Best Pump? Minipump? CO2?

macomater

Hi guys, just got into mountain biking, and on my 4th ride I got a puncture.

Being a newb I had no pump or inner tubes and had to push it all the way home.

Anyways I was looking at pumps, and saw these CO2 pumps which look quite nifty. However the main thing that put me off was refills at my LBS. £15 for the CO2 pump and £3 for 2 refills

However I then read a thread saying that it is cheaper if you get ones with unthreaded cartridges. Can anyone advise me as to what would be the best CO2 pump and where I can buy refills for cheap and in bulk in the UK.

Or if you think CO2 pumps aren't very good then the best normal pump?

Thanks

TiBoy

I got one of these the other day, http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Innov ... 360029349/ have only used the co2 so far and it is impressive. The pump is quite long but should give you the best of both worlds if you run out of co2.

As for cartridges, try doing an internet serach and you will find loads of ones. Just found these http://www.tyreinflators.co.uk/co2-cart ... category=2 . Have no experiance of them but they were the 1st listing, 10 cartridges for £5.50 sounds more like it.

jeremyrundle

I have two topeak co2s and they are great. Remember you dont use all the cartridge at once also you need a pressure guage £1.50 ebay nice small ones on keyrings.

I find a standard pump is VERY hard to get a tyre to 45psi with, and the small newer alloy pumps almost impossible for me so the CO2 is dead easy.

I also use a Raleigh shock pump, get this if you get nothing else, inflates shocks, tyres, airzound and HAS a top quality guage, £15 NEW on ebay.

bails87

Get a Topeak Mountain Morph.

Utterly brilliant, it really is like a mini track pump, very easy to get high pressures. After using a Lezyne alloy pump (normally seen as pretty good) this was a breath of fresh air, if you'll excuse the pun!

I was tempted by CO2, but now I've started using this, I don't see the point.

jairaj

Note the pump posted above by TiBoy is a presta valve only (i think).

The type of cartridge depends on what pump you decided, some will work with either others with only work wit threaded. You can buy bulk packs of cartridges from many sources to reduce the cost.

I've used this one in the past. and worked fine for me and I backed it up with a normal mini-pump. remember sods law states when you go out with 3 CO2 cartridges you will have 4 punctures so always carry the means to repair punctures the hard way,

x-isle

I used to carry a co2 pump, but had my first puncture ever a few months back. Yep, riding for a real long time and never had an off road puncture!? Don't know how I managed that.

Got the pump out and managed to half fill my 2.4 tyres, luckily had another cartridge, used half of that to fill the rest up.

Then believe it or not, the same day I had another puncture! Making up for lost time eh?

So got the pump out and......nothing! The rest of the air had leaked out of the half empty cartridge. Luckily, I had another one, so half filled my 2.4 tyre and had to ride the rest of the ride with a half filled tyre.

Then I thought, that there are 2 reasons for carrying an co2 pump over a normal pump.

1) weight as the pump can be smaller

2) ease of inflation.

I feel that point one is now irrelevant as I hadto carry lots of spare cartridges and as for point 2, well, not so easy and quick if you have to keep changing the cartridges.

Now, I would like to state theta the co2 one I had wasn't a particulary good or expensive one, however, it's enough to not like them anymore.

So I've gone back to a manual pump and am using the brillient Topeak Masterblaster.

jeremyrundle

I carry three space cartridges plus the one on the topeak pump, what trouble is it to carry a few small cartridges that take up about the same space as two mobile phones.

x-isle

I already have to carry a massive amount of kit, the extra weight of full cartidges makes a big difference to the load I carry.

If it works for you, then thats great, no critism, they just don't work for me.

t0pc4t

I got a lezyne mini pump, easy to use, tiny, light and looks the business

jeremyrundle

I often wonder what people mean by extra weight.

I am overweight, should I worry about another 5 ounces, I shop, bring home my sons tea, perhaps wear a thick coat, so, worry about the weight of two small 5 ounce co2 borttles, wow.

Lat week I had my hadlebar bag full of sweets and cakes for my teenage son, and two carrier bags hanging from my alloy wingbar, full of plumbs and duck eggs.

Perhaps thats the difference between me, a fifty plus rider and a proper cyclist.

I am more concerned with a quick repaired puncture than the minimal extra weight.

x-isle

Weight is important if you saw my backpack, full of the little extra 5 ounces which all add up, so leaving things behind make a big difference to the amount of weight that is high up on my back which is in the wrong place for weight distribution, and then there is space availability in my backpack. I already run a 3litre camelback with a large storage compartment that fills pretty quickly.

Due to health and safety, I carry a lot of kit, for repairs to bikes and people.

Weight isnt' the issue to me though, the issue is as you correctly state, a quick repaired puncture.

A manual pump, in my experience is far quicker than messing around with a co2 pump and 3 cartridges that only take care of 2 punctures (if they happen at the same time).

All a co2 pump does is take the need to manually push a piston up and down maybe 30 times??? What next? Cruise control fitted to the bike?

t0pc4t

jeremyrundle wrote:

I often wonder what people mean by extra weight.

I am overweight, should I worry about another 5 ounces, I shop, bring home my sons tea, perhaps wear a thick coat, so, worry about the weight of two small 5 ounce co2 borttles, wow.

Lat week I had my hadlebar bag full of sweets and cakes for my teenage son, and two carrier bags hanging from my alloy wingbar, full of plumbs and duck eggs.

Perhaps thats the difference between me, a fifty plus rider and a proper cyclist.

I am more concerned with a quick repaired puncture than the minimal extra weight.

it's size more than anything for me as I manage to fill up my rucksack and rack bag pretty quickly with all the guff I carry on my commute and have a tiny pack for when I ride MTB

jeremyrundle

Got it.

I have learnt so much joining this site.

Also what I find here is that even though compared to people like you, proper riders I call them, as opposed to me, someone who LOVES his bike but just pops about on it, is that I have not been looked down on.

So many sites for things you join have people who treat "beginners" like me as a pain, here no one does, it is nice

Bluemoon39

t0pc4t wrote:

I got a lezyne mini pump, easy to use, tiny, light and looks the business

+1

Nice colours too

andy46

i use a Blackburn Mammoth pump when out, but at home i use a Bontrager Charger track pump and this has been one of my best purchases.

i wouldn't be without one now

t0pc4t

jeremyrundle wrote:

Got it.

I have learnt so much joining this site.

Also what I find here is that even though compared to people like you, proper riders I call them, as opposed to me, someone who LOVES his bike but just pops about on it, is that I have not been looked down on.

So many sites for things you join have people who treat "beginners" like me as a pain, here no one does, it is nice

if you're on 2 wheels, you're a friend of mine, whether it's to pop to the shops, a commuter - daily or not, or a hardcore rides everywhere type.

it's about loving the bike like you say

macomater

I am pretty sure I will get the topeak mini morph I can't find that many negative words on it however I was wondering what the cheapest CO2 pump you can get is. (Just a nossle that fits on the end of the cartridge) As this way I can have the speed and ease of CO2 with the reliability of a conventional pump.

Thanks for replies, interesting read as well

Paul 8v

I don't think I'm ever in so much of a hurry that I need a CO2 cannister, the mini pump doesn't take that long and mines a pants one from the pound shop!
That said, the CO2's do look nifty