat. I grabbed the Performance Bike Floor Pump so I could bring them to an acceptable range. Of course, when my son saw me doing this, he wanted to take over. As a testament to the ease of use, my son was able to add air to his tires with the pump but preferred that I finish the job.

I also used the pump to bring the tire pressure to an acceptable level on a snow blower. It was relatively easy since the tires had Schrader valves, were relatively small, and had a max PSI of 20.

Lastly, the pump comes with a sports ball inflation needle and inflatable device attachment for pool toys and similar items. I liked that the needles attach to the cord on a clip so I don't have to worry about losing them. I had no problem quickly inflating a basketball.

The bottom line

In my decades of cycling, I've had a long line of inexpensive, disappointing bike pumps. The Vibrelli Performance Bike Floor Pump is the best I've ever used. I've had it for about six months now, and it isn't showing any wear. It's easy to use, I don't have to strain to read the gauge, and the pump doesn't wobble while I'm using it. If you are in need of a bike pump, I strongly recommend picking this one up.

Buy the Vibrelli Performance Bike Floor Pump on Amazon for $27.98