mstateglfr 

Micropumps are da debil. I think they exist as a last option for those that use co2.
The Topeak Morph line of pumps legitimately pumps up road, gravel, and mtb tires within a minute or two and is relatively easy to use since you have a hose and can leverage the pump against the ground.

Just a suggestion in case you look to keep a pump as a spare option.
The morph line isn't super compace and out of the way, it mounts on your bike, so that may be a deal breaker for those that can't handle seeing things attzched to their bike.

WhyFi

Yup. OP seems like a nice guy and I'm happy to engage in discussion here, but this (and a couple other recent posts) seems to be an exercise in driving his traffic elsewhere.

shelbyfv

We do have a Bloggers section. Maybe someone could suggest that.

phrantic09

same here- if I need to stop for water/whatever I can’t go in a store without it.

SethAZ 

I really don't want a large pump, but if I'm going to bother carrying a micropump as my Plan C, one step ahead of making the call of shame, then it needs at least to be capable of doing the job, even if it's a PITA. I'll test my current micropump in my garage and establish what it can and cannot do with my larger tires before I make the call on replacing it with a different model. In the meantime I'll add a 2nd CO2 cartridge to the saddle bag. My micropump did seem to be getting air into the tire yesterday, it was just going to take forever to actually get it up to a rideable pressure, and the temptation to blow the CO2 cartridge became overwhelming. Since that's why I carry the cartridge to begin with, it's a good reminder of just why that's supposed to be plan A. Not sure why I thought to spare the cartridge and tried the micropump first yesterday.

On a lighter note, several cars and pickups came out of the housing area on whose corner I stopped to change the tube, and nearly every car paused to see if I was alright, and I had to look up and smile and give the thumb's up to one guy in a pickup who wanted to make sure I was OK before he drove off. It was a good reminder that not all motorists are sphincters towards cyclists.

canklecat

A little background story about that baggie with gloves and mask...

A month ago I was out for a night ride along a favorite route that typically goes 20-50 miles depending on how I feel. It's mostly along an interstate access road with very little traffic at night. The main hazard I watch for is critters crossing the road, so I run two or three headlights spread across toward the roadsides.

Around the 40 mile mark I realized I'd brought only one water bottle and a couple of gels and it was getting chilly after midnight. I stopped at a well maintained truck stop for coffee and some kind of sugar bomb -- donut or fruit pie, I'm not picky.

I checked inside through the door, saw only the clerk, waved and said I was going to put on my mask and gloves. She waved me in. During the previous week back in March or early April this year a bandit wearing a surgical mask robbed a couple of convenience stores and shot one clerk. Being an idiot with a distinctive body shape, walk, hair, etc., he was quickly recognized despite the mask and ratted out by his own neighbors. I figured convenience store clerks might be a bit wary so I usually go in without the mask, then put it on.

We chatted a bit while I was shopping. We had similar backgrounds -- ex-military, eventually moving closer to our parents to help as caregivers. I did that for both grandparents in the 1990s-early 2000s, then again with my mom until she died in 2018. So I offered some encouragement and reminded the clerk to take care of her own health, etc. I fell into the usual caregiver trap of being so busy looking after other people I neglected my own health for years. Eventually I ended up with thyroid cancer that might have been spotted and fixed years earlier... if I had bothered to visit a doctor.

Anyway, we had a nice chat. A couple other customers came in, no masks, so I went outside to sit and finish my coffee and sugar bomb.

As I prepared to leave the clerk walked out and handed me that baggie with the mask and gloves. The company provided them for clerks so they had plenty for each shift. I already had most of a box of a few dozen masks at home -- I always keep basic home medical supplies anyway -- but accepted the mask and gloves and thanked her. It's a handy size for a jersey pocket or saddle bag.

BTW, a little trick for reusing those paper surgical masks -- you can reuse them quite a few times by steaming them with a steam iron (no actual physical contact with the iron needed), or a fabric steamer used to remove wrinkles. The steam is scalding hot at close range, but cools very quickly only a few inches away. It'll kill most microbes within seconds and refresh the mask so it doesn't retain our own funky breath odor. I recycle three masks that way, checking them for pinholes and wear by holding them up to the light. Since I fold them and stuff 'em in a pocket, that's the main source of wear and tear.

oxman

This is very helpful tip for me. There are so many knowledgeable people that share tips that are so useful. Thank you so much!

Drew Eckhardt 

I've always brought a pair of nitrile gloves because riding hours with dirty hands is unpleasant and they take the edge off when you're fixing a flat in cold wet weather.