Tandem Tom

I have both Tefal and Topeka Mountain Morph pumps on various bikes. What maintenance do you do to keep them in tip top shape??
Thanks!

rhenning

Use them from time to time and keep them clean if you ride in bad weather. Roger

HillRider

I put a wrap electrical tape around the pump head to keep water and dirt from wheel spray out of the pump's interior. That and check it for function every so often.

Juan el Boricua

Besides using it, I also take the plunger out (of my Zefal HPx3) and lightly coat it with silicone grease (safe for rubber and plastics); only every once in a while ( maybe twice in 8-year ownership; same with the previous Double Shot). Dont't have a Topeak so I can't vouch for it.

Crankycrank

+1. If you get lots of flats inspect them once a year and if it looks like the innards are not all gunked up and still has lube, extend the time until you find what works for you. I've got a Lezyne mini that takes around 140 strokes per tire (more wear and tear than larger pumps needing fewer strokes) and gets used about once a month on average. I take it apart and clean/lube it about every 2 years.

franktheman

As said, taking it off and checking it's function once in a while is good to remember. Confirm that the mud plug or cap designed to seal the valve opening is always there, you can fabricate a sliver of thin, hard plastic and install under the threaded cap if the pump is missing a cover. It will need to be taken out if/when you go to use it, but how often is that? I have always used baby oil on the internals as I was told this does not damage the pump parts or inner tubes. Most emergency pumps are pretty simple (and they should be!) so you can unthread all the parts, clean and reassemble. I don't like the ones that pump both ways, have 'smart heads' to auto adjust between valves, or have telescoping sections: too much to go wrong.

Tandem Tom

Thanks for the replies! I have 4 pumps that will be getting some service! Also going to add a bit of silicone grease.

zebede

I have had both (Topeaks and Zefals). As stated above one of the more important thing is to keep water and dirt out when not in use.
Zefals come with a little cap that covers the head.
When I had the Topeaks I learned the hard way and didn't keep it sealed and had to replace o-rings.
To seal the head of the topeak I cut a small round piece of inner tube to put under the screw on part of the head.

Tandem Tom

As it was a quiet day at the bike shop yesterday I took 4 of our pumps and did some bench maintenance! Had a talk with the Topeka rep to make sure was disassembling correctly.
All done!
Andy Stewart had a "tube patching party" had a pump party!

vane171

I got hold of a nice full size floor pump that was being thrown out because it 'didn't work'. I found the securing screw holding that one-way valve fell off. also the valve was dried up, needed a touch of grease, that was all to bring it back like new again.
Pumps, even the good ones, need a maintenance checking inside, every few years, depending on how much they are used.

andrewclaus

I used to mount my Road Morph on the underside of the down tube and when I rode in rain it got full of the cosmic debris from the road. I would need to completely disassemble it, clean and lube it, including the check valve at the bottom of the tube. After a couple of those jobs, I moved it to the seat tube and that helped, but I still check it every time I ride in the rain. I like the idea of sealing the head and I'm a little ashamed I didn't think of that. I also think some dirt gets in past the handle around the piston shaft, but not as much.

IPassGas

On tours, I now always carry the pump in a bag/pannier. I yearn to bike in the middle of nowhere, but that is just the place the bike gods will determine I should have a flat. In which case, in older days, I get the pump off the frame and find it is full of grime and doesn't work. I'd pay more for a pump that came in a plastic tube.

Pratt

Here in the Northeast, NY, RI, and VT, some species of wasp likes to lay her eggs in small holes. She then covers them with mud. Pumps seem to be just the right size.