Argh!!! Bl00dy mini-pumps

secretsam

So: I am now totally paranoid about these things. I bought one of those 'push on' type ones and the damn thing kept bending valves. Popped into a shop and was basically told that yes, there is a risk of that happening :evil:

So I spent £25 of my hard earned on a little Topeak Race Rocket masterblaster, which has a little hose.

Only in order to connect it to the valve, you have to screw it on. And if you screw it on too far, it pulls out the valve core :evil: :evil: :evil:

Am I being a total f'king sp&z or are these things flawed? IMHO, they are trying to be all things to all (wo)men - for example, I only need a presta valve version, why not make one specifically for presta OR schraeder, why have both fittings and compromise the design?!?!?!?!?

HELP!!!!!!

W1

SecretSam wrote:

So: I am now totally paranoid about these things. I bought one of those 'push on' type ones and the damn thing kept bending valves. Popped into a shop and was basically told that yes, there is a risk of that happening :evil:

So I spent £25 of my hard earned on a little Topeak Race Rocket masterblaster, which has a little hose.

Only in order to connect it to the valve, you have to screw it on. And if you screw it on too far, it pulls out the valve core :evil: :evil: :evil:

Am I being a total f'king sp&z or are these things flawed? IMHO, they are trying to be all things to all (wo)men - for example, I only need a presta valve version, why not make one specifically for presta OR schraeder, why have both fittings and compromise the design?!?!?!?!?

HELP!!!!!!

I find that, in general, presta valves are a crap, flawed design specifically engineered to break and generally be totally frustratingly useless.

Mini-pumps are from the same ilk.

Plumby Baby

Completely agree. I think they are rubbish and are better letting air escape than they are at putting it in. Mine cost about the same as yours and unless i hold the valve perfectly still air just piss8es out of it. Utter waste of money. I brought a cO2 gas pump instead and have never ever looked back. Just takes the hassle out of getting a puncture. They are smaller as well so easily fit into a pocket.

This is what i got:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/innovations-ult ... plus-pump/

kelsen

I have used many push-on mini pumps without any problems over bending the valves. Maybe it's just bad luck.

jonginge

kelsen wrote:

I have used many push-on mini pumps without any problems over bending the valves. Maybe it's just bad luck.

+1. I can't remember breaking a valve...

secretsam

JonGinge wrote:

kelsen wrote:

I have used many push-on mini pumps without any problems over bending the valves. Maybe it's just bad luck.

+1. I can't remember breaking a valve...

What's your technique? I'm forever bending the little valve stems (the bit you undo)

Mind you, I have been using Specialized tubes, which are frankly crap

jonginge

SecretSam wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

kelsen wrote:

I have used many push-on mini pumps without any problems over bending the valves. Maybe it's just bad luck.

+1. I can't remember breaking a valve...

What's your technique? I'm forever bending the little valve stems (the bit you undo)

Mind you, I have been using Specialized tubes, which are frankly crap

Oh god, i'm writing down my pumping technique on the internetz.

Left hand keeps the pump stable and braced. Forefinger wrapped around the end of the pump, thumb hooked over the tyre: there's no lateral movement of the valve so less chance of breakage.

Edit: obv. that's with pumps without a flexible pipe. Not had one of those since my teens

kelsen

When the pump is attached, I clamp it against the wheel with one hand so it doesn't move when you're frantically pumping away(!). Also, when detaching it the pump, pull it straight off(!) rather than leveraging it off.

deptfordmarmoset

JonGinge wrote:

kelsen wrote:

I have used many push-on mini pumps without any problems over bending the valves. Maybe it's just bad luck.

+1. I can't remember breaking a valve...

I've managed to break lots of valves with push-on connections. I think it happened mostly when I needed to use most force and any sideways twisting weakens the valve end. I now always fully open the valve, then first attach an adaptor hose taking care not to bend it before connecting the hose to the pump and this has stopped me wrecking my supply of inner tubes.

BiggerBoat

Mini pumps are like saddles, you try several until you find one that works for you. I've had lots of sh*te mini pumps. The one that I keep and still works well is a crappy old ultra cheap Beto with flex head. It works where pumps 3x the price have failed.

kelsen

JonGinge wrote:

Oh god, i'm writing down my pumping technique on the internetz.

Left hand keeps the pump stable and braced. Forefinger wrapped around the end of the pump, thumb hooked over the tyre: there's no lateral movement of the valve so less chance of breakage.

Edit: obv. that's with pumps without a flexible pipe. Not had one of those since my teens

That's good pumping technique, my friend!

il_principe

Co2 all the way. I carry a mini as a backup and also to get that first bit of air in the tube pre-installation. Otherwise gas gas gas. £16 for 30 cartridges on the interwebs + an 'Airchuck SL' and you'll never look back.

deffler

Il Principe wrote:

Co2 all the way. I carry a mini as a backup and also to get that first bit of air in the tube pre-installation. Otherwise gas gas gas. £16 for 30 cartridges on the interwebs + an 'Airchuck SL' and you'll never look back.

I do this too. Co2 are so much easier. Im onto my 4th mini pump in a year & a half and they just give up, the one i have now is carried as spare. Co2 all the way

Butterd2

Another one for CO2 here, brilliant, 50p per cartridge and straight up to 100+psi which is something I can never achieve with a mini pump.

Only downside is you want a decent track pump at home as the CO2 does leak out (when I first read that on here I didn't believe it - but I do now). So if you use the CO2 deflate the tyre fully when you get home a pump up with air.

EKE_38BPM

I use a Topeak Master Blaster Pocket Rocket and I've butchered 2 valve stems and one valve in about 5 years. Since then I realised that I have to remove the wheel.
Lateral movement is the valve killer, so I put the pump on the valve and hold the pump, not the wheel, when inflating.

I can acheive about 80-90 PSI using this method. Good enough to get me home, but not how I want to ride around all the time (unless I want to get snakebites).

Mr Plum

BiggerBoat wrote:

Mini pumps are like saddles, you try several until you find one that works for you. I've had lots of sh*te mini pumps. The one that I keep and still works well is a crappy old ultra cheap Beto with flex head. It works where pumps 3x the price have failed.

I think I may have the same one... I remember it being about £8 from Argos 5 years ago, also pumps up footballs. Works as well as you can expect a mini pump to.

Never had any of the valve-bending problems mentioned though.

Wrath Rob

CO2 pumps are great, as long as you don't get 2 or more punctures in a ride. I had 4 punctures in 3 journeys and ran out of cartridges by the 3rd one. As puncture 4 hit that slow, dawning realisation that you have no way of inflating the repaired tyre is not a nice feeling. At least I was on Embankment and the 10th cyclist I flagged down had a pump.

My solution is some Continental puncture-resistant tyres and a mini-pump with a hose. I know I'm tempting fate here but I've not had an issue on the commute in about 18 months...

il_principe

Hence the need to carry a minipump as backup!

Fireblade96

I use one of these for the road bike:

So far it hasn't broken any valves. It takes a lot of pumping to get tyres up to a decent presure, and I'm fairly sure I've never achieved anything more than 80psi with it, but it does to get you home.

Headhuunter

I swear by the Topeak Road Morph. It's not technically a mini pump I suppose but it's pretty small and weighs 240g. It's like a mini track pump and I can get tyres up to 120psi with it no problem... Best pump I've had.

Mr Plum

I forgot to say - I just carry a can of the slime inflatable stuff. When it's pissing down on a freezing cold December/January evening I don't want to be trying to fix a tube at the side of a pitch black road for too long... sod's law also says that you're in a rush and almost the furthest you can be from home when the PF hits!

antfly

Fireblade96 wrote:

I use one of these for the road bike:

So far it hasn't broken any valves. It takes a lot of pumping to get tyres up to a decent presure, and I'm fairly sure I've never achieved anything more than 80psi with it, but it does to get you home.

The road drive version will put 100psi in fairly easily.

Clarion

Road Morphe because you can use it like a track pump.

I have a Joe Blow track pump at home, so I rarely need to use the Morphe. Just, when I need it, I want to have something I know I can trust, and which is easy to use.

jeepie1999

I struggled and struggled and struggled with loads of different pumps - then I bought a mini pump from LIDL and its fine for about 40psi. This gets me home to my track pump.

itboffin

60% of the time it works allllll the time



http://www.lezyne.com/micro-floor-drive-hpg