At a glance Small, light, Presta-only mini pump with a pocket clip and a good array of frame-mounting options, that can produce a solid, high pressure – if you've got the arms for it!
Tested by
Jon Adams, tester for The Bike List
Performance
Whether you love to ride light with just the bare essentials in a jersey pocket, or like to be fully prepared with a backpack or barbag full of just-in-case kit, one thing that every rider needs is a decent pump. Even with 'puncture proof 'tyres, flats are a reality of cycling and as such, they need to be embraced just as much as headwinds, rain or pedalling uphill! With options running from a small, emergency CO2 inflator at one end of the scale to a full size pump with an integral pressure gauge at the other, there's a vast choice on offer, but one of the trickiest cycling punters to satisfy is the roadie who needs high pressures in excess of 100psi, but doesn't want any any weight or bulk to go with it.
The SKS Wese is a Presta-only mini pump that's designed to give the best of both worlds. At a claimed 115g for the aluminium version (our sample tipped the scales at 120g) it weighs about the same as a mobile phone, and at 235mm long, it's small enough to fit in a larger jersey pocket, if that's how you want to carry it. To help out with this, there's even a pen-style clip to secure it in place and stop it falling out en-route. This took the total weight up to 125g, and while you can feel this in a rear pocket, it's really no big deal once you're underway.
For those of a more traditional bent, it also comes with rubber-band based frame mounts, and on top of that there's even a pair of clips that fit under your bottle cage and allow the pump to be fitted alongside in two sprung 'C' clips. These options work well and mean you can leave the Wese attached to your steed and not worry about forgetting it.
The pump has a pull-back rubber cover over the business end, and the Presta attachment has no intervening tube, so it simply slots directly onto the valve. This works fine and is comfortable enough for pumping with the valve positioned at the top of the wheel, pointing downwards.
So it looks good, weighs in at an acceptable amount, and ticks every box in terms of carrying options. When it comes to performance, the Wese claims it can deliver 144psi. That's a staggering amount for a mini pump, and is way higher than the 90-or-so psi that most similarly-priced mini pumps can muster (when operated by a human!) 144psi is the sort of pressure you'd use for indoor track racing - higher than most will need in normal road use - so if it can get this high, the pump would really deliver. To see how well it coped, we put a 23mm Schwalbe Lugano tyre on a Mavic Aksium wheel, and put 110psi in with a track pump. We then swapped to the Wese, and found you could still get more in without too much grief. Simulating a puncture, we also tried from scratch, and found that around 220 strokes got us to a get-you-home 80psi on the same wheel/tyre combo. To get up to 100psi-plus takes some effort, but the pump will get there - just accept that you'll need to take your time and include some rests, or ideally, double up the pumping duties with a friend!
The pump's Presta-only status means you can't use it to help out those with Schrader valves and it doesn't offer any versatility to those running both valve types on different bikes. But it will get you up to proper riding pressures in excess of 100psi on a road bike, provided you have the time and the arms for it!
For the low asking price of £16, the Wese offers excellent value for money, and if you're prepared to put some effort in when the inevitable flat occurs, it's a sound choice. There's not much weight or bulk to carry, there's a plethora of good frame-mounting options and it'll take you up to proper riding pressures if you have the arms for the task. The only real downside is the single valve compatibility, but for just £16, who's complaining?
Buy from www.chainreactioncycles.com
SKS Says:
Solid mini pump for road racing. The second generation of our topseller. WESE is a high pressure pump developed especially for road cycling. The pump head fits Presta/Sclaverand valves and is protected from dirt and water.
Compact high pressure pump made of T-3103-Aluminium tube. Encapsulated valve head. Ergonomic softgrips. Including frame and bottle cage mounting. Suitable for our jersey clip.
- Max pressure 144psi
- 235mm
- 115g (test sample weighed 120g)
Find out more www.sks-germany.com
