Tourist in MSN

Every few months a newbie starts a new thread and asks what kind of pump they should get. Most of us reply to get a Toppeak Road Morph G, a minority of us also have good things to say about the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive. Other pumps get mentioned too, but come in well behind first and second place. These models of the Toppeak and Lezyne pumps are essentially like miniature floor pumps, not unlike the bigger heavier ones that most of use at home. They are well designed, not much bigger or heavier than the other portable pumps, yet work almost as well as their full size cousins.

I own both the Lezyne and Toppeak. A good comparison has always been missing on previous posts about these pumps, so I decided to write up a comparison. And since I own two versions of the Lezyne, this comparison is of all three.

In the first photo, the top one is the Toppeak Road Morph G, middle one is Lezyne Micro Floor Drive High Pressure (HP) with gauge, and the bottom one is the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive High Volume (HV) with gauge. The Lezyne pumps are also sold without gauges, but I only have the ones with gauges. For brevity I will refer to these as the Toppeak, Lezyne HP and Lezyne HV instead of using their full model names. In the photos, disregard the black on the middle of the Toppeak and the two black stripes on one of the Lezyne pumps, I put a short piece of inner tube rubber on them so that they fit better in the brackets that I use. And disregard the little piece of tape over the Toppeak chuck, I often ride on gravel trails and I put the tape there to keep the dust out of the innards.



If you are trying to figure out the difference between the two Lezyne pumps, the smaller diameter cylinder on the middle pump makes it a better high pressure pump, the larger cylinder on the lower pump in the photo gives it a little more volume, but at reduced pressure. Otherwise the two Lezyne pumps appear to be identical. The pump with the larger cylinder also weighs a bit more.

There are several different Toppeak Morph series pumps. I am only discussing the Road Morph G here, as that is the only model I own and have used. Other similar models are listed here:
TopeakŪ Cycling Accessories ? Products - Pumps > Morph Pumps

After listing the link to the Toppeak, to be fair to Lezyne, here are their web links:
Lezyne - Engineered Design - Products - Hand Pumps - High Pressure - Micro Floor Drive HP/HPG
Lezyne - Engineered Design - Products - Hand Pumps - High Volume - Micro Floor Drive HV/HVG

Differences between these three pumps are listed below by topic.

Pressure. The pressure ratings by the manufacturers are 160 psi for the Toppeak, Lezyne HP is 160 psi, and Lezyne HV is 90 psi. Generally, I have trouble getting more than two thirds of those maximum rated pressures when I use these pumps. I find that pushing hard on the handle, the Toppeak is a bit more comfortable on the hand than the Lezyne, thus I can push harder on the Toppeak. If I had to draw a line between which Lezyne pump I would use on which size tire, I think that the HV (high volume/less pressure) is better for tires that are 2.0 width (50 mm) or wider, and the HP pump for narrower tires.

Valve Stem Types. Both Lezyne and Toppeak pumps can work on Presta and Schrader. I have no clue about other exotic valve types (Woods, Dunlop, etc.) since I do not use those valves. The Lezyne pumps have a threaded fitting that is reversed to change from one type to the other. The Toppeak has some parts under a knurled fitting that when removed and placed back differently change from one valve type to the other. Do not lose that knurled fitting on the Toppeak, make sure you put it on the pump tight enough to stay on. The Toppeak pump that I bought apparently was missing that when it was shipped to the previous owner, that is why I got the pump so cheap. I have also seen Toppeak pumps in stores that are missing that knurled fitting, so they appear to come from the factory a bit loose and sometimes get lost. I contacted Toppeak to get one, they charged me for an entire rebuild kit plus shipping for that little fitting.

Chuck. The Toppeak uses a lever to tighten a rubber bushing over your inner tube valve stem. The Lezyne chuck threads directly onto the valve stem. If you have Presta valves with a removable valve core, the valve core can stay stuck in your chuck when you remove it when you use the Lezyne pump. So, if you use removable cores, you should tighten them in the valve stem with an adjustable wrench to make sure they stay there. It takes a little longer to use the Lezyne pumps because of the additional time to unthread the chuck from where it is stored on the pump base, then thread it onto the valve, and when completed pumping unthread the chuck from the tube and thread it back onto the pump base. Both of my Lezyne pumps are earlier versions, the current versions shown on their websites have a brass colored chuck that is slightly different from mine.



Hose Length from Base of Pump. When you use the pump, you fold down the part that goes under your foot and hold the pump to the ground with your foot. Thus, the best measurement is not the measured length of hose, but the maximum height that the chuck can be above the ground. The Toppeak hose can be lengthened by a few inches by pulling the chuck and gauge upwards, length is 13.5 inches (340 mm) from base to chuck. Both Lezyne pumps have the same hose lengths, which is 24.5 inches (620 mm) from base to chuck. I find the longer hose on the Lezyne more convenient, but not critical for use, the shorter hose for the Toppeak is adequate.

Stroke Length and Cylinder Diameter. Toppeak stroke is about 9.0 inches (230 mm), Lezyne about 7.8 inches (200 mm). I however have not disassembled the pumps to measure the inside diameter of the pump cylinder, thus I have not calculated how much air volume there is for each stroke. (And, you never get all the air out of a pump stroke, but that is more detail than I want to get into here.) The outside diameters of the cylinders are Toppeak 0.92 inches (23.4 mm), Lezyne HP 0.85 inches (21.7 mm) and Lezyne HV 1.05 inches (26.7 mm). These measurements were made by me, they could differ slightly from manufacturers specifications.

Gauges. Both brands of pumps use small gauges that I find that I need to use reading glasses to use. In the photo, the Toppeak gauge is built into the chuck, the Lezyne is the lower gauge in the photo and is in-line in the hose. In the photo, only the PSI scale is shown for the Lezyne, there also is a bar scale on the other side. I am not sure how accurate they are, but in general terms the few times that I have compared the pressure reading from one of these gauges to a quality digital gauge, I have found that the gauges used by these pumps are up to about 5 to 10 psi off. So, if having exact pressure is important to you, you should buy and use a different gauge. I don't race cyclocross where I need to know my exact pressures in my tubular tires, so these gauges are good enough for me for touring use. Both of the Lezyne pumps (the HP and HV) are available without gauge for a lower cost. Of the two brands, I think the Lezyne gauge is a bit easier to read.



Weight. Toppeak = 7.57 oz (215 grams), Lezyne HP = 6.61 oz (187 grams), Lezyne HV = 7.44 oz (211 grams). These weights are what I weighed them on an electronic kitchen scale, thus may differ from manufacturers specifications. The Lezyne pumps without gauge might differ, but by how much I do not know.

Length of Pump. When collapsed for storage, Toppeak 13.8 inches (350 mm), Lezyne HP and HV both are 12.1 inches (310 mm). I did not bother to measure the height when extended, but attached photos of the pumps with the pump rod in the extended position.



Customer Service. As noted above, some Toppeak pumps have been sold that are missing a part and since I did not have a dated receipt, I had to pay for a rebuild kit and shipping to obtain the little knurled fitting. I have not had any reason to contact Lezyne, thus I have no comment on their customer service. It is interesting that there are a lot of spare parts available on the Toppeak website, but not on the Lezyne site, but not sure what that means.

Durability. I have not broken any parts on any of these pumps, but the heavy use of plastic on the Toppeak would make me a bit more nervous about that pump if I was going to be far from help. But I have seen almost no reports on Toppeak plastic parts breaking, so perhaps I am unjustifiably nervous about that? I have not measured the wall thickness of any of the pump cylinders on any of the pumps, so I can't comment on how easy it would be to dent the cylinder, but if you dented the cylinder that could of course hamper its use. I mentioned above that I bought the Lezyne HV as a used pump that was dysfunctional, it had a stuck check valve and once I figured that out and freed it up, it has worked faultlessly. I have no clue why it was stuck, but I am not going to worry about it since it works now. I have not heard of this happening on any other pumps, so I suspect it is a one-off problem.

Brackets. For around home use, I use different pump brackets that I have owned since before I bought these pumps. Thus, I do not use the Toppeak or Lezyne brackets and have no comments on them. I did put some inner tube rubber over the cylander on two of the pumps to make them fit my brackets better. Since these are expensive pumps, when touring I usually store the pump in a pannier where it is less likely to be stolen. But for around home use, the bike is usualy stored indoors so I am less concerned about pump theft.

Cost. Compared to the non-floor mini pumps or the longer frame fit pumps, these are rather expensive. I won't quote prices here because the costs vary depending on seller. I think the Lezyne ones without gauge are usually about the same cost as the Toppeak with gauge, but the Lezyne pumps with gauge usually cost a bit more. For reference I have listed the links to these pumps at REI, but note that the Lezyne that REI sells is without gauge and they only have the HP (high pressure) version, not the HV version.
Topeak Road Morph Pump with Gauge - REI.com
Lezyne HP Micro Floor Drive Mini Pump - REI.com

Other. I still leave a frame fit pump on my Rando bike for around home use, I own it so I might as well use it. And on this bike I am always within 20 or 30 miles of home so if I can't get a tire up to full pressure, it is not a crisis. You can see in the photo how much smaller these pumps are than the Zefal frame fit pump.



Which Do I Prefer? For touring, I usually carry the pump in my pannier, thus I usually carried the Lezyne HP because it is a little smaller and lighter. I have not owned the Lezyne HV long enough to have used it for a tour, but I am leaning towards using that pump on my next trip because that trip will probably not need more that about 55 psi in my tires, thus that pump has the right pressure range and it is a little smaller than the Toppeak pump. The Lezyne pumps take longer to use, but if I only add air once a week or less, that becomes a non-issue. I have been fortunate to have almost no flats on bike tours, but if I anticipated using the pump much more often than once a week, then the Toppeak would get much more consideration because the chuck is faster to use and the top handle is more comfortable in my hand. I like the longer hose on the Lezyne pumps, but on the priority list, that is a low priority. A friend of mine had up to 7 flats a day this past spring in the desert stretches of the Southern Tier, if I was going there I would bring the Toppeak for sure as it is faster to use. And if I was using sealant in my tubes, I would want to use the clamp on type chuck, thus I would only use the Toppeak if I was using tire sealant.

I noticed that the Toppeak Turbo Morph G pump at REI Outlet is on a 50 percent off sale right now. If I could use that pump without needing to use my reading glasses to see the gauge, I would be tempted to buy that if I did not already own the other pumps. But, when I already own these three pumps, I can't justify buying a fourth floor type pump. Now that I pointed out the sale price on that pump, I expect they will be out of stock shortly, if that happens I might delete this paragraph later.
Topeak Turbo Morph Pump - 2015 Overstock - REI.com

For those of you that are shopping, I hope this description is of use. But you would benefit from looking at both in the stores and comparing them yourselves instead of only relying on my comments.

Why do I have so many pumps? For years I used to use an old Zefal frame pump, before that a Silca frame fit pump. I bought the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive High Pressure (HP) with gauge new several years ago. Soon after I got that, I ran across a very good price on an unused Toppeak Road Morph G that was missing a part. The price was right, so I added that to my collection. And, a few months ago I bought a used dysfunctional Lezyne Micro Floor Drive High Volume (HV) for an exceptional price ($8) at a swap meet. I really did not need that third pump, but at that price it was screaming - take me home. After half an hour of fiddling with the dysfunctional pump while drinking a glass of wine and listening to a mindless TV show in the background, I got the pump to work as good as new.

Disclaimer: I have never worked for any company that manufactures or sells these pumps, and my last paid job in the bicycle industry was in 1973, which was before these pumps were invented. I have no financial interest in either pump, so I think this is an unbiased assessment.

I thought I could write this up in less than two hours, I sure got that wrong.

mrveloman

Thanks for the informative review with a lot of good information from someone who actually uses these two pumps. One thing thing you did not mention was relative effort to pump a tire with each pump. I am sure there would be a difference for pumping to 60 psi or 100 psi between the two Lezyne pumps. Would you say the all pumps require the same effort to pump a tire to say 60 psi or is the HV much easier? What about 100 psi - are the Topeak and HP about the same?
(Not sure what measurement you would use - time or number of strokes maybe)

mike

seeker333

Excellent product review, and certainly the best touring-specific pump review ever to grace bf.

I see Lezyne has redone the chuck, probably because the first one would almost always unscrew the Presta stem. The handle is still too small a surface area and a little pointy, causing uncomfortable pressure under use - you'd think they would have fixed that too when they revised the chuck. BTW, the HP model without the gauge weighs almost an ounce less - but I carry a separate gauge so weight is a wash.

It takes forever to write well, doesn't it?

I'm sure that within a month someone will start a thread asking "what kind of pump to buy".

mrveloman: Lezyne HP requires more stokes than the TRMG and LHV as it has a smaller cylinder volume, however the strokes are easier as pressure increases, so overall the effort is essentially the same. Main takeaway is any of these "grounded" pumps are easier to use than one held only in hands, which also have a greater likelihood of damaging the tube valve stem.

fietsbob

As another poster has said the cap thread On Presta is the same course thread as dunlop/woods ,

I see, the shaft thread is like Schrader (Schwalbe supples the same ring nut for both 'DV and AV)



I avoid removable valve-core Presta to avoid unscrewing the stem .

Tourist in MSN

I thought about how to assess that, but no two people are going to have the same arm strength, the wider tire crowd does not seek the same pressure that some of the ultra light road bike skinny tire crowd would.

I think the Lezyne HV would be best at no more than 60 psi (even though it was rated for more), so if you wanted more than about 60 psi, you could rule that pump out. That was my logic for saying that I think that pump would be the better Lezyne pump for a 2.0 or wider tire, as at that width you likely are not going over 60 psi.

The Lezyne HP moves less air than the other two pumps, so that would take a few more minutes to pump up a tire.

Other than that I have no clue how to assess that in a way that would be applicable to everyone.

I am a retired geological engineer. Some of the documents that I have written over the years have been read by thousands of people, so I have learned the hard way that careful polishing to remove as many ambiguities as possible is critical.

In a month when they ask what to buy, I will refer them to this link, but tell them to buy the one they want.

Thanks for the compliments.

shelbyfv

What a great review! I have a different Lezyne pump and dislike the screw on chuck. I've found it helps to remove the hose from the body of the pump, screw it onto the valve, then screw the pump back onto the hose. A nuisance but it otherwise works well.

dorkypants

I've had a Road Morph with Gauge since July 2005. I had to replace the washer on the plunger once, using Topeak's rebuild kit, but otherwise it's been working without a hitch. I used to carry it on the bike frame with Topeak's bracket, but since I usually ride with a hydration pack (yes, Fred-ly, on a road bike), I've been carrying it in the hydration pack for longer than I can remember. I suspect that may have kept it better protected from the elements (and subjected it to less UV exposure?) and consequently it's survived as long as it has. It's still going strong.

I've tried the Lezyne HP, and as you observe, I found its small metal T-handle less comfortable to keep pushing than the Topeak's fold-open plastic T-handle. BTW, once in a long while, I find I have to push the pin which forms pivot of the Topeak's handle back into place as it's starting to work its way out: this is easy to see as the pin is orange.

Seems to me I've seen the Topeak on sale from time to time, but the Lezynes almost never, so I'd say the Topeak can often be cheaper.

BikeLite

Lezynes on sale on Sierra Trading Post now.

treebound 

Thankyou for the first hand review of these pumps. I've currently got a Road Morph and my only real concerns about it is the pin on mine can slip out as noted above by someone, and about the screw cap coming loose and falling off somewhere. Other than that I like it, in fact I had misplaced my first one over a winter and got a second one, then finally found the first one.

One day I want to get a Lezyne HP just to try it out and because it is so compact, but until a deal comes along I'm fine with the Topeak pump.

vol

I'm so glad to have found the OP's post here. What a thorough and detailed review. Topeak Morph and Lezyne are the two most recommended frame pumps. I had the Topeak so keep wondering how the Lezyne compares to it Thanks a ton for spending the time writing this review!

I remember that when I had the Topeak Morph G, the mounting bracket was very brittle and easily broke when removing the pump from it. I contacted Topeak twice for replacement of the bracket. That was 3-4 years ago.

I like the look and metal build of Lezyne. I didn't think the Topeak handle was comfortable.

rm -rf

Mini
I used to carry a Mini Morph on a clip alongside my water bottle. It's the same as the Road Morph, but shorter. ( Now I have a CO2 in my bag, and will still carry the Mini in a trunk bag on long solo rides.)

So the stroke is shorter, and there's less air per stroke. That's the tradeoff.
I counted about 200 strokes to get my 25c tire up to about 90 psi. And I was leaning a lot of my weight into the pump at the end (with one end on the ground as usual). So no pressure gauge is needed, you'll want to stop well before it hits 100 psi.

Mini Morph
154 grams
10.4 inches long

Road Morph
220 grams
13.8 inches long

fietsbob

In the pannier such a mini pump goes.. bike friday 20" wheels..

But on tour I liked the amount of air moved and the compression ratio, of a Long Stroke frame fit pump, to top up my Tires.. 622-40

J.Higgins 

@Tourist in MSN What a great review! These posts are what make THIS subforum great! You deserve a round of applause!

tarwheel 

Great review but you glossed over one of the most important features for me -- the mounts. I actually prefer full-size frame pumps for that reason, because they are easier to mount. In that regard, the Topeak Road Morph full frame pump is great. I also have a Road Morph G.

Chuck Naill

I have the Topeak and store it in a pannier. I didn't like the mounting bracket.

Tourist in MSN

NoControl, thanks for the applause. The photos got a bit messed up with they changed the software on this website, but at least the old format of larger photos still works. The new software that makes the photos tiny is problematic.

I do not use the mount that came with either the Toppeak or the Lezyne. About a decade ago I bought several Blackburn pumps that were on sale, have been using those mounts plus one that I think is for a Zefal mini-pump. That is why I was silent on the brackets in my writeup.

jefnvk

I bought the Road Morph G first, thats the only reason I'm attached. Never had an issue with it, used it for a few months as a floor pump when my big one went out, and for $25 that it regularly goes on sale for at Performance, well worth every penny I paid. Basically, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

It spends most of its life in a pannier or bungeed to a rack, as it goes between multiple bikes, cant really comment on the carrier quality.

robow

Did you ever count the strokes it took to obtain a certain level of pressure with each pump? Just curious or maybe I missed it in there buried with all the other good stuff. Well done.

Tourist in MSN

No, and I never tried to calculate the volume of each pump. But, I did mention stroke length which shows that one of them has a lot more stroke length than the other, thus probably fewer strokes needed.

Trying to measure how many strokes for a certain amount of pressure would vary so much for each tire size.

robow

True, but I would think the relationship for the 3 pumps might hold true for any tire/tube size and so would still give comparative data. I'm pretty sure we can't extrapolate length of stroke vs. pressure obtained since there would be several other variables involved, ie volume of cylinder, quality of seals, thickness of walls and so on.

Anyway, thanks for the nice write up

vol

@robow, One guy had this to say here (saw it before I found this thread):

COG63

Is there a significant pressure loss when removing the Lezyne chuck fom the valve stem?

Tourist in MSN

When using a presta, I do not have any loss of air from the tire, the presta valve closes quickly.

Shrader, I have no opinion because I have not used the Lezyne on a shrader.

phughes

I have had my Road Morph mounted on my LHT on the seat tube, between it and the rear tire since 2011 and it has held up well, and has never failed. I love having the 26 inch wheel LHT since I can mount the pump behind the seat tube. Out of the.

Thanks for the great review. I had a Zefal frame pump for many years, and was going to put one on the LHT, but I like the Road Morph and pumps like it since it is less likely to damage the valve stem. Of course I never damaged one with the Zefal, but the mountain bike I had it mounted on used Schrader valves.

Dark Arrow

Thanks for the review mate. Excellent. I've got the Lezyne HP and it works for me. (Schrader valve to 75psi)