Bike Forums

Bike Forums (https://www.bikeforums.net/forum.php)
-   Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) (https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=23)
-   -   Which mini-pump for gravel tires? (https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=1253601)

Koyote 06-16-22 11:42 AM

Which mini-pump for gravel tires?
 
Hi all.

Had to plug and pump up a 38mm gravel tire on today's ride, and my pump (Silca Tattico) is designed more for road tires; took about 160 strokes to get the tire from squishy to 'just right,' and that was a lot of fun in the high heat and humidity. This got me thinking that I might buy a Lezyne pump designed for higher volume tires from their HV series...The question is, which one? They have quite a few, and it's pretty hard to discern any differences. Produce page here.

Any input and experience appreciated.

Polaris OBark 06-16-22 12:26 PM

I went with the Silca full-frame pump, since it was only $175 smackaroos (I don't think I have heard anyone use that term since the Flintstones/Honeymooners), and matches my color scheme. I got sick of mini-pumps and CO_2 cartridges.

Any decent high-volume mountain bike pump should work.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/03...g?v=1627405843

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6112eccc1.jpeg

Steve B. 06-16-22 01:59 PM

I just use whatever I have, I.E. I don't think about needing a "different" type of pump. I'm generally putting less air pressure into 43mm gravel tires, somewhere around 30-40 psi, vs. 105 -110 into a 25mm road tire. Takes the same effort and pumps as far as I can tell.

Polaris OBark 06-16-22 02:02 PM

Lower-pressure, higher volume pumps will fill big tires faster with a comparable amount of pumping effort.

dwmckee 06-16-22 04:50 PM

For gravel, you want a pump with a larger barrel for faster filling of large, lower pressure tires. And you want a very accurate gauge since gravel tires can be vastly different at 33 vs 36 PSI. We recommend this as one of our favorites for gravel. It has a great accurate gauge and is easy to adjust pressure both up and down in small increments. MICRO FLOOR DRIVE DIGITAL HVG | MOUNTAIN AND GRAVEL BIKE PUMP – Lezyne No more just squeeze in and saying that is about right...

Accurately dialing in your tire pressure can make a huge difference. I would not want to use a pump without a gauge unless you carry a separate gauge, and to me that is a pain to go back and forth.

Polaris OBark 06-16-22 04:58 PM

I thought my frame pump that I suggested was too large and heavy for most people. Who rides with a floor pump?

Also, I routinely vary my tire pressure by 10 or 15 psi for gravel rides with no ill effects. The vendor (Rene Herse) recommends this.

Dino_Sore 06-17-22 06:48 AM

I've got the Lezyne Alloy Drive pumps for both of my gravel bikes and the HV Drive on my mountain bike. I really don't get a lot of flat tires so I can't really give you an extensive rundown on the differences except price (the Alloy is more expensive) and size (the Alloy is more compact). They all work well, but the best feature is the flexible hose. The working parts are also shielded from the elements. I suspect pumps where the head is exposed are more likely to have rubber parts deteriorate from sun, dirt, water, etc.

chaadster 06-17-22 07:33 AM

I carry and use the Specialized AirTool MTB on my 650bx48 bike, and it takes pressure up pretty quick in those big tires. I don’t have exact figures, but I’ve dealt with slow leaks, so I know I can go from unrideably low PSI to just-sub-optimal PSI in about 60 strokes, so maybe something like 20psi up to 45psi. It’s quick, anyway.

AirTool MTB pump action is great, and the machining offers good grip so I save effort there, too. It’s also a super-clean, sleek design which I think looks sharp. The main fault is that it is a rigid, lock-on head rather than a more ergonomic hosed head, but for infrequent and emergency use, I’ll take rapid deployment and filling over the hose.

I’ve several Lezyne Road Drive as well as an AirTool Road (on my 35c gravel race bike), so those are my points of comparison.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ai...ext=47218-3000

veloz 06-17-22 12:17 PM

  • I have an older Blackburn 2-Stage. When the high volume setting gets hard to pump, I’m around 35-40psi which is where I run 38s. I’ve toured with that pump for years, 7”L, fits in a wedge seat pack and it’s never let me down. Switching to the high pressure setting, it fills a 25mm road tire to get home but takes some strokes. Blackburn makes a slightly newer version now. A friend has a Crank Bros 2-stage and I’ve seen it work on both gravel & road tires too. Yes, both pumps take a bit of skill as they attach directly with no hose.

zen_ 06-19-22 04:44 PM

+1 for Blackburn 2 stage, I just carry that in my jersey pocket now for all bikes. It replaced two Lezyne pumps that were well-made and serviceable, so probably would have lasted decades, but there is nothing worse than having your valve core pulled out after inflating a tire with a mini pump.

mstateglfr 06-19-22 07:09 PM


Originally Posted by dwmckee (Post 22544216)
For gravel, you want a pump with a larger barrel for faster filling of large, lower pressure tires. And you want a very accurate gauge since gravel tires can be vastly different at 33 vs 36 PSI. We recommend this as one of our favorites for gravel. It has a great accurate gauge and is easy to adjust pressure both up and down in small increments. MICRO FLOOR DRIVE DIGITAL HVG | MOUNTAIN AND GRAVEL BIKE PUMP – Lezyne No more just squeeze in and saying that is about right...

Accurately dialing in your tire pressure can make a huge difference. I would not want to use a pump without a gauge unless you carry a separate gauge, and to me that is a pain to go back and forth.

How big is this thing? It looks sizable in width.

dwmckee 06-26-22 08:07 PM


Originally Posted by mstateglfr (Post 22547424)
How big is this thing? It looks sizable in width.

Roughly a foot long. Fits easily in a top tube bag, jersey pocket or on a mount next to a water bottle. Here is why we like it:
- The long hose means no side force on the valve stem while pumping
- The gauge is really accurate for small pressure tweaks
- There is a pressure release button to drop a PSI or two if you over-pressure
- The foot peg lets you push down against the ground instead of having to use both arms
- It fills tires really fast
- It is the pump everyone prefers to use to adjust tire pressure on a group ride.
- Really rugged construction

There certainly are smaller pumps out there, but if you plan to use the pump instead of carry it this is great!

79pmooney 06-26-22 08:51 PM

I simply carry a Zephal HPX on all my bikes. Small enough bore to get any tire to 120psi plus. Long enough barrel that I rarely pump 100 strokesa for any kingd of tire. 38s to a road pressure of 65-70 psi - no big deal. So I just ride to the gravel at full pressure, bleed 'till it feels right, adjust as needed after I see what that trail feels like, and pump back to full full road for the ride home.

Now, all my bikes are skinny tubed metal bikes where fitting the pump is easy. I'd have to do some creative thought on how to carry those pumps on a CF bike artistically. (Why CF bikes don't have little pegs molded into the head tube that might weigh 1 gram is beyond me.)

Oh, those pumps fit over the valve, then clamp on. It is really easy to wrap your hand around the pump head and lock your fingers around the spokes or thumb against the rim so the valve does not see any of your pumping force. And the on-off is really fast and easy! (With the clamping system, the gasket is so relaxed when it is off that removal with threaded valves doesn't prematurely wear out gaskets. Edit: I have never noticed breakdown from the elements, sunlight, water, grease, hot or cold in 50 years of carrying and using those pumps (and their predecessor) on every bike. I regularly get a decade or more out of gaskets, even before I owned a floor pump. They are bank breakers at about $40. (It's advisable to spend another $5 for a velcro pump strap. They have an inclination to fall off when cars are behind you.)

mstateglfr 06-27-22 08:29 AM


Originally Posted by dwmckee (Post 22554932)
Roughly a foot long. Fits easily in a top tube bag, jersey pocket or on a mount next to a water bottle. Here is why we like it:
- The long hose means no side force on the valve stem while pumping
- The gauge is really accurate for small pressure tweaks
- There is a pressure release button to drop a PSI or two if you over-pressure
- The foot peg lets you push down against the ground instead of having to use both arms
- It fills tires really fast
- It is the pump everyone prefers to use to adjust tire pressure on a group ride.
- Really rugged construction

There certainly are smaller pumps out there, but if you plan to use the pump instead of carry it this is great!

Interesting. More than the length, the width is important since something too wide will interfere with the pedal stroke and that looks really wide.
I will definitely look into it as the quality seems to be top notch.

I have Topeak Road Morph pumps on my bikes and love them because they have a hose, little flip out leg, psi indicator, and is about the same length so it fills at a relatively fast pace. But something like the Lezyne could be a neat item to switch to and I do have a bike that doesnt have a pump.
My Topeak sits next to my seat tube bottle cage. This Lezyne still seems like it will stick out too far when stored next to a bottle cage, but hopefully that is just the image perspective.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ce5e0f3c9b.jpg

dwmckee 06-27-22 10:16 AM


Originally Posted by mstateglfr (Post 22555248)
Interesting. More than the length, the width is important since something too wide will interfere with the pedal stroke and that looks really wide.
I will definitely look into it as the quality seems to be top notch.

I have Topeak Road Morph pumps on my bikes and love them because they have a hose, little flip out leg, psi indicator, and is about the same length so it fills at a relatively fast pace. But something like the Lezyne could be a neat item to switch to and I do have a bike that doesnt have a pump.
My Topeak sits next to my seat tube bottle cage. This Lezyne still seems like it will stick out too far when stored next to a bottle cage, but hopefully that is just the image perspective.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ce5e0f3c9b.jpg

I have two Road Morphs and they are great pumps but switched to this now as my main pump because the gauge is much more precise. The Road Morph gauge seemed to not provide very repeatable pressure measurement. As we got more into gravel we realized that +/- 3 PSI is a huge difference in handling. I was never a fan of the squeeze-n-go pressure adjustment system and I have done the 'hit the valve for 3 seconds to drop 3 PSI' method before and, frankly it is pretty useless for dialing in pressure accurately. I set it precisely before I ride and then never have to fiddle with it mid-ride.

I use a top tube bag to carry my pump and cannot comment on carrying on the down tube, but the barrel width is about the same as any other pump and you can align the hose so it is up and down not side to side.

I ride 38 mm tires frequently and in rougher hilly terrain so off 3 PSI from my target min pressure means either whacking a carbon rim on a fast decent or spinning out on a climb. The max difference in pressure I ride is only about 7-8 PSI from the highest to lowest.

This is now the go-to pump on our group rides, especially with a lot of noobs that are having handling issues. It is common to find out that their pressure is off 15 PSI or more from what they thought it was, and how shocked they are to see how dialing in correct pressure affects their ability to control their bike.

It is a really simple thing to get pressure dialed in on every ride with a good pump and gauge, and then you can just enjoy the ride!

black_box 07-05-22 03:08 PM

I have the road morph G (with gauge, but it's not great) and have been happy with it for cross and mountain bike tubes. Effort level is a little high for road pressures.

FYI, it's probably 14 years old now and I pulled it out this weekend to help two women top up a slow leak. The rubber seal on the pump was a bit cracked and dry, so getting it onto the fully threaded presta tube on this ladies hybrid was challenging. I was a bit worried as the partial deflation went to full deflation before I got it on properly! Thankfully it sealed and pumped up quickly. Time for some maintenance or a new pump.

autonomy 07-11-22 02:44 PM

I have been using a Road Morph for who knows how long, just move it between my road/gravel bikes as necessary. Just had to fix a post-rail-trail flat on vacation on a 700x50mm tire recently and have to say I had a harder time with this pump getting a 28mm to 100PSI rather than inflating a 50mm to 50PSI. The gauge is nearly useless though (accurate to the next 10PSI!).

Curious about that Lezyne now... come on, I don't need any new bike equipment.

dwmckee 07-12-22 08:30 PM


Originally Posted by autonomy (Post 22571300)
I have been using a Road Morph for who knows how long, just move it between my road/gravel bikes as necessary. Just had to fix a post-rail-trail flat on vacation on a 700x50mm tire recently and have to say I had a harder time with this pump getting a 28mm to 100PSI rather than inflating a 50mm to 50PSI. The gauge is nearly useless though (accurate to the next 10PSI!).

Curious about that Lezyne now... come on, I don't need any new bike equipment.

The Lezyne comes in different models (barrel diameters) to optimize for low or high pressure needs. The valve screws onto the Presta or Schrader valve stem so you never have to worry about it coming off/leaking/pulling the valve core nut off. Long hose is great so you can rest the bottom against the ground when you pump. It is pricey though as the downside. I use mine on just about every group ride to help others dial in pressure so it was worth the extra expense for me. Best thing is that there is almost zero volume between the pump washer and check valve at the end of each stroke so you do not lose 10% of each stroke to pump rebound; that may be why it fills tires reasonably quickly.

autonomy 07-13-22 09:13 AM


Originally Posted by dwmckee (Post 22572793)
The valve screws onto the Presta or Schrader valve stem so you never have to worry about it coming off/leaking/pulling the valve core nut off.

That's good to know, I actually hate how difficult the Road Morph is to get off the Presta valves, always afraid to snap them off

pdlamb 07-13-22 12:39 PM


Originally Posted by dwmckee (Post 22572793)
The valve screws onto the Presta or Schrader valve stem so you never have to worry about it coming off/leaking/pulling the valve core nut off.

I thought that was the knock against the Lezyne, that it was easy to unscrew the Presta valve as you were unscrewing the pump.


Originally Posted by autonomy (Post 22573180)
That's good to know, I actually hate how difficult the Road Morph is to get off the Presta valves, always afraid to snap them off

If the Road Morph head is tight, you can unscrew the cap about a quarter turn; it'll come off the valve easy after that. Probably a good idea to screw it back tight before you ride off, just to keep it from unscrewing (and being lost).

dwmckee 07-13-22 07:56 PM


Originally Posted by pdlamb (Post 22573485)
I thought that was the knock against the Lezyne, that it was easy to unscrew the Presta valve as you were unscrewing the pump.

Hmmm... Than has never been an issue for me with the Lezyne.

chaadster 07-14-22 07:55 AM


Originally Posted by dwmckee (Post 22573905)
Hmmm... Than has never been an issue for me with the Lezyne.

The hose/connector on the Micro Floor Drive is different than the ones used on the smaller hand pumps (e.g. Road Drive, Pressure Drive, Alloy Drive, etc.) which are the ones generally involved in complaints. However, I’ve been using the hosed Lezyne pumps, of which I have three in service, for 10 years and I can maybe, vaguely, recall partially unscrewing a valve core once, which leads me to think that to the extent this is an issue, it’s a matter of technique…basically “user error.” There are definitely easier-to-use heads out there, but at the expense of size and weight.

Koyote 07-14-22 09:42 AM


Originally Posted by chaadster (Post 22574199)
The hose/connector on the Micro Floor Drive is different than the ones used on the smaller hand pumps (e.g. Road Drive, Pressure Drive, Alloy Drive, etc.) which are the ones generally involved in complaints. However, I’ve been using the hosed Lezyne pumps, of which I have three in service, for 10 years and I can maybe, vaguely, recall partially unscrewing a valve core once, which leads me to think that to the extent this is an issue, it’s a matter of technique…basically “user error.” There are definitely easier-to-use heads out there, but at the expense of size and weight.

I run tubeless, which means that I regularly (each month or so) unscrew the valve cores to check sealant levels...and then screw them in firmly when finished. So I don't reckon the valve core thing would be a problem. And I do also reckon that it's a random thing, or maybe more likely to happen to people who never check their valve cores.

Kind of leaning toward the Lezyne Alloy HV pump, since I'm comfortable taking care of on-the-road issues without a gauge. Hell, last week I finished a ride and had sealant all over my frame's rear triangle -- I mean, more sealant than I've ever seen after a ride. The tire was down 10-12 psi from when I'd started. (went from 38 to 26.) I didn't even notice anything while riding. So, I guess I'm not very sensitive to tire pressure. :)

chaadster 07-14-22 10:30 AM

Lezyne offer the ABS Pen Gauge hose to replace the standard Flex Hose in so-equipped hand pumps (e.g. Road Drive, Alloy Drive, etc.)

https://ride.lezyne.com/products/1-rp-gauge-penv2

dwmckee 07-14-22 08:31 PM

It would be interesting to have someone try this out to see how accurate it is. The slider type gauges I have used like this in the past tended to jump around 5 - 7 PSI on each stroke. I really like the digital gauge on the pump mentioned above because it steadily rises in pressure as you pump with just very small fluctuations.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:16 PM.


Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.