Hobbiano 

Can't argue with that! Apparently they vary. Just noticed that while specified on the Soma website as being 175x275, the cardboard packaging the the saddle came with says 170x270. Also the Brooks has a narrower nose. The metal nose piece is wider & shaped a little differently on the Cardiff & the rivet placement is different. None of this matters if it ends up being a saddle you like.
I thought these were made in China, but on the back of the packaging it says made in Taiwan.

Wow. Just measured a few of my B17's on some of my other bikes. One measures 287mm and a couple are 280 - 283.

scarlson 

Got my order yesterday!

Trakpump TP3 I found in a free-stuff pile gets a new head. The pump head was $25, marked down from about $50, I think. I used it to get over the $100 free shipping cutoff, and I'm figuring shipping would have been about $15 if I hadn't.



The pump is surprisingly robust, and now with this head upgrade I think it has a chance to vie for competition with my Meidai Top Super.

Also got a 9s chain for my Trek to replace the cheap cutout lightweight one I ruined by running out of wax, two of the 650x42 tires (EX for extra lifespan, but they seem to have thinner sidewalls than gravelkings which is nice), and a couple of Honjo R-clips for the hollow fenderstays that southpawboston and I are developing to rival Jan Heinie's work.

Hobbiano 

So how do you like the pump head? I have a Hirame that looks very similar and it works great - once I figured out how it was supposed to be adjusted. Easy to clamp on, doesn't slip, and easy to remove. I use it on a SKS Renkompressor pump that I got as a returned item on Amazon for $24. It just needed the hose fitting tightened to the base and it works perfectly. What type of hose clamp did you use? I used one of the adjustable hose clamps you get at the hardware store but there's got to be something better.

52telecaster

Breaking in the Cardiff

scarlson 

Works pretty well, I think! I thought it was leaky until I realized I hadn't tightened the stem of it to the barrel assembly. It came all loosy goosey. I used it on a bike (presta), and a car and a motorcycle (Schrader) all with decent success. Really grips the presta valves when adjusted properly!

The clamp is a low pressure fuel hose or vac hose clip off of a car. I believe they are called "spring band clips". They are nice because you can take them off easily with just a pliers.


This was just what I had. Not sure if it's any better or worse than anything else. A zip-tie would also work, but probably a Oetiker clamp would be the best!
Oetiker clamp:




Blackburn pump is not as good for high-volume low-pressure work as my Meidai though. Gets really hard at the bottom of the stroke as I think there is some restriction in the system somewhere so the gauge jumps up to near 80 when I'm pumping up a car tire at 45psi. I think that's down to the pump's design, not the head, and that's all right. The Meidai has that reservoir accumulator thingy that seems to make car tires less of a chore. I will probably make the Blackburn my dedicated presta pump and Meidai will be dedicated Schrader. That makes sense for the moment. Will have to adjust the Meidai gauge so it can reliably read car tire pressures to within a few PSI before I do that. It's about 10psi off. Sorry, TMI about my pump situation!

RustyJames 

scarlson Those car spring clamps are excellent. A lot of companies use them because they apply even pressure all around the hose. I tried using the traditional worm drive clamps on coolant hoses of 1 of my cars and it had multiple leaks. I put the spring clamps on, which were OE, and all leaks vanished. Lesson learned.

Hobbiano 

I think that's because it has to overcome not only the air pressure in the tire but the spring in the Schrader valve. With a dedicated Schrader air chuck it wouldn't do that. (I think)

scarlson 

This chuck has a little pin for the Schrader, to open the valve. You have to flip the washer and the little plastic insert to "convert" to Schrader, but I'm confident it's holding the Schrader valve open, because I put it on a tire without the hose and it let the air out of the tire!

The Blackburn pump's just a bit more internally restrictive I think, and I'm spoiled by the Meidai. The Meidai has a sort of reservoir in it (the cylindrical chamber under the gauge, see photo) that helps even things out and take up the pressure "bump" at the bottom of the stroke, and that's part of the difference I'm feeling. On a high pressure tire, I'm pushing harder and going slower so I don't feel it as much. But it'll do it even with nothing connected. Slam the handle down without an air chuck connected, just a hose - and you can get the needle to hit 40psi and feel a good deal of resistance. Silly thing. But it's all-metal and the gauge is right and now it has a slick chuck! I can't complain THAT much!


Photo of Meidai pump - note the reservoir under the gauge.

You should also know that I am a die hard Meidai loyalist and that skews my perspective. I prefer the feel of a Meidai, because I've been using one since I was taller than one, and I will prefer it even if it might objectively take longer or be harder to pump up the tire or something.

52telecaster

I've got an orange nashbar pump that looks a lot like that but without the reservoir. It's a great pump. Nice high quality throughout. It was a revelation when I got a good pump.

retroshifter

Thanks, now I know that I have a Meidai floor pump. It was a nashbar purchase probably at least 30 years ago. Being a road racer back then I wanted the silca track pump with the Columbus tubing, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend the $50 (??) so I bought the cheap nashbar pump. When the head and hose wore out 10 years later, I was less budget conscious so put the silca presta pump chuck on it. Works fine, no complaints, but that fancier pump head looks much better engineered.

Meidai pump with silca chuck

noobinsf 

I dig the Mondrian drawers!

scarlson 

You made the right decision! I had a Silca pista pump along with my Meidai and I sold the Silca on ebay. Haven't really missed it at all.