Best Frame Pump For Hybrid Road + Mountain Bike (considering Will Also Carry Co2)

I Need to buy a new frame pump after a friend somehow destroyed mine despite it looking quite burly.

Is there a pump that can handle road bikes (+100 PSI), hybrid road bikes (85-90 PSI) and mountain bikes (50-65 PSI) all very well? Or at least hybrid road bikes (85-90 PSI) and mountain bikes (to 65 PSI)?

I've seen road bike pumps that have very small diameter cylinders to reach higher pressures, but take forever to pump up a tire. And mountain bike pumps wouldn't be capable of the higher pressures of road bikes. It's been a while since I bought one, so maybe there's a do-it-all pump out there.

I also plan to carry a C02 inflator - given that, is this the Lezyne Pressure Drive CFH Mini-pump with CO2 a good bet? Or is it better to have a separate C02 inflator?

Is it worth getting one with an integrated pressure gauge, or just keep a separate gauge? If a separate gauge, which one to use?

 

I love my Topeak Road Morph G. It has an integrated pressure gauge and it's easy to get my hybrid or road tires up to pressure.

 

The Mountain Morph is what you want for the larger volume tires. The short hose and foot peg make it very easy to pump to high pressures.

I've had mine for nearly ten years. They haven't let me down.

 

The Topeak Road Morph didn't review too highly at Outdoor Gear Lab, which has good quality reputable reviews. They cited cons as "Bulky and heavy. Hard to get a good seal. Inaccurate gauge", though noted the benefit of the footpad design

 

frame pump or CO2 is best used as insurance- something you hope you'll never use, but glad to have it when you need it. Top off with a floor pump at home, maintain proper pressure to avoid pinch flats, use tire liners, and puncture-resistant tires and you may never have to use your portable inflation device.

 

I think every bike I've bought here in Holland came with a pump mounted on the frame. I never liked any of them and if I needed air on the road would travel to gas station.

My €4,000+ bike also came with a tire pump and since I have no plans on using that pump I removed it. I check the pressure (by feel) every so often and use a floor pump to add extra pressure.

I've never tried those CO2 canisters and that seems like a good way to go.

 

FWIW. I think a frame pump with a gauge is probably a must-have if you are touring ... but, for a regular ride, a frame pump is possibly best reserved for road emergencies (e.g., flat tires) ...

And, I would either use the arbitrary squeeze method OR carry a separate tire gauge ...

Consequently, I would consider simply going to an REI or PERFORMANCE BICYCLE store (if either is local to you) to see which frame pumps they recommend ...

Of course, you can patronize your LBS!

BTW. If you don't already have one, consider getting a floor pump (with a gauge, of course) for pre-ride tire inflation.

 

The Topeak Road Morph pump is the easiest and fastest pump to pump up tires to 120 psi than any other pump on the market, screw the review mentioned earlier. While it is bulky and ungainly looking it's less so than a full size frame pump and it works as good if not better than a full size frame pump. I have one of these pumps but it's only on my touring bike.

The better mountain bike pumps that are smaller and less gainly looking is the Lezyne Pressure Drive (get the long size, it's easier to pump than the shorter size) is probably the best or at least tied with the Topeak Mountain Blaster. CO2 is problematic, most CO2 systems won't have enough air to pump up a mountain bike tire fully so you would have to either start it or finish off with a pump or ride with lower pressure, so why bother? Also there is no backup, if you get more flats than you have carts for you'll be stranded, you could carry 4 carts but there goes any weight saving you may or may not be trying to do. I've had to help stranded cyclists with my pump because they ran out of CO2 air, I should just ride by and yell something stupid like "use a pump next time", but I'm not that way. Then you have to remember to buy CO2 when you run out, and remember to restock your saddle bag after every use, I've actually ran into people who forgot. Also CO2 air bleeds out of rubber tubes faster than regular air so after using CO2 you would have to go home release all the air and repump with a regular pump, why do all of that when you can do it once and for all with a pump?

If CO2 is the only thing you'll consider at least consider a hybrid pump like the Lezyne Pressure Drive CFH, this pump will allow you to use both CO2 or the pump to suit your needs at the time.

Always remember with CO2 you have a limited air source you have to pay for, with a pump you have unlimited free air.