Troy On Trails

If you’ve ever been the person wandering a parking lot before a group ride, desperately searching for a floor pump to fix a flat tire, you’re not alone. It’s a universal experience for cyclists, and it’s one that inspired me to explore whether bigger, more powerful pumps could be the solution to this all-too-common problem. In this blog post, I’ll break down my experience testing two larger pumps—the AsperX AX70 and the Fantic X9 Ultra—to see if they’re worth adding to your gear collection.

The Problem: Flat Tires at the Worst Possible Time

Let’s face it: flat tires always seem to happen at the most inconvenient moments. Whether it’s right before a group ride or in the middle of a remote trail, being unprepared can ruin your day. While mini pumps are great for on-the-go fixes, they’re not always the most efficient or convenient option for pre-ride prep. That’s where larger pumps come in. The idea is simple: keep one of these in your car, and you can become the hero of your next group ride by ensuring everyone’s tires are perfectly inflated before hitting the road.

The Contenders: AsperX AX70 vs. Fantic X9 Ultra

I tested two pumps to see if bigger really is better:

• AsperX AX70: A compact, portable pump with a 36-watt-hour battery.
• Fantic X9 Ultra: A larger, more powerful pump with a 92-watt-hour battery.

While these pumps are designed primarily for car tires, they’re also marketed as versatile tools for cyclists. Both pumps come with Schrader valve adapters (necessary for Presta valves) and additional features like USB charging ports and flashlights. But how do they stack up when it comes to inflating bike tires?

Key Features and Functionality

Both pumps share some common features:

• USB Charging: The AsperX can charge small devices like phones and cameras, while the Fantic X9 Ultra can power larger devices, including laptops. During a two-week power outage, I even used the Fantic to keep my laptop running!
• Flashlight: Both pumps have built-in flashlights, making them ideal for pre-dawn rides or late-night emergencies.
• Memory Presets: The Fantic allows you to save custom pressure settings for different tires, while the AsperX locks certain modes (like bike mode) to a minimum of 30 PSI, which can be frustrating for gravel or mountain bikers who need lower pressures.

Performance: Speed and Accuracy

The real test was how quickly and accurately these pumps could inflate bike tires. Here’s what I found:

• AsperX AX70: It took 1 minute and 1 second to inflate a 29x2.4-inch tire to 23 PSI. Surprisingly, this was 6 seconds slower than my tiny Cycplus mini pump. While it’s still fast enough for most situations, it didn’t meet my expectations for a larger pump.
• Fantic X9 Ultra: This pump blew me away. It inflated the same tire to 23 PSI in just 17 seconds (or around 10 seconds if you skip the pressure equalization phase). It’s incredibly fast and efficient, making it a standout choice for cyclists.

Both pumps were accurate, with the Fantic being spot-on every time and the AsperX consistently within 1 PSI of the target pressure.

Tubeless Tire Seating: A Mixed Bag

If you’re a tubeless tire user, you’ll want to know how these pumps handle seating tires:

• Fantic X9 Ultra: It performed well on mountain bike tires but struggled with gravel tires, which mine are notoriously difficult to seat even with an air compressor.
• AsperX AX70: It’s only effective for tubeless tires on the easier end of the spectrum—think tires that can be seated with a mini hand pump.

Neither pump is a true air compressor, so don’t expect the same burst of air you’d get from a dedicated compressor.

Portability and Storage

• AsperX AX70: Comes with a convenient carrying case, though the accessories tend to rattle around inside.
• Fantic X9 Ultra: Doesn’t come with a case, but all accessories are neatly stored in the bottom of the unit, making it easy to keep everything organized.

Verdict: Is Bigger Better?

The answer depends on your needs:

• AsperX AX70: A solid choice for casual cyclists who want a portable, multi-functional pump for their car. It’s not the fastest, but it gets the job done.
• Fantic X9 Ultra: The clear winner for speed and power. It’s perfect for cyclists who want a reliable, high-performance pump that can also double as a power bank for off-grid adventures.

Final Thoughts

Both pumps have earned a place in my life. I keep the AsperX in my car for everyday use and the Fantic in my van for longer trips where I might need extra battery power. If you’re looking to upgrade your pumping game, the Fantic X9 Ultra is worth the investment. And if you see me at a trailhead, don’t hesitate to ask for air—I’ll be ready to help!

For anyone who knows me, this won’t be a surprise. I love to ride my bike. I ride a lot. I also get bored easily. Once I started increasing my mileage a few years ago, these two dominant character traits met head on. My motivation was waning because I was riding the same things all the time.

I had to do something to spice up my rides and workouts.

It started with my commutes. I set out to ride every road and trail between home and the office. This quickly grew to include options that weren’t exactly on the way.

But at some point, this evolved. I don’t know the exact moment but now I have a requirement that every ride I do include something I’ve never ridden before. Sometimes it would be a completely new ride and other times, I would work a new road or trail into an old staple.

I don’t usually have a plan. I just hop on my bike and start riding with a general area and direction in mind. This haphazard approach has resulted in a lot of cool discoveries. Whether it’s a previously unknown trail, a spectacular viewpoint, or an elaborate chicken coop, I always find new and interesting things. This approach has also resulted in gaps in the heatmap. These are roads that I passed up previously that now stick out like a sore thumb when looking at my heatmap.

I didn’t set out with the goal of riding everything, but lately I’ve found myself going back and filling in gaps to get roads that I had missed.

I’ve ridden ever road and trail in my home town of Newcastle and am well on my way towards completing the neighboring cities of Renton, Bellevue, Issaquah and Mercer Island. I’ve also checked off a few tiny towns like Index and Skykomish during various adventures.

It’s getting harder and harder to find new things to ride. Because I start most rides from home, I have farther and farther to ride before I find new things. But that just adds to the adventure.

What’s next? I plan to keep this rule and keep riding new things. Though, I may need to get back into trail running to fill in some of the large voids in the map where bikes aren’t allowed.

I signed up for the 2018 Race Across Texas (RAT) on a whim. Feeling unfulfilled after my failed attempt at the TransAm bike race, I needed to find something to scratch the long-distance itch. A 1,000 mile gravel race sounded like just the ticket.

Even better, race organizer Kevin Lee was offering a new format to do the race as a semi-supported stage race. Severe stomach issues took me out of the TransAm so I was in need of a new on-bike nutrition strategy. The stage race format allowed me to test out an all liquid diet while avoiding the logistical challenges that come along with pounds of drink mix. (See Jason Lane in Inspired to Ride)

The RAT is unlike any event I’ve done before. The key difference is there were many flavors of the race all happening at the same time. There was the traditional self-supported race and the new stage race doing the full 1,000 miles. Then there was the guided 3-day Mini RAT and the self-supported Tiny RAT for those looking for shorter adventures.

The craziness of the multiple events was evident on day one. The stage racers started on Friday with an untimed prolog from Texarkana to New Boston. Self-supported racers started in Texarkana on Saturday and Mini and Tiny RAT racers started with stage racers on our second day.

The first few days were unbearably hot. Temperatures averaged around 95 degrees and 95% humidity. This weather is tough for anyone, but as a Northwest native, I was definitely out of my element. The five bottles I could carry were not enough.

Halfway through the race, the weather got a bit cooler, but with this came heavy rain. Like me and alcohol, Texas can’t handle its rain. This immediately brought impassible mud and flooding. It was bad enough that Kevin called a zero day for stage racers and highly encouraged self-supported racers to follow suit. The route had become dangerous.

After a day off, we resumed racing but used alternate routes to avoid problem areas. This meant more pavement than I would have liked. The stage race introduced new challenges as we had a schedule to keep. Self-supported racers are used to venturing into the unknown and enduring whatever nature has to offer. But stage racers needed a route we could actually finish each day. Kevin did a great job coming up with alternate routes on the fly. Sometimes we would even get re-routed in the middle of the stage after discovering something was impassible.

Even with the re-routes we still had our fair share of mud and unexpected river crossings. It was just enough to keep the adventure going.

Once the rains subsided, mother nature had a new challenge for us. Cold air pushed in from the North bringing extreme winds and a threat of snow.

Fortunately, the rains cooperated for the signature day of the race. The Red Roads and Capstone Canyon sections are touted as both the most scenic and most challenging portions of the route. They did not disappoint. By this stage, I had grown tired of the flat roads and monotony of western Texas. I felt re-energized as the terrain became more difficult. The roads featured rock ledges, deep erosion crevasses, sand, and boulders to challenge even the most skilled rider. The sight of red cliffs erupting out of the pancake flat farmland were amazing. And we finally got to do some climbing.

The final day brought 35-degree temps and 30 mph winds. An emergency glove purchase was needed to keep my hands functioning. The cold proved extra challenging for the native Texans that made up the majority of the field. For me, the rain and cold is when I felt most comfortable.

I finished every day in third place and finished in third overall as well.

A few observations from the race.

1.      I really liked the semi-supported stage race format. It was very different than what I’m used to and the pace was much faster than I expected, but it was a fun change.

2.      Texas is a big-ass state

3.      Keystone Light is by far the #1 selling beer in Texas. At least it’s the #1 beer thrown out truck windows. Every few feet along paved and dirt roads you will find discarded cans and cases of Keystone Light. Bud Light and Michelob Ultra were very distant second and third choices.

4.      Eastern Texas is much greener than expected. We rode through some scenic wetlands and forests that were completely unexpected.

Texas is flat.

Here's a quick video I shot while scouting out an improved section of the Cross-Washington Mountain Bike Route. This is the segment between Sequim and Kingston.

The upper elevations were pretty socked in, but the lower elevations were beautiful. I can't wait to ride this again in May.

There were a dozen of us at the start with goals from the ambitious to the relaxed. Being the first run, nobody really knew what to expect. The uncertainty lead to a wide variety of gear choices from full suspension to full rigid, from trailers to paniers and everything in between. Nobody knew what would be the winning combination.

This post is part 3 of 3 covering my adventures during the Tour Divide Race. Part 3 covers the days between Colorado and the finish in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. If you missed parts 1 or 2 be sure to check out Tour Divide - Canada to Idaho (Part 1) and Tour Divide - Idaho to Colorado (Part 2)
Silverthorne, Fisco and Breckenridge are all reasonably sized towns with all supplies. Yet I didn’t resupply in Silverthorne and found myself struggling to find anything along the route in Breckenridge. I’m sure I could have found a grocery store, but not knowing the town made it hard to navigate. For next time I need to make sure I know where good resupply options exist in every town.