The Chainlink

It's been a long time since I've traveled with the equipment necessary to deal with a sudden-airloss-event, but recently I've made a few longer late night trips with no CTA safety net so should probably get a basic kit together....  historically mini-pumps kind of sucked and it's been years since I've bought one-- just wondering if there's one very small pump out there that folks are excited about, that gets you to a decent amount of pressure (50 lbs on 2" ATB tires would be nice) without leaving you laying on the curb exhausted.

Also, not sure where my backup floor pump is so if anyone has a recommendation there it would be appreciated. I seem to have an even mix of presta and schrader valves in my life.

Thanks!

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For me carrying it in a trunk bag it would work fine, by no means is this a replacenent for a floor pump at home. I have used the smaller style pumps in the past and have trouble getting to a reasonable pressure in the tire due to the connection to the valve, so that is the biggest sell from me.


milkbar said:

FWIW those are *extremely* well made and also the worst of both worlds, ie not small enough to easily carry with you on the bike and yet also a really poorly operating traditional floor pump because (1) it's very short and you have to lean over a lot vs a traditional floor pump and (2) it's way lower volume and harder to push (and require way more strokes) than a full sized floor pump.

They are totally rad and extremely impractical.

Deet 4.5mi said:

i think i would go with the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HPG Bicycle Pump, i like the fact that you screw the head onto the valve, i saw the one without the gauge at Comrad this weeked and it looked and felt solid.

http://www.google.com/shopping/product/6424884495519048178?q=lezyne...

You have just described everything I love.

milkbar said:

 totally rad and extremely impractical.


well said.

notoriousDUG said:

You have just described everything I love.

milkbar said:

 totally rad and extremely impractical.

Another vote for the Topeak Road Morph G. Also, I carry a CO2 inflator, which thankfully I've never had to actually use. At home, I have a Lezyne Alloy Floor Drive.

No problems whatsoever with the Topeak or the Lezyne, except a few times the threaded chuck of the Lezyne has disassembled threaded presta valves, which is really fun when I'm running late for work.

Another vote for the Topeak Road Morph for high-pressure low-volume tires.  Ive used mine to inflate tires to 115 - 120 psi for years without problems.  Its saved a bunch of fellow riders with failed or missing CO2 inflators, too.  I always dreaded using pumps that rely on my finger strength to avoid ripping out the valve — my hands would cramp before I could top off the tire.

I have an old Silca floor pump.  Its sturdy but the non-locking chuck is a pain — its difficult to get a good seal without having difficulty getting it off the stem afterwards, and presta valves seem to vary slightly in fit (not to mention threaded / unthreaded).  Silca has come out with a locking chuck but it doesnt seem to be the same quality as the rest of the pump — people have reported a number of failures.

Ive had good luck with a low-end Planet Bike floor pump, all steel, but its no longer available.

+1 on the Topeak Mini Morph.

I myself carry a Topeak Road Master Blaster on my touring bike and have a Topeak Joe Blow Sport floor pump at home.

Some follow-up:

I ended up purchasing a Pocket Rocket and a Mountain Morph, thinking the latter could serve as a backup pump for home if my floor pump is not available, or as a mobile pump if the tiny one goes AWOL. Kind of regretting having chosen one without a gauge...

As a test I tried to do all my pumping on a tire repair with the Pocket Rocket and promptly broke the Presta stem off (even full knowing how easy it is to do so-- it's just next to impossible with this thing to avoid some sort of lateral stress on the valve)-- which gave me a lot more opportunity to test the pump :-(

The good news is, with extreme caution and a little luck it's possible to get an ATB tire pumped up to reasonable firmness with the thing (I determined 200 strokes until rideable and 300 strokes until reasonably firm-- guessing 35 lbs or so.)  Which is all I really need the thing to do...

I also determined that all the water bottles taking up a large part of the top shelf in my pantry are basically ready for the trash-- the first one I tried shattered as soon as I put anything in it-- tiny pieces everywhere like those movie props they make out of sugar.  But the Pocket Rocket does fit in a tall water bottle...  so now I do have the water bottle kit I wanted.

I thought I would bump this thread. I have seen others discussing pumps. I have two Topeak road Morphs. One sits in the Ortleib bag on my commuter. The other was on the frame of  my road bike. It had gotten  wet at one point and I had taken steel wool to remove a bunch of rust a while ago. Yesterday i got a flat on the road bike and the pump, which was about 10 years old, failed. It would not inflate. I could feel pressure on my hand but nothing would blow into my spare tube. I will replace. I was considering either getting a new Road Morph and making sure it could  sit on the frame or getting a Lezyne with a guage. I do not ride the road bike a ton but when I do I only carry a modest sized saddle bag and have no rack.  A friend, a non commuter and dedicated roadie, has suggested I carry a co2 and  not bother with a pump. Thoughts and opinions? Thanks.

My 4yo pump broke last month.  I did a bit of research, but ended up buying one I never saw before, but it felt really sturdy- The SKS Airboy.  It was $20 off the shelf at Ancien, I thought that was a great price.  Has a good seal from the elements, which killed my last one, and seemed pretty powerful.  I haven't had a flat since I bought it so it brings good luck as well.  

A friend, a non commuter and dedicated roadie, has suggested I carry a co2 and  not bother with a pump. Thoughts and opinions?

If weight or inflation time is a consideration and you have a decent bailout option, go with CO2.  Ive lost count of the number of times Ive loaned my pump to people who have had CO2 malfunctions of various sorts.  Ive had multiple punctures on long rides.  And a pump allows you to inflate a punctured tube to locate the injury and patch it if necessary.

I carry CO2 and spare tube underseat, but my primary home pump and carried on big rides I'm so fond of that I've bought several for friends over the years.  11", 140psi, gauge, frame mounts, adapters, foot things... $14

http://amazon.com/dp/B003RR8GF4

(Aside: I've owned a Topeak and kept getting hurt on the handle. It also lacks features and costs more.)

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