Mini Bike Pump

[Mr. Beanz]

I'm in love with that bike.

I love that colour scheme and I love how you've got it fully loaded, so to speak.

Dammit, why do you have to have such damn good bikes!

OH the yellow had little green sparkles in it. It was a lovely color job. I was never crazy about yellow but this paint was nice. Sadly the frame broke on me. Bye bye!

 

[mayasupernova]

Both my dad and me, we use a very old, almost archaic, out-modeled foot pump, for our bikes. It is operated by your foot and seems a bit odd to press the pedal for eternity, but It does its job.
I guess my dad is quite emotionally attatched to that pump and he refuses to buy any other, modern one. Which is, afterall, just fine. It is small, and easy to carry around and it works! That's the main part.

 

[Susimi]

OH the yellow had little green sparkles in it. It was a lovely color job. I was never crazy about yellow but this paint was nice. Sadly the frame broke on me. Bye bye!

That bike looks beautiful and the green sparkles just makes me fall in love with it even more.

RIP bike

 

[Froze]

The best? Let's just say most mini pumps claim they can reach 120 to 160 psi and most of those can't! In fact most will be lucky to make it to 50 or 60 and even then with quite a bit of effort, and at those low of pressures you increase your chance of snake bite flats by a lot.

The best ones that I know of are the Lezyne Road Drive, but this one comes in 3 sizes, get the largest size, the small and medium size will be harder to pump and require a lot more strokes plus I doubt they can get to 80 not alone the advertised 160, but the large one I know will reach 120 with some effort because I own one and have done it.

The other great pump is the Topeak Race Rocket HP, they also make a Race Rocket HPX which works better in terms of reaching high pressures easier but idiots at Topeak only offer an inline pump bracket which means you have to forgo using one bottle cage so the pump can fit there instead, they use to make an optional side mount for that pump but I haven't been able to find it even so you have to pay extra for it, how stupid is that? But I do have the HP and it will reach 120 psi with slightly more effort than the Road Drive large.

Both of those two pumps are very well made and both have lasted 3 seasons but I don't get that many flats. I seriously doubt from my experiences that none of those two pumps will reach the advertised 160 psi, fortunately we don't need that much air in our tires! I would buy which ever you can find on sale at the lowest price because you won't go wrong with either.

I haven't used this pump but heard it was good and that's the Zefal Air Profile LL, but this is a direct connected pump as compared to the two I mentioned that use a hose. As the effort increases to pump air into a tire a lot of people will start to "saw" the pump which in turn moves the valve back and forth which can and has led to ripped valve stems. Therefore I recommend the two I mentioned above because of the hose attachment which if you allow slack on the hose will prevent stem tearing. I do own an excellent direct connected SKS Carbon RaceDay pump which they no longer make and in fact all the SKS mini pumps currently made are trash, to bad for such a storied name in pumps. Another pump I heard good things about but never used is the Specialized AirTool Road Flex which does use a hose, but since I never used one I can't vouch for it.

I can't recommend CO2 due to the fact you have limited air that you can take with you and have to pay for the air you use, plus the nature of the CO2 molecules bleeds through tubes very fast and can be entirely go in 24 hours which means when you get home you have to drain the tube of CO2 and refill with non CO2 air, I don't see the point of doing twice the work, if I was racing and needed air fast then yes I would use CO2 otherwise no way. On top of all of that you have waste, the CO2 cart, which most roadies simply toss the used cart on the side of the road which is where I find them, nice huh?

 

[Gnufrau]

I used a CO2 system a couple of times, but the bleeding off of the CO2 left me with "unexplained" flats, and the cost of the cartridges (I *never* tossed them on the side of the road!) annoyed me no end for a flat fix that does not last. I use Presta valve tubes exclusively so the "sawing" of connected head pumps is not an issue with me. I have seen quite a number of pump hoses fail as one end "wiggles" loose from the same action that causes the sawing. *shrug* The one I have now is **** but will shove enough air in my tire that I can get home, or to a bike shop, or to a gas station (and use my adapter). That last is worst-case as I do not trust gas station pumps. My bikes are a hybrid (that I use as a work-horse) and a road bike I just finished building. I'm a tourist, so whether to carry a pump or not is not even a question. One flat in deep wilderness, 10 miles from the nearest habitation, and you are wearing road shoes and pushing a bike with an extra 30kg of weight strapped to it (add a trailer similarly loaded for extra credit), and you *will* carry the darned pump!! I will be looking for a better pump, and would probably prefer a frame pump (like the one on that pretty LeMond if I can get one with a connected head that does a decent job of hitting 120psi or better. As I said, I cannot recommend my current pump for road bikes but it should do OK for hybrids. I grabbed it in a WalMart, what can I say?

 

[Froze]

Frame pumps are definitely way superior than mini pumps in ease of operation, but weight weenies don't like to carry them. There is a half frame pump that works very well too called the Topeak Road Morph G (G means it has a PSI Gauge), though I think the pump looks ungainly, but I do own one and use it on my touring bike and it works great, it's more like a mini floor pump, it has a flip out foot peg and a flip out handle.

Because I do recognize the issue with pump failure when I go touring I do take the Topeak Race Rocket HP and put it in a pannier just in case the main pump fails, because like you said, walking 100 miles or so back home pushing a loaded touring bike isn't an option. I also carry a Presta to Schrader converter in my touring tool kit for another backup device.

Speaking of presta to schrader converters, you can take a presta valve cap and using a sharp blade cut the end of the cap where the smooth part intersects with the lined part, just cut off the smooth part and screw the remaining part back onto your presta valve, then should you ever need a converter you just made one! Huh you scream? See this: http://antranik.org/how-to-make-a-presta-valve-adapter-in-a-few-seconds/ I have these made on my all my road bikes but not the touring bike because I have an actual one. Once you make one you should test it to make sure it works right, you may have to cut less or more if the first one doesn't work, so have several caps around to cut.

 

[Gnufrau]

Hey, Froze! I like the look of that Topeak. At that price, I can afford to grab one at the beginning of the month (the only time I have money as I'm on disability). I'll set up a search on eBay and amazon to see which gives me a better deal.

 

[Djordje87]

Before this one i bought in Nike shop i had one that was older than me. It was black and i think made in Russia. I do not know what happened and where it disappeared but i am sure it would be working now. These new ones are good but they are not very solid and strong unlike the old ones which could be mistaken for a weapon. I would trade it instantly if someone would offer it to me. Although i have to admit these new ones are much lighter and smaller than old and i do not even feel i carry something with me.

 

[Froze]

Before this one i bought in Nike shop i had one that was older than me. It was black and i think made in Russia. I do not know what happened and where it disappeared but i am sure it would be working now. These new ones are good but they are not very solid and strong unlike the old ones which could be mistaken for a weapon. I would trade it instantly if someone would offer it to me. Although i have to admit these new ones are much lighter and smaller than old and i do not even feel i carry something with me.

Most of the older pumps made in the 70's and 80's were indeed built like tanks and will put as much air into a tire as you wanted with far less effort and strokes, but they were full or 3/4th full frame pumps which later weight weenies didn't want. But I still have two of my old style pumps I no longer use, one is a Zefal HP that I used at full force to smack a dog on the nose and the pump never dented or bent but the dog went screaming leaving blood on my pump. The other is a Silca Imperial with the original Campy chrome head, this is one of those pumps that Silca decided to make a lightweight frame pump for racers and in the process of doing so the body became plastic and was highly recommended not to hit dogs with it, and some people did spit the bodies when pumping but that was due to getting to higher pressures and weaker people would start "sawing" the handle while they pumped. My Zefal is in average condition and the Silca is in excellent condition, both are now on display at a museum...just kidding, their on display in my library.

The Zefal is still being made today but called a HPX and with more plastic than they use to have but not bad, see: http://www.amazon.com/Zefal-Classic-Frame-Bicycle-Silver/dp/B0013IU2YW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448231318&sr=8-1&keywords=zefal+hpx+classic Of course you do have to measure your top tube of your frame to get the right size.

 

[moneyman]

I keep always a mini sized bike pump with me when I am riding in case of a sudden tire inflation. It has been effective and saved me a plenty of effort and got it for only 5 bucks from a local store.

 

[Volnix]

That bike looks beautiful and the green sparkles just makes me fall in love with it even more.

RIP bike

Pick up a Pesenti.

There are lots available in EU at the moment.


http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=65373

 

[Susimi]

Pick up a Pesenti.

There are lots available in EU at the moment.


http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=65373

I'd be lying if I said it did not look nice. I really love that deep blue colour, but I'm not really a fan of the type of bike. I'm more of a hybrid/mountain bike guy.

Had the colour been on one of those types of bikes then I'd be throwing money at the screen

 

[9lines]

The Birzman Velocity mini bicycle pump has everything you could need in a pump in a pocketable package. It has an in-line pressure gauge and a retractable hose. It costs only $45 and you can order for it online.

 

[USABIKE800]

Hello To All

I have a question, Do you use a mini bike pump?

you ever buy one? and if so what is the best?

I got it this one, it is user friendly design and itis price is great , click here

 

[USABIKE800]

I've got a mini foot pump that I use.

I bought it for under £10 a while ago and it's served me well. It's not as nice looking or has a glamorous name on it but it suits me for what I need and I'm happy with it.

I'm considering purchasing a small pump to put on my bike but I'm in two minds about it.

this is small and portable floor bike pump you worth to consider, click here

 

[sunshiney]

I've got a mini foot pump that I purchased so long ago I don't even remember where I got it. I find that for something like this you don't have to go too expensive...mine was around $15 I think, definitely less than $20, and it's stood me in good stead. I keep it in my little biking knapsack and I only use it when I need to during a ride, which isn't very often.

I've got a sturdier full sized one as well but that one lives home and I use it while I'm doing my regular maintenance. I didn't spend too much on the mini one 'cause it's really only to use if I'm in a pinch.