Shootout: Air Compressor Inflators

An essential tool for all avid cyclists is a quality floor pump. And if you happen to have an air compressor, then we also recommend you pick yourself up a bicycle-specific inflation tool. What can it do for you? Besides inflating your tires effortlessly and accurately, an air compressor tool can also help seat your tires during installation, which is particularly useful when you’re installing a tubeless setup. Here’s a shakedown of two of the best bicycle air compressor tools we’ve come across.

Park Tool is the biggest name in the bicycle tool game. It’s recently released INF-1 inflator tool also carries the moniker, “Shop Inflator,” which should give you an indication about it intended use. It’s a heavy, hearty tool that weighs in at 1 pound, 11 ounces and features a dual-head inflator for both Presta and Schrader valves.

Price: $130

Prestacycle makes some of the most unique and functional bicycle tools anywhere, and the Prestaflator has been a best-seller for the company for years. It weighs 13 ounces and sports a pistol-grip design connected to a 15-inch long hose, at the end of which is a Presta-only slip-on head. The Presta head can be unscrewed, however, to allow for the hose to work with Schrader valves.

Price: $49.95 (as tested)

The Prestaflator’s pistol-grip design is ergonomic and fits comfortably in your hand, and the bleed valve is positioned so that it can be easily accessed by your thumb. But the Park Tool’s overall presentation and build quality is superior, thanks to a clean layer of blue paint that gives it a professional look, and fonts on the gauge that are just a bit sharper and bolder. Also, the Park Tool’s inflation trigger is solid, while the Prestaflator’s feels a bit flimsier, rattling from side to side that gives it a cheaper feel.

For inflating your tires, the Park Tool INF-1 is easier to use than the Prestacycle alternative, and here’s why: Because the Park Tool’s dual-head inflator is firmly fixed to the tool’s body, it can be easily slipped onto a either a Presta or Schrader valve stem using only one hand. The Prestaflator’s slip-on head, however, is attached to the tool’s body with a long, flexible hose. And while this hose is a great asset when there’s not much room between spokes on certain wheelsets (thereby keep the tool and your hands out of the way), the Prestaflator requires two hands to operate. Also, if you’re switching back and forth between Presta and Schrader valve stems, you’ll need to reconfigure the parts on the Prestaflator. The Prestaflator scores points for having a more user-friendly gauge, but this round goes to the Park Tool.

While the Park Tool inflator’s fixed, dual-head design makes it the more user-friendly tire inflator, the Prestaflator’s modular hose design means that you can swap out the Presta head to hit Schrader valves, or connect any one of Prestacycle’s numerous accessories. These include a low-pressure blower tip that’s ideal for blowing dust and dirt off your bike after a ride, a lightweight coupler kit and a “quick-clip” adapter that’s a great add-on if you frequently fill up Schrader valves.

The Park Tool INF-1’s dual-head design is easy to use with both Presta and Schrader valve options at the ready.

The old adage, “you get what you pay for,” holds true here. The Park Tool INF-1 is a higher quality tool all around, and it’s really intended specifically for bike shop use. That said, we don’t think it’s worth it for a home mechanic to shell out more than twice the amount of money for it over the Prestaflator. The Prestaflator is plenty of tool to get any job done.

Adavantage: Prestacycle Prestaflator

The Prestaflator head slips easily onto Presta valve stems, but needs to be reconfigured to work with Schrader valves.

We like the Park Tool INF-1 and we’d recommend it to any bike shop. And if you’re a home mechanic with deep pockets that you’re just aching to empty, we say go ahead and pop for the Park Tool. But for the average cyclist who does their own bike maintenance, the Prestacycle Prestaflator offers a better value. Its build quality isn’t on par with the Park Tool’s, and it’s a bit more cumbersome to use when filling up your tires, but it features an easier-to-read gauge and offers more versatility with plenty of accessory options, all at a much friendlier price.