Pump Options

[slowmotion]

Like @vickster, I'm a fan of the Lezyne Road Drive and its hose. I have an aversion to fixed head pumps having fubared valve stems in the past when in a hurry to get back on the road.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I've got two Lezyne pumps, both frame mounted, I've been impressed with them.

 

[faster]

Just to add a bit of balance, and I realise everyone has different circumstances, but I find it difficult to believe people still carry pumps around.

CO2 inflators are lighter, cheaper, more compact, quicker, more reliable ...

I can sort of understand carrying a big frame pump around, as at least they work. I can also see them being passable for people who don't need to pump their tyres up to high pressures, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone use one of those little tiny pumps and both get a decent amount of pressure in the tyre and not cause another puncture near the valve stem by pumping too vigorously.

 

[mjr]

Just to add a bit of balance, and I realise everyone has different circumstances, but I find it difficult to believe people still carry pumps around.

CO2 inflators are lighter, cheaper, more compact, quicker, more reliable ...

Cheaper, really? How much does it cost you per inflation? CO2 inflators are the inkjet printers of cycling.

Reliable, really? How many roadside inflations before you must refill/reload it?

I find it difficult to believe people still carry wasteful gadgets instead of a simple pump.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Well I think @faster does have a series of good points and there's a lot to be said for the decent CO2 system. Are they arguably a bit wasteful and expensive? Only if your tyres are going bang more than Concorde in it's heyday. I bought 4 cylinders in a multi pack deal about 6 years ago and I've used one for practice. The on-bike pump has been used as often. So I've created a single 2 gramme item of junk in 6 years, and spent what, 2 quid?

Caveat: I'm one of those dithering belt / braces types who can't decide, so I carry both. I'm very glad to have both on board!

 

[faster]

Cheaper, really? How much does it cost you per inflation? CO2 inflators are the inkjet printers of cycling.

Reliable, really? How many roadside inflations before you must refill/reload it?

I find it difficult to believe people still carry wasteful gadgets instead of a simple pump.

I think they are about 50p per cartridge, so not too bad really. You can pick inflators up for a few quid. I'm pretty sure I got one from Wiggle for £1.99, it works great too. For my own use, one cartridge will inflate one 700 x 25c tyre to about 100psi or a 26" by 1.5" tyre to about 50/60 psi, which is exactly what I want.

In my experience, cheap mini pumps don't work at all. I'm about 15st and commute on 25c tyres. There is zero chance of getting a tyre up to enough pressure to actually ride on with a cheap mini pump. Would an expensive pump be much better? Maybe.

Decent pumps seem to be about £25 quid, so it would take many years for the 'luxury' of carrying around a comparatively bulky pump to pay or itself. Would that pump last a winter of being doused in salty water while attached to the frame? Probably not.

I should probably caveat this by saying that I don't get many punctures - probably 1-2 per year despite using pretty flimsy/fast tyres. There is more of an argument for taking a pump if you are one of the tragically unlucky people who seem to get punctures constantly.

 

[HLaB]

Just to add a bit of balance, and I realise everyone has different circumstances, but I find it difficult to believe people still carry pumps around.

CO2 inflators are lighter, cheaper, more compact, quicker, more reliable ...

I can sort of understand carrying a big frame pump around, as at least they work. I can also see them being passable for people who don't need to pump their tyres up to high pressures, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone use one of those little tiny pumps and both get a decent amount of pressure in the tyre and not cause another puncture near the valve stem by pumping too vigorously.

I went to CO2/pump then back to a pump only I found the CO2 canister was taking up too much space for something that wasn't used much and was unreliable. When CO2 does work its fast/convenient but its also got a habit of putting to much pressure and in the event of a hole in the tyre it goes pop.
Try one of the suggested Leyzyne pumps they get good pressure and they have a hose so you don't damage your stem.

More recently I've went tubeless and the CO2 can freeze the sealant.

 

[pawl]

I tuck mine under the straps that fasten my seat pack to the saddle Slip the pump under the strap tighten pump is secured to the side of the seat pack

 

[Dale 1956]

I use the Zefal frame pump. It work's for me.

 

[Milkfloat]

I am still using my CO2 inflator that I purchased back in 2007, it has never let me down and is tiny. By now I would have lost or broken many pumps.

 

[carlosfandangus]

I carry CO2 on the roadbike, however I have a small pump on the gravel bike which is used most, it runs on 38mm tyres at 45 Psi (tubeless) so not a problem getting up to pressure, I did use CO2 on it once, however I put to much pressure in and blew the plug out.

Just to add a bit of balance, and I realise everyone has different circumstances, but I find it difficult to believe people still carry pumps around.

CO2 inflators are lighter, cheaper, more compact, quicker, more reliable ...

I can sort of understand carrying a big frame pump around, as at least they work. I can also see them being passable for people who don't need to pump their tyres up to high pressures, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone use one of those little tiny pumps and both get a decent amount of pressure in the tyre and not cause another puncture near the valve stem by pumping too vigorously.

 

[mjr]

[...] You can pick inflators up for a few quid. I'm pretty sure I got one from Wiggle for £1.99, it works great too.[...] Decent pumps seem to be about £25 quid, so it would take many years for the 'luxury' of carrying around a comparatively bulky pump to pay or itself.

That's a false comparison between a store-brand Wiggle one (that they no longer sell? Cheapest is now a £4 plastic one with no sleeve) with some of the famous-brand bling mentioned above. I could just as easily say your claim is nonsense because I compare my £10 telescoper with a £23 Topeak Air Blaster Inflator.

Would that pump last a winter of being doused in salty water while attached to the frame? Probably not.

What the fark are you doing to your bike? Riding it in the sea? Stop doing that, else the pump's the least of your worries, with bearings and probably frame shot to hell.

And how many winters does a CO2 inflator last being doused in salty water while attached to the frame? I suspect salt crust doesn't help the seals to either cartridge or valve.

I should probably caveat this by saying that I don't get many punctures - probably 1-2 per year despite using pretty flimsy/fast tyres. There is more of an argument for taking a pump if you are one of the tragically unlucky people who seem to get punctures constantly.

Good for you. I'm not tragically unlucky - I'm just riding a few thousands of miles a year in the real world: through towns and cities where idiots throw glass bottles out of cars when they finish their coke/beer/vodka and councils don't really care, and out among the fields where rain washes arrowhead flints onto the lanes and idiot farmers flail hawthorn hedges and don't clear up properly. I get maybe 6-10 punctures a year.

 

[DRM]

I think they are about 50p per cartridge, so not too bad really. You can pick inflators up for a few quid. I'm pretty sure I got one from Wiggle for £1.99, it works great too. For my own use, one cartridge will inflate one 700 x 25c tyre to about 100psi or a 26" by 1.5" tyre to about 50/60 psi, which is exactly what I want.

In my experience, cheap mini pumps don't work at all. I'm about 15st and commute on 25c tyres. There is zero chance of getting a tyre up to enough pressure to actually ride on with a cheap mini pump. Would an expensive pump be much better? Maybe.

Decent pumps seem to be about £25 quid, so it would take many years for the 'luxury' of carrying around a comparatively bulky pump to pay or itself. Would that pump last a winter of being doused in salty water while attached to the frame? Probably not.

I should probably caveat this by saying that I don't get many punctures - probably 1-2 per year despite using pretty flimsy/fast tyres. There is more of an argument for taking a pump if you are one of the tragically unlucky people who seem to get punctures constantly.

They might be expensive, but my Lezyne pump gets transferred between whichever of my 4 bikes I’m on, it’s a quality item that has been wet through and still looks like new and I can get my tyres up to a rideable pressure and top up when I get home, by rideable I mean at least 80 psi.

 

[Randomnerd]

One of my soigneurs carries this for me - at a suitable distance of course. He says it works very well.

 

[Sharky]

They might be expensive, but my Lezyne pump gets transferred between whichever of my 4 bikes I’m on, it’s a quality item that has been wet through and still looks like new and I can get my tyres up to a rideable pressure and top up when I get home, by rideable I mean at least 80 psi.

I too have 4 regular bikes and I started off transferring the pump for each ride/commute - until I forgot one day. So now I have the same (topeak) pump permanently on all 4 bikes.