Anyone else found mini pumps to be unreliable?

[night cycler]

I've had a Lezyne Road Drive for a long time. It was fairly expensive but I'm really impressed with it: it is extremely simple; light; easily to disassemble; has a beefy piston that doesn't bend; reaches high pressures fairly easily and has rubber seals all over so that you can leave it exposed on the bike without rain getting in. Basically it works very well and gives the impression that it will do so forever.

Because of this I bought a cheaper Lezyne ... Lite Drive (I think it was) for my Dad who needed a pump. It was bad enough that I sent it back - graunchy feeling as you pumped and plastic end caps where the hose threaded in!

My first point is that I'm glad I spent about twice as much as I needed to on a mini pump. My second is that Lezyne make some lovely (expensive) stuff but they also make some tat.

I had a Topeak Mountain Morph years ago. After a couple of years rattling about in a pannier with little use it started to leak air at the swivel connection between the body and the hose. I thought maybe the o-ring just needed some grease so I tried undoing the screw that seemed to hold the thing together.

This turned out to be a huge mistake - the fastener was glued into flimsy plastic on the inside which tore up, ruining the pump and leaving me stranded with a flat tyre.

My Lezyne pump cost more but has been much better value. That said, I see the price of the Mountain Morph has dropped to £20 and the Road Drive has gone up to an eye-watering £40.

Interesting post. How much did the Leyzyne road drive cost, and how long ago?

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Interesting post. How much did the Leyzyne road drive cost, and how long ago?

Through the magic of email history I can tell you that the Mountain Morph cost me £25 in 2010 and the Road Drive cost me £25 in 2014, so it wasn't actually any more expensive. Those will have been the cheapest prices I could easily find on the internet.

 

[mjr]

You push the pump against the palm of your hand with your fingers wrapped around the wheel, no pressure on the valve.

:ROFL: Once you tear a tube, you'll get a connector hose. Once you get a connector hose, you'll add a non return valve.

 

[mjr]

After too much hassle with mini-pumps I switched to CO2 and never had a failure.

Don't worry - I'm sure you'll get bathed in dry ice before long!

 

[slowmotion]

I've never had much luck with fixed head pumps. They leak, and they break off the valve stem if you are clumsy....and I am when I'm on the roadside and it's raining and I want to get moving.

I've have one of these with a hose connection for several years. It works and it isn't that heavy.

 

[Maenchi]

after carrying it around for nearly a year I actually had to use it recently, twice in a week, it worked fine ......topeak micro rocket al...to pump up 2.2 tyres which took a while but I got there.....seriously it saved a 10 mile walk home !

 

[I like Skol]

to pump up 2.2 tyres which took a while but I got there.....seriously it saved a 10 mile walk home !

Isn't this what it is all about? A mini/micro pump might not be the most efficient or convenient way to re-inflate your tyres, but it isn't a common use item so we compromise between carting a bulky full size pump around that would do the inflation job much better and a mini pump that is easier to transport and, if used correctly, will get you back on the road (and my Topeak will do the 100psi I want for the road bike) and back in the ride on the odd occasion it is needed. The extra effort/time required for the actual inflation process is a small price to pay for the benefits IMO

 

[gom]

My Topeak Road Morph with Gauge has lasted me years, I’m guessing more than 10. Not used regularly of course, but taken on a 2-week camping trip most years & used every few days then. 90+ psi without too much effort.

Fingers crossed that it won’t explode in my face next time.

 

[mjr]

I'm sure there's a knack to using pumps without hoses. They're probably fine if you have the knack. I just don't have it.

I can do it. It's just far more comfortable not to. You can change position more when using a hosed pump and it takes longer to inflate with a mini-pump, so that's useful.

 

[HLaB]

I've had a Lezyne Road Drive for a long time. It was fairly expensive but I'm really impressed with it: it is extremely simple; light; easily to disassemble; has a beefy piston that doesn't bend; reaches high pressures fairly easily and has rubber seals all over so that you can leave it exposed on the bike without rain getting in. Basically it works very well and gives the impression that it will do so forever.

Because of this I bought a cheaper Lezyne ... Lite Drive (I think it was) for my Dad who needed a pump. It was bad enough that I sent it back - graunchy feeling as you pumped and plastic end caps where the hose threaded in!

My first point is that I'm glad I spent about twice as much as I needed to on a mini pump. My second is that Lezyne make some lovely (expensive) stuff but they also make some tat.

I had a Topeak Mountain Morph years ago. After a couple of years rattling about in a pannier with little use it started to leak air at the swivel connection between the body and the hose. I thought maybe the o-ring just needed some grease so I tried undoing the screw that seemed to hold the thing together.

This turned out to be a huge mistake - the fastener was glued into flimsy plastic on the inside which tore up, ruining the pump and leaving me stranded with a flat tyre.

My Lezyne pump cost more but has been much better value. That said, I see the price of the Mountain Morph has dropped to £20 and the Road Drive has gone up to an eye-watering £40.

The lite was my first intro to Lezyne and I was quite impressed with it until its sudden failure, which left me less than impressed. Ive replaced that with the Pressure Drive and it seems much better though I'm yet to use it in ernst as the p'tures I have had have been close enough to a lbs/home and access to a track pump :-)

 

[Chris S]

My Poundland mini-pump was almost useless. The seal around the valve seemed to let nearly as much air out as went in.

 

[night cycler]

Isn't this what it is all about? A mini/micro pump might not be the most efficient or convenient way to re-inflate your tyres, but it isn't a common use item so we compromise between carting a bulky full size pump around that would do the inflation job much better and a mini pump that is easier to transport and, if used correctly, will get you back on the road (and my Topeak will do the 100psi I want for the road bike) and back in the ride on the odd occasion it is needed. The extra effort/time required for the actual inflation process is a small price to pay for the benefits IMO

With respect, no. Not if you are referring to the reason the thread was started.

My OP was about reliability/unreliability of mini pumps.

When you get a puncture miles from home, you don't mind pumping for England. As long as you get enough air in to ride.

A pumps that fails totally, just when you need it is the issue.

 

[Crankarm]

What's a mini pump? I only have a track pump at home. My bikes are fitted with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres so no need for a pump as they never get punctures.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

What's a mini pump? I only have a track pump at home. My bikes are fitted with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres so no need for a pump as they never get punctures.

Oh dear.....

 

[mjr]

Oh dear.....

Could you hear the pop from there, too?