Pump advice

dcomp

Hi All,

After the disaster of my first ride this morning (puncture and no pump to fix it), I need to get myself a small pump I can stick in my saddle bag...but, as with everything in the road biking world, it seems to be minefield.

Can you tell me what you've got for emergency repairs in your bags?

I've been looking at the GI Air Chuck but would appreciate any suggestions you have...should I go this route and get CO2 or should I go for a manual pump and attach it to the frame?

Help appreciated?

D

fishingguy

i bought a leyzyne pump that inflates to 120psi cost about £30 and i keep in my rear pocket although it did come with a bike mount. hope that helps

simon_masterson

I personally view CO2 inflators to be an indulgence if you're not competing. I'm sure they're great, but CO2 is a consumable (which I have an environmental contention with) that also costs money. No-one wants to sit by the road inflating a tyre to 100psi with a little mini-pump, but if you get good puncture-proof tyres you should hopefully be able to keep them to a minimum.

So I'd recommend you get one of the Topeak/Lezyne/etc mini-pumps for about £20. Get some good puncture-proof tyres (Gatorskins, Marathons, etc) and be done with it; everyone gets punctures, but you can at least keep the numbers down. Especially if you keep your tyres up to pressure and try to avoid things that cause punctures.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Simon Masterson wrote:

I personally view CO2 inflators to be an indulgence if you're not competing. I'm sure they're great, but CO2 is a consumable (which I have an environmental contention with) that also costs money. No-one wants to sit by the road inflating a tyre to 100psi with a little mini-pump, but if you get good puncture-resistant tyres you should hopefully be able to keep them to a minimum.

So I'd recommend you get one of the Topeak/Lezyne/etc mini-pumps for about £20. Get some good puncture-resistant tyres (Gatorskins, Marathons, etc) and be done with it; everyone gets punctures, but you can at least keep the numbers down. Especially if you keep your tyres up to pressure and try to avoid things that cause punctures.

You realise that you were breathing out co2 posting this, and reading this post and replying to this post. And basically by just existing?

alxce

Blackburn Airstik SL - you can pick one up from Amazon for about £12 incl. delivery. I got one recently and it's a nice piece of work that is small but very practical.

nwmlarge

i have one of these and have had to use it and found it excellent

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=24666

mkviken

ive got this http://www.evanscycles.com/products/top ... p-ec033909

it works really well. managed to get a good 80-90 psi into the tyre on the roadside and topped it up to 110psi at a LBS later on in the ride.

the hose makes it much easier and wont damage the stem/valve. whatever pump you get buy one with a hose.

got me out of trouble, its light and really small. dont even know its in my back pocket.

cougie

Lezyne for me. Gets up to the 95 PSI that i need in my tyres.

I'd not bother with co2. Expensive per use and if you cock it up - or get two flats - do you take multiple cartridges ?
Plus you cant fly with them - so you need a pump for overseas anyway.

phil.j

ive got a topeak minipump and yeah its good bt cant get close to track pump pressure maybe just my pathetic arms lol

ricklilley

I have a little Specialized road pump, and although its rated 110psi, actually getting upto that takes an age. I looked at buying a Lezyne pump to replace it, but then decided to buy a CO2 valve, I've had to use it a couple of times, as i was getting a lot of punctures with my old tyres.
And i've gotta say it works great, its in a little pouch with 2 spare cartridges a pair of decent tyre levers and some self adhesive patches (for emergencies). I do still carry my mini pump (mounted under the bottle cage) just in case. But if it means me getting home 10 minutes sooner, then i'll use the CO2.
As for the cost factor, you can buy generic canisters online for as little as 30p each if you buy in bulk. A guy at work bought a box of 30, kept 6, then sold the others in packs of 3 on Ebay, and got most of his money back. Bit of a faff but you could always sell them to friends instead.

Wrath Rob

I had a Leyznye, with a flexible hose that mounted onto the bottle cage. Unfortunately I've also got Continental valves with removable cores. The pump did a mediocre job of inflating the tyre and then a very good job of removing the valve core when being unscrewed. Queue all the air rushing out and me having to start again.

I've now got a Bontranger Air Rush road. A small pump with the added benefit of taking CO2 cartridges as well. Best of both worlds. And if you want CO2 cartridges, do a Google and buy in bulk. So much cheaper than the individual prices in the shops!

Mr Will

Going Co2 only limits the number of punctures you can fix, which can be an issue - hit a patch of glass and puncture both tyres and you better be damn sure you've got every last bit out of the tyres before you put it all back together or you'll be walking home.

For this reason if I'm riding solo it's a Lezyne Road Drive I pack. I'd consider switching to Co2 for club runs, where the speed of inflation becomes more important and spares to scrounge become more likely should you get a run of bad luck, but the rest of the time they are just one more thing to carry.

rolf_f

For my money, CO2 saves you five minutes at the risk of many more and adds weight and is wasteful. I don't actually understand the point!

But there are mini pumps and mini pumps. Get the longest mini pump you dare but also look after your tyres and think where you ride and you'll hardly need it anyway.

fatdaz

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

You realise that you were breathing out co2 posting this, and reading this post and replying to this post. And basically by just existing?

I promised myself I'd stay out of the petty squabbles which plague internet forums but seems I'm failing - Whilst you are of course correct I'm pretty sure each breath doesn't come in it's own metal canister

Robbie1958

I use an older version of this pump. everyone who has seen it being used has gone on and bought one. so easy to use and easily gets to 100psi.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-micro-floor-drive-hp-abs-pump-with-gauge/

They are a bit more bulky than some pumps, but they they have a bike mount, or you can simply slip it into your jersey pocket.

Gizmo_

fatdaz wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

You realise that you were breathing out co2 posting this, and reading this post and replying to this post. And basically by just existing?

I promised myself I'd stay out of the petty squabbles which plague internet forums but seems I'm failing - Whilst you are of course correct I'm pretty sure each breath doesn't come in it's own metal canister

But the metal canisters are very shiny.

t.m.h.n.e.t

fatdaz wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

You realise that you were breathing out co2 posting this, and reading this post and replying to this post. And basically by just existing?

I promised myself I'd stay out of the petty squabbles which plague internet forums but seems I'm failing - Whilst you are of course correct I'm pretty sure each breath doesn't come in it's own metal canister

Yes. I was wondering if Simon did though