High-pressure mini pump recommendations please (Topeak Road Morph now bought :) )
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Thanks - how do you find the two compare? Any issues with either?
Kingfisher101
Über Member
Haven't needed to use them are they are for punctures in the wild. I use my track pump in the house. These 2 do work though I've tested them on spare inner tubes. Sorry the Lezyne is high volume for the mtb but I'm informed the mini morph will work on anything?
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chriswoody
Legendary Member
- Location
- Northern Germany
As a self confessed Lezyne fanboy I've resisted posting on this thread until now! I have a Track pump, mini pump and suspension fork pump, all from Lezyne. I do find them all really nicely made, with no plastic parts, all metal (with a gorgeous wooden handle on my track pump!) and built to last. They are all user serviceable, with a wide range of spares and have given me years of faultless service. I do much prefer screw on chucks to push on, I find they give me a much more security on the valve and because all my Presta equipped bikes are tubeless, I know my valve cores are properly tightened so the chuck won't unscrew them.
Whilst I don't own the Micro Floor Drive pump that you mention, I just thought I would pop up a few thoughts that sprung to mind looking at it. I don't own a Brompton, but having pumped up other small wheels, I find that removing the brass chuck, then screwing that onto the valve, before re-attaching the hose, helps a lot when there's limited space. It is a faff though that would be mitigated with a 90 degree push on fitting. Lezyne do sell one that fits both schrader and Presta, as well as working with this pump, sadly though it is made of plastic.
https://ride.lezyne.com/products/1-dual-v104
Looking at the narrow bore size of the Lezyne pump, it brought to mind my suspension fork pump, which is similarly thin. In fact my fork pump is a tiny wee thing, but using a schrader fitting, can pump my forks up from 0 to 95 psi in very few strokes. So maybe this thing can also fairly easily reach 100 psi?
The mini pump I have is the Lezyne Mini Pressure Drive and to be honest I don't know how high it does really go. It does take a fair bit of pumping, but then running tubeless, I've never had a deflation on the trail and the highest pressure I need is 38 psi on the gravel bike. The folder does need more, but then I run the Kojaks at 65 psi, which again, the pressure drive can handle really well.
Whilst I don't own the Micro Floor Drive pump that you mention, I just thought I would pop up a few thoughts that sprung to mind looking at it. I don't own a Brompton, but having pumped up other small wheels, I find that removing the brass chuck, then screwing that onto the valve, before re-attaching the hose, helps a lot when there's limited space. It is a faff though that would be mitigated with a 90 degree push on fitting. Lezyne do sell one that fits both schrader and Presta, as well as working with this pump, sadly though it is made of plastic.
https://ride.lezyne.com/products/1-dual-v104
Looking at the narrow bore size of the Lezyne pump, it brought to mind my suspension fork pump, which is similarly thin. In fact my fork pump is a tiny wee thing, but using a schrader fitting, can pump my forks up from 0 to 95 psi in very few strokes. So maybe this thing can also fairly easily reach 100 psi?
The mini pump I have is the Lezyne Mini Pressure Drive and to be honest I don't know how high it does really go. It does take a fair bit of pumping, but then running tubeless, I've never had a deflation on the trail and the highest pressure I need is 38 psi on the gravel bike. The folder does need more, but then I run the Kojaks at 65 psi, which again, the pressure drive can handle really well.
Me too. Both are pretty good for mini pumps. Of the two I’d rather be stranded with the Lezyne as I find it easier to use as a floor pump. It has a screw on head which is good but be careful about unscrewing the valve. I prefer the press on head of the mini morph on my tubeless bikes.
Cool - no worries. There are three basic variations of the Lezyne pump; I think all broadly similar but with different piston diameters for different pressures - the one I'm looking at is the high pressure variant which claims 160psi
Cheers - tbh from your description the models you have seem to be better quality than the Brompton-branded Lezyne pump I've encountered which has so far singularly shaped my experience of the brand.
My issues with that pump (other than its suicidal tendencies) are the ridiculously-easy-to-crossthread fine plastic thread in the body for the hose as well as the IMO Brompton-inappropriate straight screw-on hose.. the latter admittedly being more of a design issue rather than quality. Both of these conspired to make the pump really fiddly, unpleasant and unreliable to use.
Thanks for your thoughts about screwing the hose on - I thought similar as it should be a lot easier to get the chuck (do I approve of that word? Sounds a bit American..) onto the valve without the long deflecty hose influencing it. That said, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe with the Schrader valve the chuck (yeah, still not convinced) serves to open the valve when screwed on so far so could result in pressure loss.. although I guess with this type of valve you don't have the potential for valve core problems and it's a but more robust so maybe fitment of the whole thing in one go is more viable.
Thanks for the link to the pump head - I'm not neccessarily averse to plastic as long as it's used in appropriate applications.. that said it's still fairly bulky (so I'm not sure if it would go between the spokes easily) and of course I'd have to lash something up to attach it to the existing hose.
I see Lezyne do a push-fit presta-only 90 degree adaptor, which seems like a pretty neat solution so I might look at one of these.
Irritatingly however given the way the end of the hose is retained on the pump I'm looking at, it would have to be fitted and removed every time the pump is used.
The pump states 160psi max; I'd love to have more info to see how likely this is, although my frame of reference only extends to mini and full-size track pumps so I'm not sure how much additional info would help. I arguably need a shock pump and did consider re-purposing one for the Brompton, but the displacement must be that small that doing a tyre would take forever..
If I knew I could get the job done well with a traditional mini pump I'd obviously go this way, but experiences of the pumps I have suggest that despite manufacturers' claims, reaching the pressure I require might not be easy with this format.
Should you have cause to have your Pressure Drive apart I'd be interested to know the piston diameter
Thanks for the input - your experiences confirm my suspicions!
chriswoody
Legendary Member
- Location
- Northern Germany
I'm with you on the word chuck, though I'm not entirely sure what else to call it either. With these chucks though, if you screw it on to just before it starts releasing the air, then you can attach the hose to it before nipping it up tight.
I've been getting curious after all you musings on here and decided to test my mini pump out. I decided to let the air out of my Tern's tire, which is a 20 inch wheel and then attempted to re-inflate it using the mini pump. I had to attach the track pump to it to take pressure readings because the mini pump doesn't have any gauge. Well at first it was really quick and easy and then it progressively got harder. I stopped when it felt like I was getting close to 60 psi and checked, I'd managed a measly 45psi. So I got back to it and really struggled to get any more than 55 psi. I probably could have gone further, but to be fair I really didn't fancy the struggle, so I topped it up with the track pump.
So what did i learn? Well like you already were finding, mini pumps are pretty rubbish at reaching high PSI. I probably could have got more, but certainly not 100 psi and not something I would fancy trying in the cold and rain. For my purposes my pump is fine and 45 - 50 psi will get me home with the folder, however, it really isn't great.
Cheers - glad I'm not the only one who has issue with the word "chuck"
I'm with you on alternatives too - perhaps "valve head" or "valve adaptor"...? Feck knows tbh, although "chuck" sounds wrong for some reason.
I'm pleased (sorry!) to hear that my OCD has enticed you down the dark rabbithole of paying more attention to these dismissible details than the marketing men would like. It seems that your findings are similar to my own - i.e. achievable, real-world pressures are about half what the manufacturers' state.
I guess there's always the "good enough to get you home" argument; however this is still likely to do the tyres no favours and like everything else in marketing there appears to be an appreciable chasm between what "they" want you to believe and the reality of the situation. I'm sure some could get the headline figures out of these mini-pumps, however I suspect they'd be in the minority; especially when selecting from a sample of cyclists who typically have arms like matchsticks..
Sorry for my part in shaking your faith in these pumps - you know about Santa and the easter bunny, right...?
Thanks - on the one hand these look like nice little units; on the other they rely on an external power source and contain integrated batteries; so in this context I'm not keen. Ta for the suggestion though
So, after generally gravitating towards everything that's not the Topeak Morph range, last night I had an epiphany that I didn't really want all the valve-stem-stress and bike-wobbling-horror likely with the Topeak Roadie pump.
Likewise while the Lezyne looks like a lovely piece of kit, I think that's largely it's downfall in my case. I'm sure it'd be great as something to be kept at home and cossetted; however as an in-field workhorse that's going to be hastily dragged out and smashed into action under less-than-favourable circumstances, I can see its pristine finish quickly getting battered during feverish attempts to get the bike up and running ASAP to preserve my hourly pittance.. which would not be conducive to my mental health.
Plus, it would require additional expenditure and hassle in the form of the extra 90 degree presta chuck required to fit the little B's wheels without further compounding the misery of the situation.
So, the whole thing turns full circle and leaves me staring down the barrel of the Morph - it's uninspiring if practical placcy format actually working in its favour since it'll probably resist damage better than the crispy, silver-underneath mars-bar finish of the Lezyne's anodised aluminium, while it's less of a thing of beauty in the first place; inviting me to be less precious about it from the off.
On top of that the push-fit, 90-degree head on the Morph seems eminently better suited to the B's little wheels and sensitve valve cores.
The led to a deep-dive into the Morph range; which for my purposes boils down to the Mini (short, small diameter), Road (long, small diameter) and Mountain (long, larger diameter). Specs on the website are scant but better than some others.
From the difference in overall length and volume between each, I was able to have a stab at determining piston cross-sectional area (and hence pumping effort for a given pressure) as well as stroke length:
Mini Morph:
Displacement: 50cm^3
Max Pressure: 160psi
Overall length: 26cm
Body diameter: 2.8cm
Force required at max pressure (calculated): 392N
No. strokes required to fill 1000cm^3 tyre to 100psi: (calculated) 152
Road Morph:
Displacement: 82cm^3
Max Pressure: 160psi
Body diameter: 2.8cm
Overall length: 35cm
Force required at max pressure (calculated): 392N
No. strokes required to fill 1000cm^3 tyre to 100psi: (calculated) 93
Mountain Morph:
Displacement: 101cm^3
Max Pressure: 160psi
Body diameter: 3.0cm
Overall length: 35cm
Force required at max pressure (calculated): 483N
No. strokes required to fill 1000cm^3 tyre to 100psi: (calculated) 75
So the winner currently is looking like the Road Morph; larger than the mini but it should still fit in the Brompton's front bag. It displaces more per stroke and I think its longer length might aid the ergonomics of using it like a floor pump.
The greater displacement of the Mountain Morph is appealing, however I have no way of quantifying how easy or otherwise applying the necessary load will be in the probably-ergonomically-compromised-position likely required for operation. I need a high-ish pressure output and mountain bike tyres don't - so I guess the clue's in the name.
Will probably sleep on it then might actually commit to a purchase - hopefully I don't get a puncture in the meantime..
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Went with the Road Morph G; irritatingly had I identified the need earlier I could probably have got it for sub-£20 ni the great CRC sale; however best I could manage was £32 from Tweeks on ebay.
If anyone's after a Mini Morph Tredz have one left at £20 with an additional 5% off; although there's postage on that unless you can push it over the £20 post-paid threshold..
Looking forward to it's arrival - will perhaps update the thread once I've had a chance to give it a once-over
If anyone's after a Mini Morph Tredz have one left at £20 with an additional 5% off; although there's postage on that unless you can push it over the £20 post-paid threshold..
Looking forward to it's arrival - will perhaps update the thread once I've had a chance to give it a once-over
So, since this thread has proven so popular..
The pump arrived yesterday. I've had a little fiddle and am so far ambivalent.
Despite containing a lot of plastic it seems fairly well-made and robust. It's straightforward to use; the fold-out foot takes a fair bit of effort to deploy and is hard to grip when doing so, but I suspect it might loosen up a bit with use.
The pump head is fairly secure, but needs pushing onto the (Presta) valve a long way to the point where it opens the valve and pressurises the pump line before the cam has been deployed; meaning you need two hands to fit it (one to hold it on, one to work the cam lever. While pumping the hose moved about there was occasionally a little bit of air loss.
The gauge seems fairly accurate when compared to that on my track pump, however the scale is tiny and hard to read when actually pumping; while the psi scale is hard to decipher to the point where bar is really the only viable option.
Like all pumps it seems the headline quoted maximum pressure is a work of optimistic fiction. Apparently this pump will do 160psi; and while I managed to get it to 100psi successfully by this point there was growing pain in my hand at the contact point with the small folding handle. I also found that my not-particularly-large fingers wrapped around the handle nearest the piston shaft constantly struck the pump body - meaning either the full stroke couldn't be completed or you have to pump with a largely open hand - which reduces control and makes the whole process slow and somewhat clumsy.
So, do I regret buying it? Partially, however I'm not sure that any of the available alternatives would be any better and hopefully it shouldn't have to be used much / should be adiquate to get me out of the sh*t. These shortcomings are a shame as none of them are insurmountable (with the possible exception of the high pumping force) with a bit more thought at the design stage..
The pump arrived yesterday. I've had a little fiddle and am so far ambivalent.
Despite containing a lot of plastic it seems fairly well-made and robust. It's straightforward to use; the fold-out foot takes a fair bit of effort to deploy and is hard to grip when doing so, but I suspect it might loosen up a bit with use.
The pump head is fairly secure, but needs pushing onto the (Presta) valve a long way to the point where it opens the valve and pressurises the pump line before the cam has been deployed; meaning you need two hands to fit it (one to hold it on, one to work the cam lever. While pumping the hose moved about there was occasionally a little bit of air loss.
The gauge seems fairly accurate when compared to that on my track pump, however the scale is tiny and hard to read when actually pumping; while the psi scale is hard to decipher to the point where bar is really the only viable option.
Like all pumps it seems the headline quoted maximum pressure is a work of optimistic fiction. Apparently this pump will do 160psi; and while I managed to get it to 100psi successfully by this point there was growing pain in my hand at the contact point with the small folding handle. I also found that my not-particularly-large fingers wrapped around the handle nearest the piston shaft constantly struck the pump body - meaning either the full stroke couldn't be completed or you have to pump with a largely open hand - which reduces control and makes the whole process slow and somewhat clumsy.
So, do I regret buying it? Partially, however I'm not sure that any of the available alternatives would be any better and hopefully it shouldn't have to be used much / should be adiquate to get me out of the sh*t. These shortcomings are a shame as none of them are insurmountable (with the possible exception of the high pumping force) with a bit more thought at the design stage..
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froze
Über Member
- Location
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
You can hate Lezyne all you want, but the truth of the matter is, they make the best pumps, and their Road Drive pump in the large size pumps to higher pressure with fewer strokes and less effort than any other mini pump on the market. Road Drive comes in 3 different sizes, you don't want the 2 smaller sizes. BUT, these are mini pumps, when you get 100 psi it will be tough, that is the nature of mini pumps, but most mini pumps won't reach 80 psi no matter how high they claim they can go.
If the Lezyne was too much work for you to pump up to pressure then you don't need another mini pump because they'll all be worse than what you had, so I would suggest a full-size frame pump. Zefal HPX4 is a fantastic pump for the money which I think is better than the Topeak Road Morph, I have both of those and I prefer the Zefal. Another great frame pump is the Silca Impero Ultimate II, this one is the high-end deluxe pump that will last a million years, but it will cost you about $100 on Bike Tires Direct and about $175 on the Silca site, you will need to know your frame measurement between the headtube and the seat tube.
Now, you could go with the CO2 option, if you do that look into a hybrid model, a hybrid will have a regular pump and a CO2 inflator built into it, that way you won't be stranded, or keep your Lezyne and buy a CO2 inflator. What you would do is put about 20 psi in with a pump then use the inflator, you do have to practice with them a bit because they can be tricky the first couple of times and you don't want to waste cartridges out on the road and end up with no air. The drawback with CO2 is that it will bleed through the tube fast, and the tire will be flat in about 24 hours, so that means when you get home after using CO2 you would have to completely drain the air out and pump in fresh air. The other disadvantages are that you have to buy CO2 carts, and you have to bring home the used ones to discard them properly. All those reasons are why I refuse to go with CO2, but we each have to make our own decisions as to which is best for us.
If the Lezyne was too much work for you to pump up to pressure then you don't need another mini pump because they'll all be worse than what you had, so I would suggest a full-size frame pump. Zefal HPX4 is a fantastic pump for the money which I think is better than the Topeak Road Morph, I have both of those and I prefer the Zefal. Another great frame pump is the Silca Impero Ultimate II, this one is the high-end deluxe pump that will last a million years, but it will cost you about $100 on Bike Tires Direct and about $175 on the Silca site, you will need to know your frame measurement between the headtube and the seat tube.
Now, you could go with the CO2 option, if you do that look into a hybrid model, a hybrid will have a regular pump and a CO2 inflator built into it, that way you won't be stranded, or keep your Lezyne and buy a CO2 inflator. What you would do is put about 20 psi in with a pump then use the inflator, you do have to practice with them a bit because they can be tricky the first couple of times and you don't want to waste cartridges out on the road and end up with no air. The drawback with CO2 is that it will bleed through the tube fast, and the tire will be flat in about 24 hours, so that means when you get home after using CO2 you would have to completely drain the air out and pump in fresh air. The other disadvantages are that you have to buy CO2 carts, and you have to bring home the used ones to discard them properly. All those reasons are why I refuse to go with CO2, but we each have to make our own decisions as to which is best for us.
Pgd
Veteran
- Location
- East Grinstead
I've also been in the market for a mini-pump recently. I never used to carry anything, chancing my luck on not being too far from home and/or being able to limp to a friend's house, shop or rail station. I got given some CO2 paraphernalia for Christmas (though not by anyone with experience of them) but, when I actually needed it a couple of weeks back, entirely failed at being able to use it.
I eventually plumped for the Wiggle/CRC Lifeline Performance Road mini-pump, which arrived today. Good reviews, claims max 100psi, has an extendable hose, and (for better or worse) is properly mini (18cm, just about fits in my saddle bag). I just tried it out on an old, deflated 700x25c tyre and got to ~40psi in 150 strokes (easy peasy) and ~80 in 300 (significantly harder, but with stable grip and rhythm it kept on going, bless it). I've not tried it on the 700x35c tyres (max 65-70psi) of my current bike, as deflating a perfectly good tyre makes me anxious... but I'm going to assume it'll be fine, if maybe needing a little longer due to the increased volume. We shall see!
ETA: just thought I should mention, my pressure measurements were just via swapping with my track pump, I don't have a separate gauge. So YMMV.
I eventually plumped for the Wiggle/CRC Lifeline Performance Road mini-pump, which arrived today. Good reviews, claims max 100psi, has an extendable hose, and (for better or worse) is properly mini (18cm, just about fits in my saddle bag). I just tried it out on an old, deflated 700x25c tyre and got to ~40psi in 150 strokes (easy peasy) and ~80 in 300 (significantly harder, but with stable grip and rhythm it kept on going, bless it). I've not tried it on the 700x35c tyres (max 65-70psi) of my current bike, as deflating a perfectly good tyre makes me anxious... but I'm going to assume it'll be fine, if maybe needing a little longer due to the increased volume. We shall see!
ETA: just thought I should mention, my pressure measurements were just via swapping with my track pump, I don't have a separate gauge. So YMMV.
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froze
Über Member
- Location
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
But in reviews, the Lezyne was easier to use, and in the same review they had a pretty good amount of difficulting getting the Lifeline pump up to 80, and had questions about the pump's longevity. Read this about those two pumps and others: https://velo.outsideonline.com/road...-for-road-gravel-and-mountain-bike-45-tested/
Another review said it took the Lifeline 100 strokes to get to 29psi, while it took the Lezyne in another review just 200 strokes to get to 90 psi and that was for the medium-sized pump, I have the large one and it takes 175 strokes to get 25c tires to 90; https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/maintenance/pumps/frame-fit-pump/lezyne-road-drive-m-pump-review
While the Lifeline is a decent pump for the money, it is constructed cheaply and will not last as long as a better-made pump like the Lezyne. My oldest Lezyne is 10 years old, and my newest one is 4 years old, both are still working great.
Like a lot of things in life, you can either spend the least amount possible on an item and replace it a lot, or spend more money and something and have to rarely replace it, in the long run it will be cheaper to buy something a bit more expensive, but more importantly, a more expensive pump won't leave you stranded should it break while using it. I had a really beautiful looking pump, it was a piano black SKS Puro, super small, super light in weight, I always try new pumps at home before finding out while on the road if they're any good, the pump literally blew apart from the ends at around 30 psi; SKS was extremely helpful in the warranty on it and sent me their highest end pump a Carbon Raceday something else I can't read the name on it anymore, but it worked decent enough, it took a huge effort and a lot of strokes to get that pump to just to 80 psi when back in the day I needed 100 due to using 23c tires.
I tested a lot of mini pumps and probably should have done a video, but I'm not into that, anyway, I tested over the years about 13 to 14 pumps, and all said they could reach 160 psi, but only two could make it 80, the Lezyne Road Drive large, and the Topeak RaceRocket HPX which is the largest version of the RaceRocket, of those two the Lezyne did the job in about 50 fewer strokes and with a bit less effort than the Topeak did getting both to 100 psi. But I kept the Topeak because it is a good pump and it got me to 100. I even tried the Topeak Micro Rocket...oops, that one was not good unless putting in 60 psi tops after 600 strokes is your idea of good, sent that one back. Some cyclists only care about getting enough air quit the ride and turn around and go home, not me, I'm on a ride and have a flat, I'm fixing the flat and continuing my ride, so if you're in the first camp then any old pump will suffice, but if you're like me you need a good pump.
Today there may be a few more pumps that can now reach 100 psi, but I fear not many will get past 70, in today's world the newer wider tires being used like the 25 and 28 require less psi, so the mini pump manufacturers took a collective sigh of relief that they no longer will fail pumping tests, however there is still the thing with difficulty factor, my Lezyne takes less effort to get to 80, my arms are less tired from doing so vs the Topeak, and far less tired from using the SKS, so there is still the factor of effort, and for some pumps the factor of quality is also a problem.
Sorry for pumping you all up with boredom!
Pgd
Veteran
- Location
- East Grinstead
All fair points of course. My thinking was, I'd gone round the houses several times, reading reviews etc., and of the "premium" offerings nothing was quite speaking to me. So I figured I may as well go "budget" for the time being.
