View Full Version : Which bike pump do you like/use?
I think I am going to be in the market for a new bike pump soon...my Schwinn is not sealing onto the valve and it's nearly impossible to get to 120 psi :p
What pump(s) do you use/have used and/or like? :)
Thanks!
Maxxxie
02-21-2010, 11:49 AM
I presume you're referring to a floor/track pump?
I have used a generic brand pump, and it was, predictably, crap. The gauge died early on. It only had a Schrader head, so I had to use an adapter for Presta.
I then got a Beto brand pump, one of their better models. It was great while it lasted! Easy to pump, dual head so it could go on either type of valve. It lasted about 6 months before the head started having troubles holding on at high pressures. :mad:
I now have a Topeak Joe Blow pump. It also has a dual head. I like the locking mechanism better than the Beto. It's easier to remove without having to do any wiggling/manoeuvring. The gauge works (so far!) and the bezel is turnable so that a little arrow points to the required pressure. So you don't have to squint to read the gauge. You just set the arrow to the required pressure and pump until the gauge points to the arrow.
As for a hand pump, I have a Tioga, which is very similar in concept and appearance to Topeak's Road Morph. It has a little food pedal that flips out, and the handle locks out into an L shape so that it can be operated like a small track pump. I don't know if it'll get you to 130PSI, but I reckon 90 or so - which is good enough to limp home.
:)
Max
OakLeaf
02-21-2010, 12:00 PM
I have a Specialized AirTool Comp. It gets the job done. The gauge is something like 10# off a friend's pump gauge though, and I've never had it calibrated. Don't know where I'd get it calibrated, for that matter... race tire guys will do it for you at the moto races when they have a little down time, but that's in the 25-40 PSI range, not much use for roadie tires.
I have a Topeak Joe Blow, never had any complaints about it.
I've used plenty of other ones that work fine too. I can tell you which pump I absolutely hated.... We had a Silca - fancy retro Italian pump, lots of coolness factor. I wanted to throw that thing out of the window more than once. It was soooooo hard to get a good pressure with. I had to lean on the thing with all of my body weight to get 100 psi. Sometimes the gasket would flip over. After a particularly frustrating session I demanded that we go get a new one. Had the Joe Blow ever since.
kermit
02-21-2010, 01:42 PM
I have a Specialized floor pump as well. It works just fine and has taken a few beatings riding in the car. I think they all have a shelf life.
OakLeaf
02-21-2010, 04:51 PM
I think they all have a shelf life.
The gaskets have a shelf life, but the good pumps are rebuildable.
pumpkinpony
02-21-2010, 05:08 PM
I had one of the Specialized floor pumps - the plastic one. The sidewall blew out one day while I was pumping at about 80psi. Shrapnel went flying around the room and nearly impaled my poor cat, who to this day runs and hides if she sees me reaching toward the floor pump.
I took the plastic one into the shop (one month out of it's warranty, of course) and they said they didn't sell the plastic ones anymore because of that. I now have the heavy duty steel one that the shop guys said they used.
moderncyclista
02-22-2010, 12:20 PM
I have the Blackburn Air Tower 2 with dual Presta/Schrader head. Nicely built works well. I have no complaints. The gauge seems accurate, but all pump gauges lose accuracy after a couple of years or so.
Mr. SR500
02-22-2010, 01:10 PM
I think I've used them all, the Nashbar orange pump is the best ever. Excellent pump!
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_126924_-1_201586_10000_201587
Catrin
02-22-2010, 04:23 PM
I also use the Blackburn Air Tower 2. Of course it is the only one I've ever used - in my entire 3 months of cycling newbiness :)
Wahine
02-22-2010, 04:40 PM
A very discerning friend who has raced bikes since he was 14 and runs a bike shop has never found a pump that he didn't have a complaint about and he'd tried them all... until he tried the Lezyne (http://www.amazon.com/Lezyne-Alloy-Floor-Drive-Bicycle/dp/images/B002NFTX6M/ref=dp_image_x_0?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&img=0&color_name=x). He started out with the frame pumps which are awesome (I have two, one for my road bike and one for my mtn bike) then bought the floor pump and wasn't disappointed.
A very discerning friend who has raced bikes since he was 14 and runs a bike shop has never found a pump that he didn't have a complaint about and he'd tried them all... until he tried the Lezyne (http://www.amazon.com/Lezyne-Alloy-Floor-Drive-Bicycle/dp/images/B002NFTX6M/ref=dp_image_x_0?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&img=0&color_name=x). He started out with the frame pumps which are awesome (I have two, one for my road bike and one for my mtn bike) then bought the floor pump and wasn't disappointed.
Interesting--thanks for the suggestion :)
nscrbug
02-22-2010, 05:58 PM
Our floor pump is a Topeak Joe Blow...no complaints, does the job. My frame pump is a Lezyne, mainly because it was one of the few pumps I found that actually fits my frame. I ride a 51cm Cervelo, and the frame is rather compact with not much room to fit a standard frame pump, so I had to find something that was smaller than 10 inches...that's how I ended up with the Lezyne. Haven't yet tried it, so I hope it lives up to all the hype I've been hearing about them.
Miranda
03-06-2010, 08:06 PM
I have a Topeak Joe Blow, never had any complaints about it.
...Had the Joe Blow ever since.
+1 for the Topeak Joe Blow. This is the version that I own...
http://www.rei.com/product/648090
Though I will say that my kids knocked it around one too many times playing and it's not sealing right. I had this happen before when the pump got knocked too much in vehicle travel-packing. The lbs mechanic tightened one of the bolts on it, and fixed the hissing problem. Think it needs this again at the moment. Great pump overall for sure.
jdubble
03-06-2010, 09:35 PM
I can tell you which pump I absolutely hated.... We had a Silca - fancy retro Italian pump, lots of coolness factor. I wanted to throw that thing out of the window more than once. It was soooooo hard to get a good pressure with. I had to lean on the thing with all of my body weight to get 100 psi. Sometimes the gasket would flip over. After a particularly frustrating session I demanded that we go get a new one. Had the Joe Blow ever since.
I *did* throw the Silca across the garage once, after it ripped yet another valve off yet another tube when I was pulling the darn chuck off. Stupid too tight gasket. The cover of the gauge popped off. My husband has never let me live that down. Now I have my own Topeak pump and he can use the precious Silca. I carry a Lezyne Pressure Drive pump on my bike.
Topeak Joe Blow. I like that it has a dual head for Shraeder/Presta.
7rider
03-07-2010, 09:54 AM
Also a Topeak Joe Blow user here. We did recently replace the valve head (with a Bontrager), but the pump itself is about 10 y.o., and still going strong.
jdubble
03-07-2010, 04:15 PM
Now I have my own Topeak pump and he can use the precious Silca.
Oops, I lied. I actually have a Serfas FP-200 pump and while I don't have much to compare it to other than the Silca, I really do like it. It's got a smart-valve thingy so I don't have to use an adapter when I pump up the all the various schrader-valved tires we have (Burley, kid bikes, jog stroller, etc), it's easy to get it up to the pressure I need, comes off the valve when I need it to and not before, etc.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.2 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.