Flats and stupid mini-pumps
#76
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I've used this medium-sized pump successfully:
https://probiketool.com/products/min...ump-with-gauge
https://probiketool.com/products/min...ump-with-gauge
#77
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Agreed, however, when it comes to pumps, I'll go for function. The thing about the Morph is that it is a mini floor pump and you can get much more leverage against the groud than with a frame pump held in mid air.
I use a Nashbar knockoff of the Blackburn frame pump. I just find a curb, rock, stick or tree root to lie the wheel down with the pump head against it, and then it is just like using a (one handed) floor pump. Easy to get to 120 psi. I have saved a few others who blew through their 2 CO2 cartridges.
I use a Nashbar knockoff of the Blackburn frame pump. I just find a curb, rock, stick or tree root to lie the wheel down with the pump head against it, and then it is just like using a (one handed) floor pump. Easy to get to 120 psi. I have saved a few others who blew through their 2 CO2 cartridges.
#78
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I got a flat when this thread was started. Started using my mini pump. I'm nearly finished.
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#80
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#81
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#82
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I have always had good luck with today's full-size frame-fit pumps. I have a Blackburn which fits between the downtube pegs on the UO-8 and Zefal HP-Xs along the seat tubes of the Bianchi and Capo #1. I have a Mt. Zefal frame fit pump on the peg on the back of the Schwinn's seat tube, taking advantage of all the tire clearance.
The challenge now is carrying those pumps on a modern frame. (Kinda bugs me because the need for tire pressure is just as high now as it was 100 years ago and the physics of pumps never changed. (Skinny to keep required arm effort down, long to get volume up and number of strokes down. Those Zephals, both the old HPs and the HPXs pump most tires to the full pressure you want to ride in under 100 strokes. I don't know their max pressure but 120 psi is not hard to do.)
Figure out a secure way to carry the HPX. Problem (at least of getting the air in) solved. (I'm not bad mouthing any of the other good full frame pumps. I've just never used them. The Zephals have been, quite simply, so good, that why?
Edit: And those Zephals don't use hoses. I know that in the 2020s, hoses are good; they don't cause valve failures. I learned to hold the pump head and tire together with my left hand and pump into that resisting hand, not the valve 50 years ago. I don't trash valve stem/tube interfaces (at least not pumping; tires sliding on very hard braking descents and my spaciness mounting tires can be an issue). Not having to mess with a hose is, at least in my opinion, a real plus. Also, the contents of a hose has to be pumped up to full pressure, then discarded when you take it off the valve stem. Not a whole lot of air, but still ... No hose - simply faster. And isn't that better, even if it takes a little additional skill?
Last edited by 79pmooney; 12-01-23 at 10:19 AM.
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#83
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Since it has been so long since I have posted to this thread Ifigured I'd mention that I have become partial to Lezyne pumps. The Lezyne Small Grip Drive HV is on my mountain bike and I was impressed how well it worked even on big MTB tires, but I only tried it in testing since my tubeless system is pretty reliable. The max pressure on this one is 90 psi, but there are other models for higher pressure tires. I won't bother to dig up the model of the higher pressure lezyne that I used for road bike tires since I don't think it is a currently available model, but the Lezyne models in general are good stuff. Just pick one that suits your needs.
#84
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Since it has been so long since I have posted to this thread Ifigured I'd mention that I have become partial to Lezyne pumps. The Lezyne Small Grip Drive HV is on my mountain bike and I was impressed how well it worked even on big MTB tires, but I only tried it in testing since my tubeless system is pretty reliable. The max pressure on this one is 90 psi, but there are other models for higher pressure tires. I won't bother to dig up the model of the higher pressure lezyne that I used for road bike tires since I don't think it is a currently available model, but the Lezyne models in general are good stuff. Just pick one that suits your needs.
Maybe I’ll give them another try.
I’ve used a Topeak micro blaster for years. It takes a zillion pumps to get to pressure, but it’s reliable and will pump to high pressure. I don’t get so many flats that it’s been an issue.
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#85
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I carry two CO2 cartridges in my underseat bag and a mini pump in my jersey pocket for top-offs. Have not had the ‘pleasure’ yet.
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#87
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This is the king of pumps, I’ve used this pump and its predecessor for more than 20 years now. Though the Road Morph is a “mini pump,” I have used mine as pretty much my only pump for years, and after years of daily use, it never misses a beat.
#88
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1. Lifeline micro pump - tiny, cheap little thing that slips unnoticed into a jersey pocket. Great for local rides, although I wouldn’t trust it for epic rides far from home.
2. Topeak Race Rocket MT - Only slightly longer, but higher volume for mtb use. Can also carry in a pocket, but it is slightly more bulky.
3. Silca Tattico - A top quality mini road pump, but slightly longer and heavier than the above. It will still go in a jersey pocket, but I carry this one on a bottle cage mount.
It’s not the weight saving over a full length frame pump that really matters, it’s the much smaller form factor. Frame pumps made sense on vintage steel triangle frames and still do today, but not on a modern aero road bike or mtb.
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#89
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My Schwinn mountain bike has a pump peg behind the seat tube, and seems designed for the Mt. Zefal pump I use with it.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
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#90
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Probably where I should go too. I think any system can fail, be it a pump or CO2, and having one of each is best. CO2 for the primary, small mini pump as a backup.
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#91
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I’ve got 3 different mini-pumps that all work well and can be carried in a pocket or on a bottle cage mount.
1. Lifeline micro pump - tiny, cheap little thing that slips unnoticed into a jersey pocket. Great for local rides, although I wouldn’t trust it for epic rides far from home.
2. Topeak Race Rocket MT - Only slightly longer, but higher volume for mtb use. Can also carry in a pocket, but it is slightly more bulky.
3. Silca Tattico - A top quality mini road pump, but slightly longer and heavier than the above. It will still go in a jersey pocket, but I carry this one on a bottle cage mount.
It’s not the weight saving over a full length frame pump that really matters, it’s the much smaller form factor. Frame pumps made sense on vintage steel triangle frames and still do today, but not on a modern aero road bike or mtb.
1. Lifeline micro pump - tiny, cheap little thing that slips unnoticed into a jersey pocket. Great for local rides, although I wouldn’t trust it for epic rides far from home.
2. Topeak Race Rocket MT - Only slightly longer, but higher volume for mtb use. Can also carry in a pocket, but it is slightly more bulky.
3. Silca Tattico - A top quality mini road pump, but slightly longer and heavier than the above. It will still go in a jersey pocket, but I carry this one on a bottle cage mount.
It’s not the weight saving over a full length frame pump that really matters, it’s the much smaller form factor. Frame pumps made sense on vintage steel triangle frames and still do today, but not on a modern aero road bike or mtb.
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#92
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I've had two flats since this thread started - on consecutive days no less. Both times used my Topeak Dual mini pump. Both times checked the pressure afterwards and found I'd stopped at 70psi. Good enough to get me home with relatively low risk of pinch flatting. Confident I could have gotten it to 90psi, had I been in a long ride. Not easily, but possible.
Road Morph on the rando bike is solid; reliable when 100 miles from the finish and 1000+ miles from home.
Road Morph on the rando bike is solid; reliable when 100 miles from the finish and 1000+ miles from home.
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#93
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#94
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I've had two flats since this thread started - on consecutive days no less. Both times used my Topeak Dual mini pump. Both times checked the pressure afterwards and found I'd stopped at 70psi. Good enough to get me home with relatively low risk of pinch flatting. Confident I could have gotten it to 90psi, had I been in a long ride. Not easily, but possible.
Road Morph on the rando bike is solid; reliable when 100 miles from the finish and 1000+ miles from home.
Road Morph on the rando bike is solid; reliable when 100 miles from the finish and 1000+ miles from home.
#95
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#96
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I carry and use CO2 cartridges. I do carry a mini pump as a back up. But a several have said mini pumps are a pain in the shorts.
#97
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Topeak Road Morph G is the Only Pump. Once you've borrowed one, you're gonna get your own. Only problem with it is that it doesn't come with a water bottle cage compatible mount. But either you have one in your spares box or pick up one at a bike shop. Don't be stuck pumping endlessly while your buds vanish into the distance, never to be seen again.
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I discovered it during my cross country tour back in 1999. Three of the 12 participants in the group had them. The rest of us were constantly borrowing them. Bought my own after I got home. It’s the only pump I’ll tour with.
#99
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Hard to believe this thread's been going for 15 years.
No, it isn't. It's still relevant.
No, it isn't. It's still relevant.
#100
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I use only the old aluminum Zefals HP and HPX and the full size Silcas with a Campy head of course. I've messed around with all sorts of others over the years but these just work and the Zefals are very tough even surviving falling off the bike and being run over by other bikes.