MyRedTrek

I have a Bontrager Turbocharger HP pump - it works okay, I've always felt it requires a lot of strokes to get the job done.

Is there something that's famous for being the quickest floor pump?

Thanks!

-Edit- ideally something that's in current production that can be bought new.

Andrew R Stewart 

Out of production- Zefal Double Shot, the blue one. Pumps on both the up and down strokes. Andy

Moe Zhoost

From the Trek site: The diameter and stroke distance of the pump define its performance; everything is a tradeoff. Pumps that have an easier stroke require more of them, while pumps that push a lot of air each stoke require more effort per stroke. Pumps that support high pressures (e.g. your pump and most road bike specific pumps) tend to be in the former group because once you get above 80-90 psi, the force per stroke becomes considerable.

If you want to inflate faster, look for a pump designed for mountain bikes, but keep in mind that pressures over 80 psi will be a workout.

cxwrench

You gotta have a serious lack of free time if you're looking for a fast pump.

tcs

I'm always shocked at how much quicker my Zefal Alaskan dual-stage pump gets a tire to pressure vs. the single-stage floor pump I have - like >25% of the strokes. The catch is you have to work the pump handle both down and up. The Alaskan has been discontinued.

The Topeak Twin Turbo is another dual-stage pump.

Note 1: Topeak offers other floor pumps they advertise as dual-stage, but they are really two-mode pumps.
Note 2: If I'm at home, my air compressor inflates much faster than the Alaskan.

dsbrantjr

The tradeoff for hand pumps is pressure vs volume; a high-volume pump may not be able to achieve sufficient pressure.

soyabean

If this is something you only plan to use only at home, you may want to think about a shop compressor with a Park Tool INF-2, believe me nothing will be faster.

On roadtrips, I'm happy with whatever I packed last minute and threw it in the van.

MyRedTrek

So you think what I have is about as good a balance between effort and speed as I'm going to find in a floor pump? The tires in both my bikes go to 80 psi.

Moe Zhoost

Yep, probably. You'd likely spend more time searching for a marginally faster pump than you're spending using your current pump.

tcs

Topeak has a double-barrel pump. You use both barrels to quickly pump to relatively low pressures with low effort, then lock out the small diameter barrel to pump to moderate pressures, and finally open the small diameter barrel and lock out the large diameter barrel to pump to track pressures.



This is different from the dual stage pumps I mentioned in post 5, where the large diameter cylinder supercharges the small diameter cylinder which in turn pumps into the tire.

soyabean

Agreed.

The OP may not realize atmospheric physics is in play, and no magic manual pump will create free energy.

Human power watts going in makes air pressure and cfm volume coming out. There's little to cheat around that.

When it comes to a dedicated air compressor for just bikes, any tiny oiless one will do, like the pancake ones for nail guns. Your local Harbor Freight store can have them on sale below $50, watch those flyers. Or buy used.

You don't need something fancy as the INF-2, it's more of a showoff piece to impress walk-in customers. The simple tire chuck included with the compressor is fine and is how folks have been doing it for the past 100 years.

Don't confuse air compressors, which store readily air in a tank, vs air inflators, which create tiny pulses of air on the fly and are god awfully slower than a manual pump.

Once you get your first air compressor, you realize all the other neat things you can do with it, like blowing water away off cassettes and chain for quick dry.

tcs

Recall the OP didn't ask about the lowest input energy pump. The OP asked

"Is there something that's famous for being the quickest floor pump?"

A true multi-stage pump is demonstrably faster.

Back, oh, a hundred years ago or so, if your Model T had a flat, you patched it much the way we patch tubed bike tires today. Then you pumped the tire back up to pressure. Model T tires don't have the volume of modern car tires, but they have significantly more volume than bike tires. Pumping them up by hand (on the road, in the 1920s) took a while, so pumps were introduced to speed the process. Here's a Victor 'Half-a-Minute' triple-stage pump of that era:

tcs

How's your piston gasket?

In the old days, we'd put a few drops of Neatsfoot Oil down the barrel to keep the leather gasket soft, pliable and efficiently sealing on the downstroke. If the leather gasket dried out, the pump would become quite a bit less efficient due to 'blow by'. Dunno about Bontrager or synthetic seals.

soyabean

Just like majority of car owners who have no idea how they can inflate their tires at home and think the only way is the coin pump at the gas station, many think they must use a manual pump for their bikes.

My answer gives more options for the DIY that wants the absolute fastest and easiest that is also realistically possible for all wallets.

Nothing beats a shop compressor, the INF-2 is proof.

MyRedTrek

Have you ever used one? It says to use both barrels to go to 60 psi, then the larger barrel to 120psi. Most of the pumping I do is to top off say from 70 - 75 psi to the tire rating of 80, so it doesn't sound like I'd be gaining much over what I have now. I wonder how hard it would be to go to 80 with both barrels? I would say I'm stronger than the average person.

tcs

Which was the same as my answer in post 5: at home, air compressor!

MyRedTrek

I have a small like 2 1/2 gal or so Harbor Freight compressor I use to inflate car tires but you have to fire it up, wait for it to pressurize to bike tire pressure - an overall slower process. Plus the neighbors aren't going to be happy if I fire it up for a wee hours ride

soyabean

Oh I hear ya. That's why I have a 40 gal. shop compressor that always has air ready to use, and the neighbors don't really care since they come use it too and usually get free beers for it. But thanks for your concern.

blinky

OP , check Ebay for it

blinky

Was having to strain to get to 100psi with my floor pump - just got the Park INF-2 and a Craftsman 1 1/2 gallon compressor and now achieve that pressure in seconds - couldn't be happier - fortunately I had an 8mm hex to open the presta side on the Park inflator to take the valve - I'll use CO2 on the road but that only gets me to about 80psi and will have to top up when I get home .

soyabean

Awesome.

I am happy that you are happier

Despite how happier you are, there are just some folks that are just never happy and complain.

SoSmellyAir

I have a Bostitch 6 gallon pancake compressor at home, but using it would entail unwinding and winding a hose, so a floor pump is still faster (for bikes).

Maybe this will change when I install a hose reel.