If my new Topeak Roadie TT mini pump is any indication, mini-pump technology has improved considerably.

The TT stands for Twin Turbo, their marketing name for a bi-directional, two-stage pump. Apologies for the upside-down photo; my real computer is busted.



It's short. Strokes are easy in both directions, and don't seem to get harder with higher pressure. The many short, smooth strokes are productive. Although a 49mm tire would be daunting, I pumped up a 23mm tubular without much trouble at all, once I figured out a good way to grip the head with my index finger while pumping. Because of the two-stage design, the skinny center tube is at the pump-head end, not the handle end - the entire pump body is the handle, which screws in tight to the head, tight enough as it came that it puzzled me for awhile. No gauge, Presta valves only.

Almost like a tubular pump for a new generation!