A Tale of Two Pumps
 

I've been using the Topeak Road Morph G for many years, I actually have 3 of them. I've never had an issue with the pump, but based on the size and weight I thought I would try something different for my road bike. So I went with the Lezyne Sport Drive HP. Much smaller and lighter.
Then I got to thinking. Smaller and lighter is generally a good thing, but I wonder how the Lezyne would do with my 40mm gravel tires. Note: I am still rocking tubes.

The Road Morph G weighs 7.7 ounces (with a couple of wraps of duct tape around the barrel).
The Lezyne Sport Drive HP weighs 2.7 ounces.

So I did a little test and it took the Lezyne 2 minutes 15 seconds to get my gravel tire up to 40 PSI.
The Road Morph took 2 minutes flat.
The Lezyne got a little warm, but never changed in pumping effort.
The Road Morph didn't change temperature but got harder to pump from 30 to 40 PSI.

So, for being a third of a pound lighter and much smaller, I'm going to order a Lezyne for my gravel bike. I realize that both of these pumps are designed around higher pressure, lower volume road tires, but I still feel it was apples to apples. I'll be ordering the same high pressure pump rather than the high volume pump for my gravel bike because sometimes I ride this bike with skinny tires on the road, and the HP pump works fine for low pressure tires but the HV pump does not do as well with high pressure tires.

Two things to note, the Road Morph uses a chuck, where as the Lezyne screws onto the stem. So you have to be careful not to unscrew the stem when you unscrew the hose (I did that twice before I dug up a valve wrench).

Also, the Road Morph has a gauge in the hose. However, even wearing readers in a well lit room, I have never been able to read the numbers on the gauge, so this isn't a factor for me. I think Lezyne makes pumps with the gauge on the hose, but again, I don't care. It appears that the HV and HP pumps weigh the same, but I think the HV pump is a little fatter.

Oh, and the Lezyne comes with a side mount that fits under a water bottle cage. Don't know if the new Road Morphs come with a bracket, but they didn't when I bought them. They are not interchangeable, the Lezyne pump does not fit in the after market Road Morph brackets (too skinny).

I’ve been using the Lezyne pumps for many years now. I’ve even replaced all the o rings on my oldest with a rebuild kit. I have 4 and have no need to get something different.

With 40mm tires I would think that the Topeak Mountain Morph would perform better. Road Morph is high pressure while Mountain Morph is high volume. I have both Topeaks and a Lezene. One other consideration...When it's 90-95° I'd rather stand and push down like a floor pump (Topeka) than sit and pump with two hands (Lezene).

I love how my city has bike stations all over the place with tools, pumps, etc.....

Try a Silca Tattico. It’ll make your Lezyne seem like a toy.

I've tried the floor pump trick with the Morph, but the little tab isn't long enough to fit under my road cleat. Plus, I'm 6'4", so bending over that far is more painful than mildly crouching and using two hands. And while I'm sure that the Mountain Morph would inflate a larger tire faster, it's even heavier than the Road Morph and I wonder how it would do with high pressure road tires. The specs say it will inflate to 160 PSI, but the Road Morph struggles to get to 90 even though it also says it will inflate to 160 PSI.

That looks like one of those windshield breaker/self defense things, which would be welcome on some rides. However, at twice the weight and almost three times the cost, I'll stick with the toy pump. Or if I'm really in the toy market, I could get the $120 Tattico Bluetooth pump.

I've owned many pumps over the years. One of the best I ever had was the old Silca Impero frame pump with Campy head. It got lost in a move. I then bought a Zefal HP when they first came out. Equally good pump for a lot less money but alas it also got lost in a move.

I made a huge mistake and went to a high-end bike shop in Scottsdale when I used to live there. I picked up a Silca Pocket Impero. Uh oh....

The sales guy said, "Yeah, that was what I thought to. And, yeah it works as well as it looks and feels". "Does it pump to 100 lbs?", I asked. "Yep" was the reply, and he added, faster than you think too.

This is by far the best portable pump I have ever owned, period. It fits in a jersey pocket but I got a cheap flashlight holster at Home Depot to carry it in and I clip it to my baggy bike shorts.

Yes, it's expensive, but it works, really, really well and will last for years...and you can get spare parts for it just like the other Silca pumps. It will get a mountain bike to good pressure more quickly also, compared to other portable pumps I own.

It can also be used as a Billy Club.....

The way I look at it is this: I can buy cheaper pumps every 2 or 3 years and after a few years I will have spent more than if I got a really good pump to begin with...that will probably last 20 years or more. My Silca floor pump is going on 25 years old and isn't slowing down at all.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8c65c8ace7.jpg

I keep a pump in my bike bag. Every few months it will get nicked. So i buy cheap ones that do the job. I rarely use them anyway.

True, it's heavy and looks like a weapon. But it is also very well-made and has a clamp-on head -- so, no risk of unscrewing valve cores. I used to carry a Lezyne as a backup to the co2 system....But with the Tattico, I leave the co2 at home -- so the weight is a wash.

Until the next time you move.

Dito - I'm a Lezyne fan. For some reason I don't lose all the air from the Lezyne at disconnect.

But what is really the best pump you can get...

Well its the Vintage SILCA frame pump of course.

I had a Silca Tattico. The locking chuck broke as it was on the stem. That locking "finger" broke right off and I was stranded. That metal is very thin and weak. I replaced it with The Bike Tool pump. Best hand pump I've ever had.

Oh, yikes! I will be careful with that bit.

Just for the record.... Here's the Tattico that left me stranded....https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...003bdb1dd4.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9769c098d0.jpg

Yep, that will end your ride. Did you send it back to Silca? Though if that happened to me, I would not want it replaced; would just want my money back.

How many times had you used it when this happened? Coincidentally, I had to use mine this past weekend in the middle of a race, and was rather careful with that lever. Seems weird that they would under-build that lever when the rest of the pump is rather stout.

I used that pump less than 6 times, I'm guessing. Only to top off air pressure and I think I blew up one new tube at home. When I flatted out on the road it was the first time I needed the pump. And it failed.

The pump is stout. I really liked the quality of the pump until this happened. And no, I didn't return it to BikeTiresDirect. I'm just that way on things that cost <50 dollars.