On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:22:22 -0800 (PST),
[email protected] may have
said:
>One of my local bike shops has a brand new product. This is a
>Bontrager portable battery-powered pump with a "smart head" that will
>do both presta and schrader. The cost is about $70.
>
>They claim that it will also do car tires.
>
>This product is so new I cannot find out anything about it on the web
>including the Bontrager site. Has anyone actually tried one of
>these? If so how about reporting your results?
I have neither seen nor used one of those, but I would point out that
an automotive battery booster pack with an internal 12V-powered
compressor can be found in many locales for less than the price cited
for the Bontrager unit. I have two of them. The typical units
supplied have a Schrader-only hose, and all of the samples I have
examined include a completely useless "Presta adapter" that will not
even fit on a Presta valve*. However, since I keep a Schrader adapter
on one of the Presta valves of each of my Presta-equipped bikes, this
is not much of an issue for me.
As someone else pointed out, a simple 12V electric compressor capable
of pumping up a bike tire (or, if one is exceptionally patient, a car
tire) is often possible to find for under $25, but those have the
singular disadvantage of not being terribly useful without the
required accessory, specifically an automobile with a cigarette
lighter socket into which the plug can be inserted to power the unit.
On the other hand, both of my battery-pack-and-compressor units are
rather heavy; something lighter would be a nice alternative, though
not if it meant that the useful run time was too short.
On the gripping hand, however, the power source for a hand pump is
pretty much always going to be available, and the weight problem is
not an issue with most of them. This may explain why I have one of
those in my seat bag.
I wouldn't pay extra for the compressor with the Bontrager name
without a compelling reason...and given that the item does not appear
in any online merchandise listing or that manufacturer's own website,
I'd want to be sure it was an actual authorized Bontrager product (and
not someone's misappropriation of the name) before I laid out any cash
for one.
* The adapters that were included with the two booster/compressor
units in my possession were not drilled through at a diameter that
would allow the adapters to fit over a Presta's valve locking nut.
When I counterbored one to allow it to be installed, its other
failings (lack of an o-ring, incorrect length) became apparent. If
you buy one of these, expect the included Presta adapter to be
worthless.
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