Best tire pump

[SlowDave]

Over the years I have had many hand tire pumps and I have never been happy with any of them.  I am talking about small ones you take with you for use on presta valves.  Besides being a pain to use and subject to damage from use, I can never really get the pressure I want.  Riding with an under inflated tire is like riding with a nasty hangover, everything is harder.

What have you found that really works?

[riverfever]

What kind of pressures are you running? What kind of pump are you using?

I've had a Blackburn mini pump for probably close to 10 years and I've never had an issue with it. I take it with me every ride (mtb and road). I NEVER have an issue with it putting 30-35psi in a mtb tire. Those kinds of pumps aren't really great for road bikes but they work fine to just get you back home or to a shop that will let you use a floor pump to get to 120psi.

Damage from use? What exactly is getting damaged from normal use? No offense but this makes me think of all those JRA stories from years in the bike industry.

[SlowDave]

Right now I am using a Topeka.  I had a Blackburn at one time and that was a better pump than I have right now.  I F%$#ed up using (misusing) a Mt Zefal.  After repeated flats it lost its ability to get a decent seal around the valve stem.  I have limped in on low pressure many times looking for an air hose.  I posted the question to see if there is something better out there I haven't heard about.

[riverfever]

Ok.

I don't know that any one company is doing anything different than the others when it comes to frame pumps. Did you try swapping out the internals on the head of the pump (to try and get a better seal) before giving up on it? Those internals are just soft material and can certainly get boogered up. This is a stretch but...are you sure you also have the internals situated the correct way? Most pumps will work on either a Presta or Schrader valve (depending on how things are set up internally). Likewise, did you ever lube the seal inside the pump tube itself to get the most volume of air per stroke? Let me know if I'm speaking Dutch. I'm not trying to be a smartass. I just haven't ever seen that many issues out of a pump. There's just not that much to go wrong.

[SlowDave]

Sounds like there is nothing out there head and shoulders above the rest.  The one I buggered up was really buggered and is long gone.  The last time I lubed a pump it had a leather seal.  My age is showing.  What do you use to lube these plastic things?  I have never taken the Topeak apart.  I just thought the ho hum performance was standard on all these pumps.

Thanks

[riverfever]

No man...honestly...it sounds like something is wrong. Some of the floor pumps may still use leather gaskets (maybe Silca) but most are some type of rubber material. To lube that gasket inside the main tube, I've used Vasoline, Silkolene (this is actually synthetic motorcycle grease but I had it around), White Lithium, or anything similar. But...in about 10 years, I've never touched that Blackburn pump. A few years ago I left Denver on the Colorado Trail and just before Kenosha Pass, I suddenly realized I had forgotten to pack my pump. Luckily I didn't need it and picked up one (from Lezyne I think) in Breckenridge. I've never even used it. I just always grab my Blackburn. If you unscrew the head of the pump, you should find a thick rubber o-ring and a plastic piece (pointed on one side and a recessed hole in the other) that sits inside it. For Presta valves, you want to put the o-ring in (side with the smaller hole) pointing out. The plastic piece needs to be put inside that o-ring with the pointed end facing IN.

Again...you're not gonna have a good time putting 90psi in a road tire but it can be done. Airing up a mtb tire shouldn't be a big deal at all. If you're having that much trouble with the next one...take it back to the place and ask them to try it.

Oh and Dave....the internals on the head of the pump won't need any lubing. The lube in the main tube is simply to form an air tight bond between the gasket and the tube so that things are as efficient as possible.

[donmeredith74]

Give the Lezyne pumps a look. I got one recently and love it. Much nicer than anything I've owned before.

DM

[SlowDave]

  Thanks, I just ordered a carbon 2.

Dave

[RossC]

Give the Lezyne pumps a look. I got one recently and love it. Much nicer than anything I've owned before.

DM

I have one similar to this ( http://www.lezyne.com/products/hand-pumps/alloy-drive ) and I rate it very highly. Extremely smooth and I love that the pump has a rubber connector hose between the pump and the valve. That way I am not putting any stress on the valve stem as I pump because no matter how hard I try to keep things still, there is always some wiggle at the valve.

The downside is removable valve cores. Make sure they are inserted tightly as I have found the rubber tube has a habit of undoing the valve core as you take it off. More than once I have let all the air out of a tyre accidentally due to this.

[tonymason]

Gotta agree about the Lezyne. Best built, most durable pump I've ever owned.

[BigRingRider101]

I've been using this for about 4 years. Works great turns into a mini floor pump to get as much pressure as you want.
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/PU407B08-Topeak+Morph+Pump.aspx

[paxton coyote]

yep, the Topeak Mt Morph is what I've been using for 5 years, no issues yet.

[Calshot]

Hello,

I've just received a Topeak Race Rocket in the post today. I haven't tested it 'in the field' yet, but have just tried it on a 700c x 28mm road tire and a 26" x 1.95" MTB tire in that order.

It works fine: it got the road tire up to 90psi and the MTB tire up to 30psi plus with no problems. Obviously, it wasn't as quick as a floor pump, but for a mini-pump my impressions were:

- Easy stroke
- Not too much ramp up of pressure at the end
- Not too many strokes needed to get to a decent pressure (for a mini pump)
- No flex - very well built indeed
- Good attention to detail with the way the Schraeder-or-Presta valve fitting works, which is nicely stored away inside the pump and covered with a rubber cap (so it should survive gritty, soaking rides)
- 86 grams and will easily fit in a standard jeresy pocket.

It's going to be my default trail and road side pump from now on for inflating tubes. I can't see, if riding tubeless off-road and always carrying a couple of CO2 cartridges for tubeless repair, why I'd need a bigger or more powerful pump - this new pump seems to work as well as many pumps twice the size.

[Cereal_Killer]

I've also been using a Topeak Mt. Morph, and not problems in a few years.  It's big enough that you're not pumping all day long, but light enough that it's not a big deal, to me anyways.  But it's big.  So, if that's a concern, try the smaller Morphs.  Very durable line of pumps, IMO.

[boddunn]

Yup, I've had a Mountain Morph since around 1999 (I think) and it's still going strong, also use it for my small bike repair business and can get 120psi in to road tyres with not too much of a problem. Also have the Mini Morph for when I'm going longer distances as I'm not in a hurry to get anywhere and that bad boy does great too.
 I wonder if all these broken tube valves are down to overly vigorous pumping or just crap inner tubes; either way, I've never broken one somehow.

[rocky rode]

Just thought I'd throw this in- Pumps need maintenance.  If a pump isn't working well the first thing to do is take it apart and clean and lube the plunger.  If a pump is mounted on the downtube it's especially vulnerable to contamination.

I have half a dozen different pumps and they all work well.  Blackburns are probably my favorite because of the lifetime warranty, they work well and they're inexpensive.

[sunset1123]

Topeak Road Morph G.

Have used these extensively for years, and while they do require periodic maintenance, they will last a long time even with heavy use. High volume, good ergonomics, fairly accurate pressure gauge. The only thing I didn't like was mounting it on the bike. We ran into lots of cross-country tourers on our last trip and saw one of these on pretty much every bike.

I'm currently using a little Lezyne frame pump that fits well on the bike, is super light, very smooth action, and has the awesome double-ended schrader/presta hose. Only catch is the small volume, but that's less of an issue with my relatively narrow tires at low pressures.

[Slowerthensnot]

http://www.lezyne.com/products/hand-pumps/mini-pumps-high-volume/micro-floor-drive-hv


 been using this for a year and a half, love it!

[SlowDave]

I received my Lezyne carbon 2  a couple of days ago so I gave it a try on yesterday's ride.  It was one of those no going back moments.  A truly well thought out product.  I topped off my tires before the final pavement leg of my ride and there was no problem getting full pressure.  Worth every penny and in fact it is a bargain.  The interface between the stem and pump hose is aluminum with replaceable O ring seals which ensurse a very long service life.  Thanks again for tipping me off to these pumps, problem solved.

Dave