Flats and stupid mini-pumps
#101
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.
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#102
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No pump (however small) is stupid when you're sweaty, in gay-superhero costume, standing in plastic shoes beside a shoulderless road with 55+mph traffic whizzing by a few feet from you on a sweltering day.
Lifejackets seem pretty stupid when the boat is floating perfectly fine.
Lifejackets seem pretty stupid when the boat is floating perfectly fine.
#103
Full Member
Originally Posted by indyfabz;[url=tel:23179717
23179717[/url]]Funny. In 1987 I was riding on SR 47 in Leesburg, NJ when my Zefal frame pump fell off due to a very bumpy road surface. I think I also hit it with my knee. I ran over and crushed it. True story.
#104
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CO2 is my main call for re-inflation in the wild. For longer rides and events, I wear a hydration pack with a mini-pump tucked away in the bottom of the main compartment, for emergency backup.
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#105
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I had the smaller pumps hated them. I upgraded to a med size pump SILCA Tattico Mini Pump. It's still not fun to pump up a tire on the side of the road but it's less painful than the mini pump.
I am like 1 for 4 with the CO2 so I don't like using them unless I have to seat a tubeless tire.
I am like 1 for 4 with the CO2 so I don't like using them unless I have to seat a tubeless tire.
#106
Senior Member
I had the smaller pumps hated them. I upgraded to a med size pump SILCA Tattico Mini Pump. It's still not fun to pump up a tire on the side of the road but it's less painful than the mini pump.
I am like 1 for 4 with the CO2 so I don't like using them unless I have to seat a tubeless tire.
I am like 1 for 4 with the CO2 so I don't like using them unless I have to seat a tubeless tire.
#107
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I don't expect a mini pump to get me higher than 60psi, which is usually enough to get me home or assistance.
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#108
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I had the smaller pumps hated them. I upgraded to a med size pump SILCA Tattico Mini Pump. It's still not fun to pump up a tire on the side of the road but it's less painful than the mini pump.
I am like 1 for 4 with the CO2 so I don't like using them unless I have to seat a tubeless tire.
I am like 1 for 4 with the CO2 so I don't like using them unless I have to seat a tubeless tire.
what type of cartridges and inflator are you using ?
I used CO2 for years (years ago) - and worked very well at the time I used a Qwikfill inflator that is no longer available
#109
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$22 113 grams
Lezyne Sport Drive HV Bicycle Hand Pump, 90psi, Gravel, Mountain Bike, Presta and Schrader Valve, High Volume
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...TF8&th=1&psc=1
I am using this one now
$70 165 grams
SILCA Tattico Mini Pump
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The build quality is really nice on it. It works much better than the smaller Lezyne Sport Drive.
My friend has this one
$55 249 grams
Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HP/HPG Bicycle Portable Floor Pump, Road, Gravel Bike, High Pressure, ABS Flip Chuck, Presta/Schrader
https://www.amazon.com/LEZYNE-Micro-...QO7&th=1&psc=1
It works better than mine. It's a little bigger and heavier though. Being able to put it on the ground and use your body helps a lot.
A few other friends have the small battery pump. That seems kind of nice I just don't know if I would remember to charge all the time. And we have all seen our cordless drills, laptops, phones be practically useless after a few years.
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#110
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Pro Bike Tool CO2 Inflator - Quick & Easy
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
When the work they are amazing.
Between me and all the group rides I have been on I have seen too many times for what reason they/I waste a cartride and have to resort to a hand pump.
One time it did save me though. I tubeless tire blew off my rime on my gravel bike which required me to use co2 to seat the tire. then i used my hand pump to put air in the tire to get home.
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#111
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I saved a run-over HP years ago by running a dowel inside it. Stayed on that bike and was used for years. Forget what happened to it but that incident wasn't a factor. (Felt the bump every stroke and the handle had an arc to it my shoulder loved.)
#112
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Consider something like this as an alternative:
https://www.amazon.com/Kapopop-K1-In...s%2C129&sr=8-1
Weighs just over a pound, or about the same as a half liter of water. If it can pump up a car tire, a bicycle tire should be pretty fast. Where you carry it is up to you, don't think it comes with a frame mount.
https://www.amazon.com/Kapopop-K1-In...s%2C129&sr=8-1
Weighs just over a pound, or about the same as a half liter of water. If it can pump up a car tire, a bicycle tire should be pretty fast. Where you carry it is up to you, don't think it comes with a frame mount.
#113
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I knocked my Zefal off with my knee while crossing an intersection. Parked my bike and started back to pick it up. Lady waiting for the light looked at me and ran right over my pump. Couldn't save that one.
#115
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Pro Bike Tool CO2 Inflator - Quick & Easy
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
When the work they are amazing.
Between me and all the group rides I have been on I have seen too many times for what reason they/I waste a cartride and have to resort to a hand pump.
One time it did save me though. I tubeless tire blew off my rime on my gravel bike which required me to use co2 to seat the tire. then i used my hand pump to put air in the tire to get home.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
When the work they are amazing.
Between me and all the group rides I have been on I have seen too many times for what reason they/I waste a cartride and have to resort to a hand pump.
One time it did save me though. I tubeless tire blew off my rime on my gravel bike which required me to use co2 to seat the tire. then i used my hand pump to put air in the tire to get home.
I used the CO2 cartridges / Qwickfill and spare tube (and then later another friend’s spare tube) for two guys that insisted on running their 700 x 20 clinchers under 100 psi … in our area / roads this was a recipe for pinch flats … and they pinch flatted
we then rode the remainder (and majority) of a metric century with no additional CO2 cartridges and no spare tubes … did have patches and a micro pump though
Last edited by t2p; 03-22-24 at 11:40 AM.
#116
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#118
#119
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If my new Topeak Roadie TT mini pump is any indication, mini-pump technology has improved considerably.
The TT stands for Twin Turbo, their marketing name for a bi-directional, two-stage pump. Apologies for the upside-down photo; my real computer is busted.
It's short. Strokes are easy in both directions, and don't seem to get harder with higher pressure. The many short, smooth strokes are productive. Although a 49mm tire would be daunting, I pumped up a 23mm tubular without much trouble at all, once I figured out a good way to grip the head with my index finger while pumping. Because of the two-stage design, the skinny center tube is at the pump-head end, not the handle end - the entire pump body is the handle, which screws in tight to the head, tight enough as it came that it puzzled me for awhile. No gauge, Presta valves only.
Almost like a tubular pump for a new generation!
The TT stands for Twin Turbo, their marketing name for a bi-directional, two-stage pump. Apologies for the upside-down photo; my real computer is busted.
It's short. Strokes are easy in both directions, and don't seem to get harder with higher pressure. The many short, smooth strokes are productive. Although a 49mm tire would be daunting, I pumped up a 23mm tubular without much trouble at all, once I figured out a good way to grip the head with my index finger while pumping. Because of the two-stage design, the skinny center tube is at the pump-head end, not the handle end - the entire pump body is the handle, which screws in tight to the head, tight enough as it came that it puzzled me for awhile. No gauge, Presta valves only.
Almost like a tubular pump for a new generation!
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#120
Senior Member
I only read a few of the posts. I use a mini pump just to get the tire seated on the rim and run it the rest of the way up with a CO2 inflator. . I always deflate the tire when I get home and pump it up with air