Maintaining the right tire pressure is essential to optimize the performance and longevity of bike tires. Topeak’s Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0 makes it easy to quickly check the bike tire pressure or use it in conjunction with bike pumps to get an accurate tire pressure reading while inflating. With a retail price of $84.95, the Digital 2.0 is one of Topeak’s latest gauges and has a large rotating high contrast display. The gauge uses a CR2032 battery, which is included, and works with Presta, Schrader or Clik Valves type. Topeak has designed the gauge to be used on its own as a tire pressure checker or with a pump using a Schrader or Presta attachment to view pressure as you inflate. One of the nice features is the air release button which is convenient if you over inflate a tire.
The Topeak Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0 combines a large high contrast digital display with a compact form factor to check tire pressures.
| Retail Price | $84.95 |
| Rating | 8.8 / 10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 56 |
| Likes | + Large high contrast digital display is easy to read + Can be used alone to check tires or in conjunction with pumps to monitor pressure as you pump + Simple design works well for car or bike tires |
| Dislikes | – Premium price compared to analog gauges – This lacks Topeak’s SmartHead design which means you have to manually move parts around to switch between Schrader and Presta valve types – It’s difficult to open the dust cover for the pump attachment without breaking rubber holder |
| Where to Buy (US) | Topeak |
UNBOXING
The Topeak Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0 comes well packaged with Topeak’s characteristic white and yellow cardboard box with a glossy graphic of the gauge on the front. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0
- Instruction packet
The CR2032 battery is per-installed so the gauge is ready to use right out of the box.
FIT AND FINISH
Visually, the Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0 is a compact tire gauge with an oversized digital display. It is the modern equivalent of the mechanical tire pressure gauge that is a popular accessory for car tires. The design is a nice improvement over the previous Topeak Shuttle Gauge and Smartgauge inflators which had large bodies. This new version has all the battery and electronics hidden inside the body of the round gauge. It’s about 1 5/8″ in diameter or 41mm and about 3/4″ thick or 19mm which looks good without being overly bulky. The gauge is also designed to rotate around a full 360 degrees which makes it easy to see the pressure from any angle.
There is a CR2032 watch battery inside the body that requires opening the gauge to replace instead of a USB charging port which makes sense for this type of product. Behind the gauge is a release button that lets you release any excess air to fine tune the air pressure. As far as attaching the gauge to valves, the Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0 has a friction fit with a gasket inside it. You simply slide it over the vale and then flip the lever 90 degrees to lock it in place. To swap between Shrader, Presta and Clik valves, you need to unscrew the cap and flip the rubber and metal pieces appropriately. We would have preferred to see Topeak’s SmartHead design as this manual approach can be confusing if you do not have the user manual to reference.
On the other end of the gauge there is also a dust cover to connect a pump to it. It’s not very obvious how to open the dust cover which is why we ended up breaking the rubber holder pulling it off. Once you have it off, there is a Schrader valve which can also be screwed off to reveal a Presta valve. It’s a nice feature if you want to use the Shuttle Gauge in conjunction with CO2, or other inflators that might not have a gauge.
USER INTERFACE
The user interface of the Topeak Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0 is straight forward with a single button. A single press turns the gauge display on, while a long hold turns it off. The gauge automatically turns off if there is no use after a certain amount of time to avoid draining the battery. With the pump on, a single press will cycle through PSI, Bar and KG/CM2 unit displays. The gauge is a bright LED design with basic digit display. There is enough space for 3 digits to allow it to show up to 120 PSI. There is also a battery status indicator on the top left which ensures you can keep track of the battery status.
IMPRESSIONS
Even if you ride regularly, tires naturally lose a bit of pressure each day so it is important to top them off. We’ve reviewed a few of these style digital gauges including an SKS AirChecker which worked well but didn’t have the intuitive shape and form factor of the Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0. Topeak has done a nice job blending an analog gauge with a digital design so it’s easy to use and insert onto valves. Particularly with bent Presta valves, you lose a bit of pressure each time to check them but its minimal and seals nicely. The almost hidden air release button on the rear is a nice touch that helps if you overinflated your tire. It’s also easy to read the gauge thanks to the large high contrast green text with rotating body. Our biggest issue was the dust cover for attaching a pump, we couldn’t quite figure out how to pull it off and ended up ripping the rubber tether that prevents the cap from falling off. Otherwise the gauge seems accurate and easy to use on its own or with a pump.
THE VERDICT
Overall we found the Topeak Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0 to be a well made tire pressure gauge. Topeak has taken the classic mechanical tire pressure gauge and created a digital version with a large high contrast screen. The bright green text is large and easy to read as you can rotate the head a full 360 degrees. We like the premium feeling body and the air pressure release button hidden behind the gauge. While it is a fairly expensive tire pressure gauge, the combination use on its own or with a pump to monitor pressure as you inflate is a nice perk. The main negatives is that swapping between valve types requires manually swapping the order of parts and a rubber dust cover that is difficult to remove without ripping the tether off. That said, the Topeak Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0 is a premium digital gauge that makes it easy to check and monitor inflation pressure as you pump.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Topeak. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.