tiger1964 

Supposed to be warm enough today for one last ride. Alas, my venerable Park Tool PFP-4, which has head the head replaced and IIRC the gauge, is leaking around where the cylinder inserts into the base. I tried to tighten the nut underneath (1/34", difficult fit) with no improvement. Park's website shows no rebuild kit. So... new pump for my C&V bikes? (all Presta)

So far, in the past few minutes, looking at Amazon and Bike Tires Direct, I see a later Park Tool, and "Topeak JoeBlow Sport III Floor Pump", under $50. In additional, On BTD's site I see other brands I do not recognize, and a few high-end (well, high-price) pumps from $100-$150; I might stomach the addition $$$ but not if I do not get more pump. Reading descriptions, I do not need to seat tubeless tires, so I do not need that kind of volume. What works? I figure I need PSI (I do ride over 100psi), I'd like a head that grips the Presta valve leak-free, and I'd like it to hold up -- not too much to ask. What do y'all use?

I also have out in the garage a Hite pump probably older than I am (ouch), no gauge, tall-n-skinny, I probably got it for tubulars, but the washer dried out decades ago, I doubt I can find a replacement.

noobinsf 

If you google "floor pump bikeforums," there are a lot of threads on the subject, but for my $0.02, I have a Topeak Joe Blow that is coming up on 20 years of flawless service. It has a valve that switches between Schrader and Presta. I'm not a power user, but I have used it regularly for all of this time (including high pressure tires), and It's never failed nor have I needed to replace any parts.

clubman 

I too have used a Joe Blow for several years and would buy another in a second. The head is flawless on both Presta and Schraeder valves.

nathand

I'm not familiar with your pump so this may turn out to be totally useless advice, if so my apologies in advance: I have a Bontrager floor pump that was leakingand tightening the nut around the seal didn't help. Brought it to the local bike shop and they ordered some replacement seals. When I went back to the shop to pick up those replacement parts, they installed them and they didn't solve the problem - but the guy there that day was a bit more knowledgeable and added some grease around the seals. The pump has worked great for years since then, all it needed was a little grease.

unworthy1

tho I own far too many Silca floor pumps, my next most-owned are various Joe Blows by Topeak.
A different animal to the Silcas but I have had excellent reliable results from those so would gladly recommend them.
Not as easy to find replacement parts for Joe Blows as for Silcas but there ARE some available.

WGB 

During the past summer I was pumping away on my Joe Blow Sport when a small black cap near the base blew off. I found it and reinstalled it. It had never occurred to me to check if it was loose. Anyway, since then it seems to leak while pumping. I should say I don't believe it had a seal between the cap and the pump but I could be wrong. When you all speak of replacement seals is this one you have replaced or just ones inside the shaft. I've been told it was no use repairing these pumps and I was planning on buying a Silica but if I can save $200 I'm all ears.

tiger1964 

Well, I heard back form Park Tool; effectively "no repair kit, out of warranty, buy a PFP-8". I am inclined to get a JoeBlow.

I was a little surprised that there isn't a simple seal at the bottom to replace.

Flatforkcrown

Id recommended one of these any day. I got this one not working from the co op, and after a new gasket for the head and leather for the plunger it works like new.

Ross200

SKS Rennkompressor works good lasts a long time. Better Topeak with SmartHead have been good also for us.

You might fabricate a seal for your Hite....kind of like working on a 1964 Sunbeam????

non-fixie 

I just found out I am not hardcore C&V enough, as the first image that came to mind at your title was this:



Anyway, I bought a Lezyne Steel Floor Drive twelve years ago, as my old pump only worked with Dunlop valves, and not regretted it. The long air hose is a plus when the bike is on a stand.

tiger1964 

Well, I ordered a Topeak, should be here soon but I'll miss that last warm days unless I try to get to full pressure with a frame pump (not).

Nice idea about fixing the Hite and if I knew how, it would be nice to keep it as a back-up instead of simply taking up space.

I took the large nut off the bottom of the Park Tool pump, and the base wiggled loose. Inside is a plastic plug, keyed, that jams up into the base of the main tube; I do not see an o-ring or other seal. So I guess that unless that part was remanufactured, unlikely to get it ti seal up again.

merziac

I may not understand the setup at the body to base but I would have it apart and deploy some o-rings and shoo-goo at least just for fun and see what happens.

I have a pretty big o-ring set from HF I think, fixed a lot of different leaks by having just the right size on hand, the shoo-goo alone might do it.

nlerner

Another vote for the Joe Blow floor pump. Mine is relatively new, replacing a Park model that lasted probably 10 years, and that one replaced a classic Silca floor pump that I had for about 20 years.

tiger1964 

I don't think there's a place for an o-ring to go, but I do have a tube of Shoe Goo around somewhere.... hmm.

merziac

That's the spirit, although the Sgoo may be dead if it was opened and sitting for long.

Silicone might work too but I don't usually trust it for things like this.

Can we have an exploded pic of the situation?

WaveyGravey

I will also vouch for the Joe Blow.

After purchasing a couple of expensive pumps, a Lezyne and a Silca, and not being satisfied, I purchased a much less expensive Joe Blow and could not be happier.

Dfrost 

When an old, maybe 20-ish years, Blackburn floor pump stopped working, I contacted them about their “ lifetime guarantee”. They sent me a new, comparable quality pump for free. I still like my Silca better, even with a replacement Topeak head and hose. But you gotta appreciate Blackburn’s standing behind their guarantee, despite ownership changes.

merziac

I also have a J Blow that my kid uses, it was cheap at Performance, $19.99, I never did like it but he gets along with it just fine.

This all brings up a conundrum we often see here and it is interesting to me.

We fix many abstract problems on our bikes, the list and and reach are often nothing short of amazing.

I will always tear it down, inspect, evaluate, hack, fab, beat my head on the wall, etc.until it is fixed or cannot be so.

This mindset is invaluable in the long run as it expounds on your skillset and eliminates a lot of what ifs, do's and don'ts along the way.

I apply it to everything like this I encounter.

nlerner

Well, I don't know why you're assuming that's not what's happening here! When my Silca floor pump started leaking, I replaced the gasket, sealed everything as well as I could, and eventually ordered a new pressure gauge/base as that was the source of the leak. Of course, the one they provided in 2002 wasn't even a close fit for the one I had bought in 1982, so I moved on. Did end up selling it on eBay, even non-functional, for a very good price (which is also the C&V way).

merziac

Not assuming anything here, just thinking out loud and I do know from some questions posed here that it is not always a go to strategy.

I haven't seen anything get the better of you and many others here as I also stated.

I was just making an observation and trying to encourage out of the box thinking, also realize many come here for this very thing and am glad we can help them.

And FWIW, the OP hadn't thought of Sgoo yet, so.....

79pmooney

I had to go to the web to see that a PFP-4 was a floor pump. My first thought was that it was a mini and was going to suggest a real frame pump (this being C&V). Got corrected, then saw that you would never pump up your tires in the garage using your mini. Again, a real frame pump! Get a Zephal HPX. The sophisticated younger sister of the HP. Black or silver "Classic: like the old HP. A frame pump that will take you to full riding pressure easily, even the high pressures we used 40 years ago. (For 10 years, the HPs on my bikes were the only pumps I owned. Sewups; the race ones got pumped from scratch every time. Only pump deaths recorded were auto fatalities. (This was before velcro straps, even velcro. I straightened the shaft and drove a broom handle down the cylinder to save one that got run over. Served many years after with a nice ergonomic arc in the pump stroke.)

Those HPs are sweet for gravel riding. I can ride my 70 psi tires 30 miles to the gravel, ride the gravel almost flat and pump back up for the ride home. Wouldn't be much harder on 110 psi tires except I'm to old to ride the gravel on those.

bikingshearer 

+1 on the Joe Blow. When I want to, 120si is no problem. No leaks. Good hose length. Good hose storage. Good rice. Hideous green color (at least mine is), but who care?.

Also +1 on carrying a Zefal HPX. Best frame pump ever. I would not call getting tires to 100+ psi with it "easy," but it is doable. Plus, they, last forever. Plus, they are a great DDS (dog defense system) if you ever need it. (Disclaimer: I like dogs and do not want to bash them with a pump or anything else. I'd much rather pet them and scratch their ears and rub their bellies.) I haven't needed to fend off a dog in 10 or 15 years, but it's nice to have. The last unfriendly dog I chanced upon had obviously encountered a solid frame pump before. He had just finished going after a rider about 100 yards or so ahead of me and was reloading to come after me. I got my trusty HPX in my dog-side hand, and all I had to do was let him see it and he backed off. He gave me the doggy stink-eye as I rode by, but he kept his distance. We were both the better for it.

Kabuki12

+1 on Joe blow sport, the yellow one. I bought both of mine at REI on their 20% off sale a few years ago and they work great. I have one at my shop and one at home. A great pump for under $50.

1989Pre 

Those pump heads are available online for 99 cents. I replaced one on my Inline and it works just fine.

tiger1964 

Yeah, I am using Silca frame pumps and I like color-matching them to the bikes and they look "right" on the bikes, but I wish my Zefal Competition still worked. A bit rough looking -- it was been many years since I have needed it for DDS use.