Park Tools is a household name in bicycle maintenance and its PMP 4.2 aims to compete with the best mountain bike mini-pumps on the market. With its conventional head, T-handle and thumb lock, the PMP 4.2 is a bit of an old-school design.

The fold-out T-handle fitted easily in the palm of our hand, but the problem is that it’s a bit flexy and we really noticed that when trying to force out that last bit of air.

That said, the PMP 4.2 did get the tyre inflated pretty well, it just needed another 50 or so strokes to get to our ideal riding pressure. It also feels pretty secure on the valve stem, and there’s something solid to push against, so we didn’t have to hold this one with our fingertips.

By loosening the hex-shaped nut on the head of the pump, it’s possible to flip around the Presta and Schrader valve washers. It’s a quick job and something you can easily do at the trailhead if you or your mates have a tube with a different type of valve.

The PMP 4.2 comes with an offset plastic bracket for on-bike portage, but the rubber band isn’t that tight – we had to loop it round twice to hold the pump in place – and the thumb lock also has an annoying rattle when riding.