Nicola Rutzou
As mini e-pumps continue to grow in popularity, more and more models are launched with improvements over the early models. I’ve tested a few of them, and at BA, we’ve written a few reviews, so I was curious about the Magicshine Airro from the Chinese light brand.
Firstly, for those who haven’t caught up with these handy inflation devices, a quick explanation…
Mini e-pumps are designed to carry in your pocket or spares bag and replace a manual mini pump or CO2 device. It’s effectively a rechargeable mini air compressor that inflates several tyres on a single charge.
Using one takes much less effort than a hand pump, which, in addition to the physical effort, can also damage valves. They are also easier to use than a CO2 setup, which has several limitations, and are a single-use gas cannister that is very unfriendly to the environment.
First impressions
The Magicshine Airro feels like a quality piece of equipment. Its compact metal-and-plastic case looks and feels solid. It even has a clear window so you can see the motor in operation, although the recommended silicon case covers it.
It comes with a USB-C charging cable, a plastic bag for storage, an extension tube and various value adaptors. Plus, somewhat unusually for today’s electronic gadgets, an instruction manual, which I rather like.
Function
It’s simple to operate with three buttons – an on/off button that also starts the unit, and + and – buttons to increase and decrease the PSI setting. The digital screen displays the PSI and the battery charge level. It will pump up to 120 PSI, which can be set in single-digit increments.
It comes with adaptors for Presta and Schrader valve types, and these are labelled accordingly. The adaptor screws in place, and the pump is ready to use. It includes a value extension to use when access to the valve is difficult. Magicshine also recommends the silicon case because the unit gets quite hot during operation.
To use, you simply switch the unit on, select the target PSI, attach it to the valve and press the on/off button to start. If you’ve never used an e-pump before, the thing you’ll notice at this point is the loud noise it emits during pumping. In most situations, this won’t be an issue, but beware that it is loud!
It took one minute and 10 seconds to pump my road bike tyre to 80 PSI, and during my testing, it pumped about three and a half tyres to 80 PSI before it required charging again.
The Magicshine Airro takes about 45 minutes to recharge fully.
Size & weight
The compact unit weighs 145 grams, which is relatively lightweight and quite acceptable, given that a typical iPhone weighs 230 grams.
It measures approximately 8 cm x 5 cm x 3 cm (without the value adaptor), making it small enough to fit in a jersey pocket but large enough to be easy to use.
The verdict
The Magicshine Airro is a great addition to the mini e-pump lineup.
It’s easy to carry and operate in a roadside situation, and it can also work as a travel pump when you want to leave a larger version behind. While it won’t replace my trusty floor pump at home, it is definitely my go-to portable pump.
My main piece of advice with these types of pumps is to regularly check that they are fully charged and ready to use. You really don’t want to be caught on the roadside with a flat (and very useless) pump!
RRP: $154.95
Nicola Rutzou – a long-time contributor and, most recently, the editor of Bicycling Australia. Nicola is a keen Sydney-based road cyclist who writes reviews, news, and destination pieces.
