lectraplayer

I would like to find a good pump to carry on my bike for instances like the unexpected flat while on a ride. Not looking to give up Mr. Franklin but I do want a decent model. Also, CO2 counts. What would I look for in a pump?

dsbrantjr

Topeak Road Morph G. Air is free and unlimited, CO2 is neither.

nymtber

CO2 is great for people without much hand/arm strength. Sure, the Road Morph is a lot easier than most pumps, but its still not as easy as a floor pump. CO2 is fast, and I don't get enough flats to warrant carrying a large pump on my road bike. The inflator and cartridges (2) fit into my under-seat bag with my tube, patch kit, bike muti-tool, quick links, and tire levers. I need to remember to toss in a few spare nipples (build my own wheels) and Veloplugs (spoke hole plugs). Just in case. The patch kit has room in its case for that!

If you don't mind a bigger pump on your bike, the road morph is good...

JanMM

I carry a Mountain Morph on our tandem, a Road Morph one of my single bikes, and a Mini Morph on the other single, which I use for commuting.

johnny99

I use the Topeak Mini Morph. Just as easy to use as the Road Morph, except that it takes a little longer to reach 100psi. I don't trust CO2, especially on long solo rides in remote areas (no cell phone coverage).

lopek77

Don't forget that there are different bikes and tube/tire sizes. And some cartridges are faulty.
- 2 cartridges may be not enough for pumping the tire to correct pressure
- What if you have second flat?
- My Spin doctor frame pump weights less than 2 co2 cartridges.
To me CO2 cartridges are awesome to make a club soda, but may leave you stranded on the side of the road. It happened to me once, and I was pushing/riding bike with my "inflated" tires almost 10 miles to the nearest town. I bought that hand pump the same day lol

BikeAnon

Why are people responding as if co2 or hand-pumps are an either/or proposition?

Get a very-mini CO2, AND a hand pump. You'll never notice you are carrying them, and it's great to have the option. I opt for the co2 more times than not, but I like knowing the hand pump is there.

cpach

I've been rolling with a Genuine Innovations Airchuck and a Topeak Race Rocket AL lately. The Race Rocket is stupid small/light, a great pump as a CO2 backup, and it WILL get you home (and even to high pressure if you have incredible patience and strength). The Mini Morph is a fantastically usable pump that still fits in a jersey pocket. The Road Morph G has a nice pressure gauge, and is efficient enough that it could damn near replace a floor pump. I've used a few other pumps, but Topeak really seems to have hand pumps DOWN.

People rag on CO2, but it's a reasonable call if you're riding with a group that has to wait for you. It's really not expensive, especially if you buy cartridges in bulk off eBay. They recycle--frankly, I doubt that they're a very meaningful part of my personal ecological impact. And sometimes you're cold, tired, in the rain, and need to get somewhere on a deadline. CO2 is amazing in these cases.

zacster

I started with the old style Silca frame fit pumps, moved on to CO2 for a while, then went to a mini pump, but recently bought a Road Morph G. The Road Morph is the pump that I've been looking for all these years. It is small enough, light and can still pump a MTB tire up reasonably quickly, and get a road tire to 110 without problem. Built in gauge is a huge plus. While it may not be super accurate, it is accurate enough for the road. You don't have to part with a Benjamin for it either.

I put the mount on my road bike, giving up a bottle cage for it. I put it in my bag when I'm commuting on my other bike. It fits in a jersey pocket easily enough also.

Kimmo

The way I ride, I don't bother carrying anything. Maybe once every eighteen months or so I have to walk to a train station.

KenshiBiker

This.

RPK79

Amazon.com: Topeak Mini DXG MasterBlaster Bike Pump: Sports & Outdoors

Just picked this up last month. It has a "SmartHead" that works on both types of valves. I let the air out of a tire and easily pumped it up to 90 psi. Could have gone further, but didn't want to spend any more time on a tire that was going to go low again before it got ridden (I hate MN). I'm happy with it. Low profile and does its job well.

ClarkinHawaii

Over the past month I have agonized over the same decision you're trying to make now.

The CO2 inflators sound great EXCEPT that if you go to Amazon and read the users' reviews, you find that they all have a significant failure rate. The idea of carrying this thing is insurance, and insurance that works less than 100% of the time is worthless in my opinion (I ride alone and with no emergency backup so what I carry with me MUST work or I am totally screwed).

I didn't like the idea of buying a pump since the CO2 is more compact, lighter, more convenient to carry, easier to inflate, etc. etc. However, a pump, once tested, is pretty much 100% insurance.

So I ordered the Topeak Mini Morph road pump from Amazon. Arrived a couple of days ago; and I am really impressed! 100 strokes to inflate a 700x23 tire; and the strokes are easy. It has a nice little hose attached which you can fasten to your tube valve so you have both hands free for pumping and the valve doesn't get damaged. It has a nice little mounting rack which you can attach either on a bottle mount or elsewhere on the frame with zip ties. It's a well-made, quality item.

I'm pretty much of a skeptic, but I am truly impressed with this pump: TOPEAK MINI MORPH

fietsbob

I hava an assortment , touring and road bikes got long frame fit pumps,
for the higher compression long stroke

the mini floor pumps like Morph are nice too.. you have the floor/ground to push against.

short ones stow in the bags , commuting , so come off the bike when parked.

gsa103

If two cartridges aren't enough to get your tire inflated you've done something badly wrong. One cartridge can easily get a standard road tire to ~100 psi. The same cartridge would get a tire with twice the volume to 50 psi. Two cartridges should easily get most MTB tires to >40 psi.

For CO2: Amazon.com: Portland Design Works Shiny Object CO2 Inflator: Sports & Outdoors
It has a valve so you can control the flow easily. When I've inflated the tire, I simply close the valve and stick it the assembly back in the pouch in case I need it later.

A hand pump is great for inflating an inner tube to find a leak, or making sure a tire is properly seated. Its not handy for trying to get a road tire inflated to >100 psi. Having both is a reasonable strategy.

lectraplayer

Right now I am looking for something I can "go get" instantly. Also like my local retailers.

Cahaba Cycles Birmingham Alabama Trek Cannondale Felt Niner Haro Electra Colnago Redline

Bob's Bikes - Alabama, Specialized, Giant, Birmingham, Homewood

Welcome to Tandems, Limited. Your source for tandem bicycles, tandem parts, recumbent bicycles, and recumbent parts/

So far I am not seeing the Morph. My mountain bike with 26" x 2" is really only good for 50 PSI and I really not looking to get full pressure while on the trail, just enough to have a decent ride (30 PSI or so).

RPK79

The pump I linked earlier was purchased at Dick's Sporting Goods so you might have luck there.

DICK'S Sporting Goods BIRMINGHAM Store in Birmingham, AL

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...uctId=18774346

Leebo

Topeak road morph.

SanDiegoSteve

Having hand pumped my share, the one thing that makes a difference for me is a flexible hose from the pump to the stem.
When trying to get a road tire high enough to get home (if you are 50 miles out, I mentally need 90+psi), it is easy to break off the stem. No way to fix that.

The heat from pumping (happens normally when compressing air) plus the rocking back and forth of the pump has caused more than one problem.

A few years ago I got a Lezyne road drive. It has a hose on the inside that you attach. Works great. They have a new model that can be CO2 or hand pumped.
I think there are other models that do the hose too. The hose I recommend 100%. I have not used a pump in the past 5 years that couldn't get the PSIs; 10 years ago there were some that could not.

lopek77

Like I said before, 2 typical 12g cartridges may be not enough for many tires. There is also many faulty cartridges that lack pressure. From my experience they didn't work for me, but I see both sides of the coin and I also recognize different needs.
Yes, they will work great on skinniest road tires, but they were almost useless on 700x45 and totally useless on 26x2.2. I'm a clydesdale so I need to keep my pressure at max or even above depending on what I ride. And its not that hard to pump my 115 psi tire with my hand pump. Plus its an additional exercise...I think that's why we ride....right?

zacster

The problem I found with CO2 in use was that if you didn't get a good seal with the valve you would waste a cartridge. CO2 works much better when carbonating beer, so instead of wasting a cartridge, you yourself could get wasted.

lectraplayer

I am with SanDiegoSteve on the head-on-body pumps. While I have never used one, it looks too easy to rip the valve stem off. Then I would be SOL. So I have been culling these the whole time.

lopek77

You guys are right. Flexible hose is much easier and less stressful to use.
Its not a big deal using "regular" pump on the other hand. Never even thought about the issue with damaging the valve. Schrader valve is easy, but when pumping Presta, I'm holding the head and valve tight together so they are kind of as one piece. The only downside is a really, really hot fingers, but who cares if its a winter time ;-)

lectraplayer

I'm a Schrader user myself.

nymtber

I have this, as well as a blackburn Airstik SL. The airstick takes up little room, but using that tiny of pump to get to 100psi or more (I've done it) takes a LOT of work. A LOT.

I do need a road morph. Someday.