Best Tire Pump ??

Printable View

07-22-2005, 08:02 PM
Core Shot

Best Tire Pump ??

Need a new road pump for the wife, but her mtn bike pump sucks ass.
Was fingering the crank bros. duual adjsutable pump in the store and it looked well made, sturdy and dual purpose (high pressure or high volume).

Any thoughts or recommendations??
thx.

http://www.crankbrothers.com/powerpump_alloy.php
http://www.crankbrothers.com/templat...umps/alloy.jpg
that one seems heavy at 173g, but they have others that are lighter that weren't in the store.
I like the Crank Bros company - they seem to have good designs.
07-22-2005, 08:22 PM
Plakespear

Mini pumps suck. Get a frame pump.
07-22-2005, 08:33 PM
Arty50

Topeak Road Morph. Best portable pump I've ever used. It has a short hose and foot hold so it can basically be setup as a mini floor pump. Plus it has a digital gauge.
07-22-2005, 08:36 PM
gravitylover

Or get a Topeak Road Morph or a SERFAS Grifter. Both have a flip out hose and a foot so you can use it like a floor pump. Sorry P, frame pumps kinda suck too :wink: and Zefal stopped making the last one that was any good a few months ago. We still have a few dozen left at the shop I work at but when they're gone that's it.

edit: good one arty. As I was typing the same thing.
07-22-2005, 08:51 PM
mntlion

air cartrige, then drain the Co2 and pump with a floor pump when you get home ...
07-22-2005, 11:13 PM
Viva

Quote:

Originally Posted by gravitylover

Zefal stopped making the last one that was any good a few months ago.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooo!!!

Looks like I need to stock up on spare pumps.
07-22-2005, 11:40 PM
L7

I vote air cartridge as well. The pumps, you hardly use them and then when you need them they're screwed.
07-22-2005, 11:53 PM
cj001f

Quote:

Originally Posted by L7

he pumps, you hardly use them and then when you need them they're screwed.

uh, depends on you and your wheels and where you ride. I, after a 3 flat ride last weekend, am sticking with pumps.
07-23-2005, 07:25 AM
mntlion

use a cartridge and carry a small crappy pump as backup.
07-23-2005, 08:26 AM
Core Shot

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arty50

Topeak Road Morph. Best portable pump I've ever used. It has a short hose and foot hold so it can basically be setup as a mini floor pump. Plus it has a digital gauge.

What a cool idea.
http://www.topeak.com/images/images_...s/pump_013.jpg
http://www.topeak.com/products/images/RoadMorph.jpg
http://www.topeak.com/products/pump_014.html
285g weight, but sounds like a very useful pump, particularly for the little lady to get up to 100psi.

Interestingly, in doing some googling, the crank bros mini I was looking at was top pick 5 star mini pump from bicycling mag (prolly a sucky mag, but I have no clue) - saw that at backcountry.net. For those mini-pumpers, it could be good if you have the rare flat. [saw this review though "My Crank Bros. Power Pump wasn't cutting it on road rides - despite a "high pressure" setting, there's no way to get more than 60-70 psi out of it, and the effort required is extreme. It's fine for mtb rubber @ 35-45 psi. The Topeak has no problem getting 120 psi into a 23C tire; in fact, I have the model without a gauge and actually overinflated the tire to 125 psi on the first test."]

Anyway, it looks like the modern frame pump is the morphing floor/frame pump - what a great idea and I wonder why it took so long to invent.

Topeak Road Morph on the way. thx.
07-23-2005, 09:53 AM
L7

Quote:

Originally Posted by cj001f

uh, depends on you and your wheels and where you ride. I, after a 3 flat ride last weekend, am sticking with pumps.

uh, (I love that mildly condescending lead in) yea we've all had bad days and they never go well. They don't go any better with a pump that doesn't get the job done or work at all. I'm speaking to reliability and I've switched mostly for that reason. Of course there's also weight, portability, energy efficiency, ease of use. uh use what you want, the guy asked for advice and I'm offering my opinion.

I had one 60 km slog of backcountry with 6 flats and getting eaten alive by bugs desparately trying to get the tire pumped not to mention fatigue of that much pumping a large tire really cut in on the fun. Broke a valve stem in frustration and fatigue of getting the pump to work. In fact I think it was that ride where the descision was made.
07-23-2005, 11:50 AM
cj001f

I use one of these:
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/JB-AS1.gif
It's taken many beatings and still works. I wouldn't use it with a mountain bike you'd be dead before the tire was inflated.
07-23-2005, 11:56 AM
Benny Profane

Don't resist. Go CO2, and you'll never pump away from your garage again.
07-23-2005, 04:36 PM
mntlion

Quote:

Originally Posted by L7

I had one 60 km slog of backcountry with 6 flats and getting eaten alive by bugs desparately trying to get the tire pumped not to mention fatigue of that much pumping a large tire really cut in on the fun. Broke a valve stem in frustration and fatigue of getting the pump to work. In fact I think it was that ride where the descision was made.

and good company too I bet....
07-23-2005, 08:27 PM
L7

The bitter wasn't fully in the spice yet. Naked might have been better.

Why do you say loose the CO2 when you get home and repump? Do you just like the feel of thrusting up and down on that thing or something?
07-23-2005, 09:09 PM
Core Shot

Why the need to drain and re-pump with air?
Won't CO2 stay in the tire? CO2 molecules are larger than O2.
Air is 70% Nitrogen, so maybe that's bigger than CO2, but in that case, just fill the tire with NO3 laughing gas whipping cream cartridges.
07-23-2005, 10:41 PM
mntlion

I have seen some of the filled tires start to leak with CO2. might have been a small leak in the tube rather then the CO2 filtering out. but they did go flat in a afew days, and when repumped where fine. ? not sure why?

now that idea of whipping cream ........ and the spice girl before she went bitter .....
07-24-2005, 06:17 AM
Core Shot

Interesting. I remember from P-chem and ideas of equilibrium and partial pressures that molecules will always migrate from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration until the concentrations are the same.

Since air is 70% Nitrogen, and not much CO2, that would make the 100% CO2 in the tire more inclined to migrate out.

But, considering that the tube is under high pressure, I would think the main influence is the 100 plus psi pressure, and the possibility that the CO2 passes through the pores of the rubber more easily than Nitrogen.

If that is the case, Nitrous might be a better fill agent, and can create an instant on-trail party in case the ride gets boring ;)
07-25-2005, 11:24 AM
Ski Monkey

Quote:

Originally Posted by mntlion

I have seen some of the filled tires start to leak with CO2. might have been a small leak in the tube rather then the CO2 filtering out. but they did go flat in a afew days, and when repumped where fine. ? not sure why?

I've had the same experience with co2 filled tires as well.

Core Shot seems to have the smarty smart big glasses answer.
07-25-2005, 01:08 PM
Spats

I have used the Crank Bros. pump for several years. It's the best mini pump out there.

I've never got more than about 40# in a tire with any other mini, no matter how much I grunted and sweated. The pressure/volume switch on the CB allows you to get a tire up to about 80# no problem. 100# is doable but takes a while and is a lot of work.

The Road Morph works even better than the CB, but it weighs a lot more and is much bigger. The small CB will fit in a seat bag!

The RM totally kills frame pumps, though, so if you're considering a Zefal frame pump, just get the Road Morph instead.

I don't like CO2, because what if you get more flats than you have cartridges? I have to carry a pump anyway, just in case, and then what's the point? Spending a minute or two pumping up a MTB tire hasn't killed me yet.
07-25-2005, 02:33 PM
Big E

All I know is I have a mini pump and the couple of times I've actually needed to use it, it really sucks. Those cartridges seem like a good way to go to me.
07-25-2005, 02:37 PM
AfroMullet

for mtb:
http://www.starbike.com/images/Stans...andard_kit.jpg

A close second:
http://www.excelsports.com/image200/...0CO2%20Kit.jpg
07-25-2005, 06:35 PM
Arty50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spats

I don't like CO2, because what if you get more flats than you have cartridges? I have to carry a pump anyway, just in case, and then what's the point? Spending a minute or two pumping up a MTB tire hasn't killed me yet.

Been there, done that, never do it again. I used to carry the cartridges and will never do so again. The only advantage to them is the fact they're fast. After a multi-flat ride, I went with the Mountain Morph (I'd get a Road Morph now) and have never looked back. It's light as far as pumps go; and it's much lighter than carrying 3-4 cartridges. It fits perfectly into my Camelback. It'll easily pump mtb tires up to 40+ psi, and do so quickly. I've never used it with road tires, so no clue there.
07-26-2005, 09:18 AM
InspectorGadget

. . . . works on cars, bikes, party dolls - you name it!

http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/0...=0.5,1.0,0.0,0
07-26-2005, 09:34 AM
SkiingBear

I'll second the Big Air:
http://www.excelsports.com/image200/...0CO2%20Kit.jpg
You'll get multiple fills from one can, and the cans are small enough that you can easily carry a second for those longer rides.

I'm sold on CO2. It definitely sucks when you have more flats than cartridges, but seriously, how often does that really happen?

I have the Crank Bros pump (purchased before my switch to CO2) and it does a fine job of filling tires. The larger aluminum model should be fine for road tires...it would just take an eternity to get up to pressure.