Track pumps - accuracy and recommendations

cookeeemonster

Read an article in Rouleur this month on the reinvention of Silca track pumps and so on. I'm not about to splash £300 on a track pump but it got me thinking for the first time about the accuracy of my cheapo halfords track pump which is starting to squeak a fair bit lately (which I was thinking of replacing basically).

The article mentioned the Zipp team getting really inconsistent results between riders when testing wheels a number of years ago. They eventually worked out that the far eastern made plastic track pumps they were using were very inconsistent and inaccurate which lead to the results they were getting (+ or minus 20psi). They turned things around by getting an accurate one made up for competition and testing use and one of their employees eventually bought and reinvented the super expensive Silca brand.

Anyway, thats a long way of asking for a track pump recommendation. How much should I spend? There's a few deals on lezyne pumps at the mo...but no manufacturer seems to advertise the accuracy of their pumps i.e. to within 2% or 5% and so on.

What do people think?

dhope

I think you're overthinking it.
£25 on a Joe Blow, all done.

fenix

Joe Blow.

I've seen a few reviews of pumps and nobodys been that bothered over accuracy - so maybe its not so much of an issue ?

adambruntlett

Got a Joe Blow at home and a cheapo off Wiggle for the office. The Joe Blow is all you need.

cookeeemonster

yeah the only reason I asked is because:

1. apparently cheap track pumps can be 20psi out - thats a fair amount
2. my gp4000 tyres have a mere 25psi min to max range (as do many other tyres, and yeah I know not everyone sticks to that)
3. People bang on here about a 10psi drop in pressure improving comfort massively...or a 10psi increase increasing speed if on smooth roads etc - so tyre pressure can be pretty important
4. see 1.

I'm not massively bothered as I've survived the last 4 years ok and I'm not intending spending loads on a new one, but it seems strange that I've never heard anyone discussing it before, when it potentially could be a big deal?

I'll check out joe blow pumps btw, cheers for the recommendation

fenix

It would be interesting for a magazine to test PSI's but you'd have to think that any decent manufacture must be calibrating their products anyway ?

Snakebite the 2nd

I still use the track pump bought from Argos about 15 years ago!!

Accuracy is not great, but I just squeeze the tyre until it feels right.

daniel_b

I have a couple of Lezynes, one like this:

http://www.lezyne.com/product-fpumps-hp-steelY9.php#.V5n4S6KGcdI

Which is perfectly good, and one similar tot he above, but full stainless, including the handle, which is a thing of beauty, and feels spot on in operation.
It was a bargain £45 or so on ebay from a bike shop, but the RRP was something like £90.

I liked it so much, I bought the one in the first link for £22.50 as a backup pump to replace a Blackburn that died.

Critically for me, they have a 'quick chuck' for normal operation, or you can remove this and screw onto the presta or schraeder valve directly - and the clincher for me, after years of struggling to get the head of the pump off the valve, is the built in pressure release button, which makes the job a whole lot easier, never realised how much that pressure build up makes removal a whole lot more difficult.

fenix

Snakebite the 2nd wrote:

I still use the track pump bought from Argos about 15 years ago!!

Accuracy is not great, but I just squeeze the tyre until it feels right.

Is your thumb calibrated correctly though ?

I think the most you can pinch with your thumbs is about 20 PSI anyway - so you are basically just guessing.

slowbike

I've got 2 pumps I use regularly - a JoeBlow and a Leyzene mini stand pump. When I got the mini one with the inline-spring pressure guage I tested it against the JoeBlow as I thought it may be inaccurate - they both measured the same (100psi). Perhaps they're both wrong - but at least they're both wrong the same amount ...

Man Of Lard

JoeBlow all the way here - whether the gauge is correct or not, it's correct enough as long as you always view it the same way (ie. vertically down on it...) otherwise parallax error might send you over/under what you think you're pumping up to.

As for the range of a tyre having a 25psi range... if you inflate to the maximum of the range, don't they tend to explode if it's a hot day and a bumpy road? (You know - because of the ideal gas law... increase the temperature and keep the volume fixed then the pressure must increase... 10C to 25C means the pressure has to go up by about 5% - add to that the "shocks" inherent in a bumpy road and I'd be crapping about blowouts...) Of course there could be a significant safety margin built in so both the inflation pressure and temperature aren't that critical

rolf_f

Fenix wrote:

Snakebite the 2nd wrote:

I still use the track pump bought from Argos about 15 years ago!!

Accuracy is not great, but I just squeeze the tyre until it feels right.

Is your thumb calibrated correctly though ?

I think the most you can pinch with your thumbs is about 20 PSI anyway - so you are basically just guessing.

I can press in the sidewalls of a tyre inflated to 100psi. Not a lot but enough to get a feel for the pressure. Gauges are good but I wouldn't be suffering sleepless nights if someone un-invented them.

TBH, if you always stuck with the same width tyres, guessing would probably be all you really needed.

wolfsbane2k

dhope wrote:

I think you're overthinking it.
£25 on a Joe Blow, all done.

Biggest issue choosing a Joe Blow is which one? So many now, hard to make a choice. :?

itboffin

Snakebite the 2nd wrote:

I still use the track pump bought from Argos about 15 years ago!!

Accuracy is not great, but I just squeeze the tyre until it feels right.

Hence the username or is that the drink?

itboffin

Joe blows are good but the head seals do wear and stop sealing as well, although they're replaceable for about half the cost of a new one :-/

tgotb

If you care about tyre pressures, get an electronic pressure gauge; I use a Topeak one, which has a bleed function that literally lets you get to the exact number of psi that you want.

That said, for most people riding on the road it's really not that important. Recommended tyre pressures are just that; you're not 2psi away from a catastrophic failure. I use my CX training tyres at less than half the recommended minimum, and have raced TTs at 20% over the recommended maximum, both with no issues at all. Can you really tell the difference in rolling resistance or handling between 90psi and 100psi?

ugo.santalucia

Saddleback are doing a good job at revamping the fortunes of Silca, making them into a must have desire object. The same article was featured in the Saddleback magazine they gave away at the Fred Whitton Challenge. They are pumps, they are good quality, but there is nothing special about a Silca track pump... certainly nothing worth 200 quid

rower63

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Saddleback are doing a good job at revamping the fortunes of Silca, making them into a must have desire object. The same article was featured in the Saddleback magazine they gave away at the Fred Whitton Challenge. They are pumps, they are good quality, but there is nothing special about a Silca track pump... certainly nothing worth 200 quid

I possess said Silca pump, it's a truly beautifully-engineered object. But I would never have bought it for myself, for exact reason ugo stated. Make sure it's a present.

Snakebite the 2nd

itboffin wrote:

Snakebite the 2nd wrote:

I still use the track pump bought from Argos about 15 years ago!!

Accuracy is not great, but I just squeeze the tyre until it feels right.

Hence the username or is that the drink?

I'm ashamed to say the drink.

It was a long time ago now and I'd rather not talk about it.......

Snakebite the 2nd

Rolf F wrote:

Fenix wrote:

Snakebite the 2nd wrote:

I still use the track pump bought from Argos about 15 years ago!!

Accuracy is not great, but I just squeeze the tyre until it feels right.

Is your thumb calibrated correctly though ?

I think the most you can pinch with your thumbs is about 20 PSI anyway - so you are basically just guessing.

I can press in the sidewalls of a tyre inflated to 100psi. Not a lot but enough to get a feel for the pressure. Gauges are good but I wouldn't be suffering sleepless nights if someone un-invented them.

TBH, if you always stuck with the same width tyres, guessing would probably be all you really needed.

I've never had an issue, I tend to stick with the same tyres for both on and off road and I ride the knoblies a bit harder anyway, the slicks for work are pumped harder.
I use the pressure gauge as an estimate then go from there.

secretsam

Mine's a cheap Truflo, not accurate but it'll do. Are tyres right pressure? Squeeze the tyre walls, on road tyres there shouldn't be much 'give'

drlodge

+1 for a Joe Blow. Don't over think it. Pump the tyres up to whatever pressure who want. If pressure is too high, the ride will be uncomfy. If too soft, you'll see the front tyre deform when you stand on the pedals. Mine seems to be calibrated about right, so far as I can tell using the above "rule of thumb" guide.

reformedfatty

I was pleased to discover my thumb calibration and joe bloe were in perfect alignment today as I gave the bike it's daily check before commuting.. hmm tyres feel a bit low, about 60 psi I reckon. Popped the pump on.. 60 psi.

It's the little things in life...

lostboysaint

Bontrager Flash Charger (because I use it to mount tubeless tyres as well). Seems very accurate when measured against a couple of digital gauges!

thistle_

drlodge wrote:

+1 for a Joe Blow. Don't over think it. Pump the tyres up to whatever pressure who want. If pressure is too high, the ride will be uncomfy. If too soft, you'll see the front tyre deform when you stand on the pedals. Mine seems to be calibrated about right, so far as I can tell using the above "rule of thumb" guide.

Pump it up to something in the middle of the range on the tyre then see how it rides (based on the above), then just remember what you pumped it up to.
If it's wrong, then as long as it is consistently wrong you'll still be able to pump it back up to the pressure you want it to be at

fenix

On the JB theres a ring round the outside with a red arrow ? You can spin that round to mark what PSI you used last time.

Thinking on I did get a nice tyre pressure gauge for the car for the wife to check her tyres. Shes not used it....

I'll compare the accuracy of that nice bit of kit to what the JB says one day....

kenito

rennkompressor is topnotch

tangled_metal

I used to hate pumping tyres up until Joe blow on an offer at Halfords changed my views. Works. Simple as. The gauge on mine is at the bottom, newer version it's halfway up barrel I think. I'm just s little too high up to read the dial. No problem I set the red line on the outer bezel to my target pressure then pump away. Accuracy isn't important so long time as you're using the same pump on the same tyres to the same pressure reading. My thing is to pump to slightly above the required pressure then take off the pump head. I always lose some tyre pressure doing that.

If you're someone fit whom tyre pressure is critical get a quality electronic pressure gauge. That's the only way to ensure the accurate pressure

MattPillinger

I've got a Joe Blow and never regretted it. £30 and to think of all the years I'd spent using crappy hand pumps when at home.

Logic dictates that unless you are pro you can just decrease the pressure if it is a bit firm, increase it if you want to go faster (I know this isn't perfect rule, but generally). a few PSI here and there doesn't really matter to me

tangled_metal

However the OP is right, pump reviews and manufacturers don't make any comment over accuracy of the gauges on pumps. Even if there's workarounds accuracy of gauges would be useful if only for a passing interest. Gauges everywhere else have an accuracy in their specifications why not with pump gauges?

condorman

I have a Bontrager and Lezyne track pump. I top up tyres to 110 psi before every ride and it works for me. If the accuracy of my Halfords foot pump doesn't concern me and I drive my car at 70mph then the accuracy of my track pump gauge isn't going to keep me awake at night.