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First Look: Spin Doctor’s MXV & RXP Mini Pumps Are Value-Oriented

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Spin-Doctor-Frame-Pumps

Mini pumps are not the typical sexy item that people lust over, or spend lots of time obsessing about the best one. But when you are out in the woods with a flat tire, it had better be a product that works.

Spin Doctor is a brand name of mail-order house Performance Bike, and a good portion of their product are the stock offerings from the major foreign ODM factories. This means that the products are made in the same factories as big-name products, designed by the factory, and then private-labeled by Spin Doctor. This can mean these products have most of the technology and features of more expensive product, but save money on simple visual design and packaging. Stock product from ODM factories are really great options for people who want an affordable part that works well.

The MXV and RXP Mini pumps appear to be great values for the cost. Aluminum barrels and handles, switchable heads, and metal cam actuators are features typically reserved for pumps much more expensive. Click inside the post to see how these pumps stack up…

Spin-Doctor-RXP  Spin-Doctor-MXP

The MXV and RXP are a set of sibling pumps, with the MXV intended for mountain bikes and the RXP intended for road bikes. The MXV has a larger barrel that puts out more air per pump, but will also get harder to pump as pressure increases. Performance rates the pump with a max pressure of 65psi, where the smaller barrel RXP is rated up to 100psi, but puts out less air per pump.

Accugauge-check

To test out the two pumps, we used our base test tire, the Clement Xplor MSO 700×40 on Velo Orange RAID rim. Pressures were constantly checked with an Accu-Gauge to insure consistency.

  • MXV – 100 pumps to 23psi
  • MXV – 200 pumps to 55psi, started getting hard to use around 45psi
  • MXV – 225 pumps to 60psi
  • RXP – 100 pumps to 9 psi
  • RXP – 200 pumps to 22psi
  • RXP – 300 pumps to 34psi
  • RXP – 400 pumps to 46psi
  • RXP – 500 pumps to 55psi
  • RXP – 545 pumps to 60psi

Spin-Doctor-RXP-Weight  Spin-Doctor-RXP-Bare-Weight

At $19.99, the RXP has all of the major features of a pump that costs $29.99 and is made in the same factory by a major brand. Interestingly, the RXP was also spot-on to the gram of their claimed weight, which is lower than most other pumps in this range.

Spin-Doctor-MXV-Weight  Spin-Doctor-MXP-Bare-Weight

The MXV also comes in at $19.99, meaning the only choice you have to make is whether to get the higher volume or higher pressure pump. This simplicity in choosing a product is not usually found in the more marketing-intensive brands, and is refreshingly easy to understand.

MXP-Pump-Taken-Apart

The head design is common and easy to understand. Just like the vast majority of pumps on the market, the head can be switched from presta to schrader by simply removing two internal parts, flipping them both, and putting it back together. The simple aluminum lever on top is flipped back to compress the gasket around whichever valve is used.

Spin-Doctor-MXV-Mounted

The MXV has been mounted to the Winter Commuter Project, and will be entering long-term testing through a Minnesota winter. The Spin Doctor pumps present a great value, and if they stand the test of time, would be an excellent choice. We will take them through testing, and report back with a long-term review in the future.

www.performancebike.com

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groghunter
groghunter
9 years ago

545 is a lot of pumps to only hit 60 PSI…

Ck
Ck
9 years ago

I don’t really like the choice of tire size for testing. It doesn’t really properly show how well the pumps will work for most people. Someone who doesn’t pay attention enough is going to see a pump that takes 545 strokes to hit 60 PSI and go “well this isnt the road bike pump I want”. Test it again with common road and MTB tire sizes like 25c and 29×2.25

Ace
Ace
9 years ago

I have used frame pumps for several years and i will never go back to a frame pump that does not have a hose. Being able to push your pump against the ground is soooo much easier especially when dealing with higher pressures while on a long ride.

drosser
drosser
9 years ago

Topeak Road Morph G for life!

Dave B
Dave B
9 years ago

I have Performance’s similar looking predecessor to the RXV and they have always worked well and been more reliable than a few other better known brands. Now, I have a couple of Lezyne Road Drive pumps as I am also infatuated with a separate hose to protect the valve stems while pumping.

I also agree that the tire size in this report used to rate the road pump is badly misleading.

Tom
Tom
8 years ago

At 545 pumps, the RXP puts me off for my road bike. If I got a flat and had to pump that many times to reach half my riding PSI, I probably would just call my wife to pick me up! Haha but I’ve had a few flat tires over the last year so I carry a CO2 pump with me now. Couldn’t hurt to get a frame pump just in case though!

Joe
Joe
8 years ago

The Spin Doctor RXP is light and seems to be constructed nicely.

Compared to my Lezyne Road Drive (medium), the strokes on the RXP are much shorter, but also much easier and the pump body doesn’t heat up as much as the Lezyne, which makes this pump more comfortable for me to use compared to the Lezyne Road Drive, despite the absence of a hose. The heat issue is relevant past 90 psi.

Since many roadies won’t be using the same size tire as tested above, I decided to do an unscientific test on a more standard size tire for road bikes: A 700x23c Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick, mounted on a Shimano Ultegra 6700 wheel. Pressures were checked every 100, and then later, every 50 strokes with an SKS Airchecker digital gauge.

100 Strokes: 30 PSI
200 Strokes: 60 PSI
300 Strokes: 80 PSI
350 Strokes: 90 PSI
400 Strokes: 102 PSI
450 Strokes: 112 PSI
500 Strokes: 119 PSI

I know several hundred strokes sounds like a lot (and it is), but since the strokes are short, and the effort is easy (compared to my Lezyne Road Drive Medium), it doesn’t feel too laborious.

Overall, I initially think this is a good buy. Remains to be seen what its durability in the field will be.

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