Mini Pumps?

[OakLeaf]

What's anyone's experience with mini pumps? Can you really get a road tire up to pressure? Can you do it in a reasonable amount of time/effort?

I'd like to get away from the CO2 cartridges, but don't have a lot of room on my frame for a full-sized frame pump.

[Blueberry]

I LOVE my road morph. Lots of mounting options - and yep - you can get a tire up to 120. Not as mini as some, but it fits (with lots of space to spare) on my 52cm road frame.

[sgtiger]

I love the road morph too. I love the little fold out do hickey that let's you use it as a floor pump and the built-in guage. But it didn't work on my Rodriguez.:( I think I kept hitting it on my sloping top tube when I removed my water bottle and my bigger water bottle wouldn't fit with it mounted there(I chug down a lot of water on my rides so I prefer the bigger one). Also, it was too long for my seat tube.

So I searched & searched and found this one:

The Quicker Pro
http://www.quickex.com/

This is where I purchased mine:
http://www.velo-orange.com/quickerpropump.html

Here it is mounted on my seat tube:
http://lh3.google.com/sgtiger3/R7uZmE5TKnI/AAAAAAAAAao/ZbV3xRKs1F8/IMG_0327.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512

Mimi posted a pic in the Seattle TE Fitting Party thread that shows it a bit better:
http://www.sersale.org/bike/te1.jpg

It has three telescoping sections and is about the size of my hand span(fingers splayed). FYI I do have largish hands: size 8 glove. I don't find it hard to use and I don't think I'm particularly blessed in the upper body strength department but YMMV. It might take more pumps than the Road Morph to pump-up a tire, but it takes a lot less plunging than other pumps of similar size with a lot less effort. It even has a built in guage. It would probably(sp?) fit in a large seat bag, something like the Baggins-type bags. I am suspicious of the attachment thingy that came with it but it hasn't fallen off so far.

I can try to get some more pics of it tomorrow if you want.

[Zen]

SGT- that's a very unusual frame - what kind of bike is that?

[Grog]

I have a tiny frame and the road morph doesn't fit on it. Everything was tried.

I always carry CO2 AND a pump. I have a Zefal mini-pump. I have used it only twice but it worked well.

Please do not carry "just" CO2. Unless you use them all the time they can be finicky and you could waste two carts before you know it! Then you're stuck.

Good luck!

[sgtiger]

SGT- that's a very unusual frame - what kind of bike is that?

It's a custom Rodriguez Adventure (http://www.rodcycle.com/catalog/adventure.gif). I'm 5'1 3/4" with a 26 in. standover. So long torso with short stumps for legs. The guys at R&E thought I'd be better off on a modified step-through frame than to try to shorten the seat tube down which would lengthen the DT way too much(can't remember why that wasn't ideal:confused:) and make it come in at a wierd angle(maybe, that's why). The short tube from the top of the ST to the sloping TT helps brace the TT and gives the frame strength overall for hauling heavy loads(gear + heavy rider-50 lbs. over my ideal weight:o). The problem with some frames is they flex(this might only be an issue with steel) a bit too much when fully loaded and this problem can be worse in a step-through design. I'm guessing that's what the whole discussion about lateral stiffness meant between BIAK, Smiley, and the actual builder guy(Sorry, I don't remember his name.) Anyhow, to give you an example of why lateral stiffness might be important: BIAK's previous touring bike would flex when he was climbing hills with a load which caused his chain to jump to a smaller cog and throw him off of his cadence.

Hopefully the more technically apt riders will weigh in and explain things better or correct me if I'm wrong. (Yoohoo, BIAK! Time to put that physics degree to use.:D)

[Sorry for the thread highjack]

[bikerz]

The Road morph is excellent if you've got the space for it.

Last year, when I got my new bike, I got this mini carbon pump (http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/272) (as a kind of joke on myself - like the weight savings would really make a difference for me! :p ) but before I bought it, I asked at the LBS if I could try pumping up a tire with one. It took about 100 strokes to fill a tire up firm enough to ride, and it wasn't that hard to do. So now I carry a CO2 pump and 2 cartridges, and the mini pump, and feel like I am well covered.

Will your LBS let you try a mini-pump, to see how much effort it is?

[GLC1968]

I have both a road morph and a mini-morph... They are pretty much the same pump except that the mini is about an inch shorter and it doesn't have a built in gauge. I keep the road morph on my commuter which has slightly more clearance between the front tire and the down tube (due to a 24" front tire) than my road bike which is 650's. Both bikes are 19" Terry's (~ 48cm)The mini morph fits on the underside of my downtube on my road bike as you can see in this version of my avatar:

http://www.tranquilitysystems.com/gallery/files/4-07_13_07_Greensboro039.jpg

Both pumps will easily get a tire up to pressure...even a 23mm 650!

[Xrayted]

We have both the road morph and the mini morph and love them. With the road morph, I can pump up my road tires to the correct pressure, I like the little piece that flips out for a foot hold, how the handle turns to a "T" to push easier and the pressure gauge comes in handy. I currently have it hanging on the bottom side of my top tube only because I was using both of my spots for a water bottle and my lock. I am moving my bottle to the handlebars soon and will put the pump on my downtube. As for the mini morph, Kitsune06 has it on her commuter which is a more compact geometry to mount and doesn't need the higher pressure so it works great for her. No gauge on that one.

goodluck! :)

[MM_QFC!]

The Road morph is excellent if you've got the space for it.

Last year, when I got my new bike, I got this mini carbon pump (http://www.topeak.com/products/detail/272) (as a kind of joke on myself - like the weight savings would really make a difference for me! :p ) but before I bought it, I asked at the LBS if I could try pumping up a tire with one. It took about 100 strokes to fill a tire up firm enough to ride, and it wasn't that hard to do. So now I carry a CO2 pump and 2 cartridges, and the mini pump, and feel like I am well covered.

Will your LBS let you try a mini-pump, to see how much effort it is?

I have the road morph on my commuter and bikerz, I've got the mini for my Seven also, easy to slip in my saddle bag, jersey pocket or camelback - no need to afix it to my pretty frame! It works great and luckily, I've only had to use it for friends' flat :)

[MM_QFC!]

hey, did any sharp-eyed woman notice SGTiger's riding beverage in her bottle cage?! ;):D No drinking and riding there, SGT!!!


I love the road morph too. I love the little fold out do hickey that let's you use it as a floor pump and the built-in guage. But it didn't work on my Rodriguez.:( I think I kept hitting it on my sloping top tube when I removed my water bottle and my bigger water bottle wouldn't fit with it mounted there(I chug down a lot of water on my rides so I prefer the bigger one). Also, it was too long for my seat tube.

So I searched & searched and found this one:

The Quicker Pro
http://www.quickex.com/

This is where I purchased mine:
http://www.velo-orange.com/quickerpropump.html

Here it is mounted on my seat tube:
http://lh3.google.com/sgtiger3/R7uZmE5TKnI/AAAAAAAAAao/ZbV3xRKs1F8/IMG_0327.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512

Mimi posted a pic in the Seattle TE Fitting Party thread that shows it a bit better:
http://www.sersale.org/bike/te1.jpg

It has three telescoping sections and is about the size of my hand span(fingers splayed). FYI I do have largish hands: size 8 glove. I don't find it hard to use and I don't think I'm particularly blessed in the upper body strength department but YMMV. It might take more pumps than the Road Morph to pump-up a tire, but it takes a lot less plunging than other pumps of similar size with a lot less effort. It even has a built in guage. It would probably(sp?) fit in a large seat bag, something like the Baggins-type bags. I am suspicious of the attachment thingy that came with it but it hasn't fallen off so far.

I can try to get some more pics of it tomorrow if you want.

[bikerz]

I have the road morph on my commuter and bikerz, I've got the mini for my Seven also, easy to slip in my saddle bag, jersey pocket or camelback - no need to afix it to my pretty frame! It works great and luckily, I've only had to use it for friends' flat :)

(Sorry - slight hijack...) Hey Mary - I didn't know you had a Seven! What flavor?

I have that little pump clamped on next to my bottle holder - it is so small and stealthy it's hardly visible...

[MM_QFC!]

(Sorry - slight hijack...) Hey Mary - I didn't know you had a Seven! What flavor?

I have that little pump clamped on next to my bottle holder - it is so small and stealthy it's hardly visible...

she's an Elium...ahhhhh, mmmmm!

[sgtiger]

I have the road morph on my commuter and bikerz, I've got the mini for my Seven also, easy to slip in my saddle bag, jersey pocket or camelback - no need to afix it to my pretty frame! It works great and luckily, I've only had to use it for friends' flat :)

True that! The Road Morph fits in my handle bar bag and truck rack or can be vecroed into my rear rack now. But I didn't have those when I purchased the quicker pro.


hey, did any sharp-eyed woman notice SGTiger's riding beverage in her bottle cage?! ;):D No drinking and riding there, SGT!!!

That explains everything!:eek: I was wondering why I was laughing maniacally on all those photos.:rolleyes: I had the drunken giggle fits!

".....how dry I<hic> am, how dry I<hic> am. NoBOOOOdy knooows how<hic> dry I ammmm....."<hic>

~sg(drunken)tiger;):p

[sgtiger]

Here's some pics of the quicker pro, in case anyone is interested:

http://lh4.google.com/sgtiger3/R_GEESxZYsI/AAAAAAAAAjA/z0oei5Z762w/IMG_0355.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh6.google.com/sgtiger3/R_GEKyxZYuI/AAAAAAAAAjY/ibWU3Cc6FFE/IMG_0357.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.com/sgtiger3/R_GEOixZYvI/AAAAAAAAAjk/dPCqyd0IcOk/IMG_0358.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512

More pics in this link w/captions here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sgtiger3/Quickex

[melissam]

I have a Road Morph and it's come in mighty handy! If I see someone using a mini-pump, I offer the Road Morph and usually they're happy to take me up on my offer.

This weekend, though, I saw something that trumped my Road Morph -- a group of women was stopped by the side of the road and someone was finishing the roadside repair with a FLOOR pump. :eek: What the ... ???? How do you attach that to your frame?

It turns out that one of the riders in the group had gotten a flat, and they couldn't get any of the frame pumps to do the trick, so they called one of their husbands to meet them and pump up the tire. Kind of like AAA for bikes. Hopefully they didn't get any more flats for the rest of the ride.

[MM_QFC!]

here's my mini:
Topeak Micro Rocket Carbon Mini Pump
$37.99
Max Pressure: 160 psi/11 bar
Barrel Material: Carbon
Weight:55 g.

Carbon handle and barrel sheath makeup a lightweight, high-pressure pump which inflates to 160 psi. Mounting hardware included. Presta valve only.

[Pedal Wench]

Shoot. I thought y'all were talking about little high-heeled shoes.:mad:

[aicabsolut]

I get sick of taking off my mini pump for races and putting it back on for training rides this time of year. Plus my Topeak mini pump (not the road morph) sucks. I always shred the tube at the valve, and the gauge is iffy.

I just picked up an Innovations CO2/mini pump combo thing on sale at Performance. The cartridges it takes should get my tube up to 90psi, which is enough to get me home on my race tires. It also has a hand pump as a backup. And it will fit in my jersey pocket.

I just hope it works well.

[madscot13]

I picked up the road morph this weekend. It is a great pump. All other mini pumps should be illegal. I'm hoping it is sturdy enough not to break.

question though: does anyone wish the rubber tube was just a bit longer?

[justforfun]

I picked up the road morph this weekend. It is a great pump. All other mini pumps should be illegal. I'm hoping it is sturdy enough not to break.

question though: does anyone wish the rubber tube was just a bit longer?

You know, that little tube does extend. Loosen the tube fittings, pull out a little bit, and re-tighten fitting (finger tight). When finished - reverse steps. The other thing is Topeak is very good about warranty replacement.

Just make sure you can use it properly, BEFORE you have to use it. My gauge tends to jump in increments instead of move gradually, so I am not sure exactly how accurate it is, but at least it gives a good indication of what you have, instead if guessing. Secure the foot and grasp firmly to keep it from moving too much, and you should be fine.

[jennrod12]

Topeak Mini Morph for me. It seems to work as well or better than the Road Morph.

Jenn

[NoNo]

I have the Road Morph. Fortunately I've never had to use it on the road. At least on my bike. But during a ride a few weeks ago I stopped to help someone with a flat, and naturally they had Schrader valves. It's a bit of a pain to switch things around from one valve type to the other. I also have an issue with my frame being too short. Right now the only place it fits using the bolts is the downtube, but I'd prefer to keep my cage there. I hadn't thought of putting it on the underside of the tube; I'll give that a try this weekend.

[OakLeaf]

I hadn't thought of putting it on the underside of the tube; I'll give that a try this weekend.

Just be careful it doesn't give you too much toe overlap.

Is there room to mount it on the side of the down tube? I know those pumps are kind of thick, but there's more room between the pedal and the frame than there appears to be.

[OakLeaf]

The claim of 160 psi is,,... well,... someone with stronger arms AND more patience than I have might get 160 psi out of this pump.

The good news is that 90 psi (according to the gauge on my floor pump when I got back home) was not too much trouble at all, and that's plenty to get a rider of my size back on the road. Not too shabby for 55 grams and a pump that actually fits in the minuscule space on my frame.

CO2 is quicker obviously - much quicker - but since I wasn't in a hurry I wanted to give this pump a test run, and it passed with flying colors.

(yes - for those who are keeping score - last night's flat curse caught up with me today. Slow rider, slow curse :p)

[madscot13]

You know, that little tube does extend. Loosen the tube fittings, pull out a little bit, and re-tighten fitting (finger tight). When finished - reverse steps. The other thing is Topeak is very good about warranty replacement.




I've pulled it out as far as it goes, but unless my valve is at just thr right spot it is a bit pricky to fill up/

[OakLeaf]

unless my valve is at just thr right spot it is a bit pricky to fill up/

wow, an advantage of skinny tires I hadn't even thought of... it's so much easier to pump the tires up while the wheel is still off the bike!

[JaneE]

I use a RoadMorph pump (love it).

My bike has a small frame (51) so I mounted it to the left seat stay which has worked out just fine. The only potential issue is that the pump could get dirty if you ride in the rain (which I don't if I can help it). Otherwise, I've had no problems with mounting in this location.

You have to look hard to find it. ;)

Hope this helps. :)

Jane