Bike pump

[Ann G]

My husband recently bought a Schwinn Airdriver 1100 at the local K-Mart because my bike has presta valves, and this model appeared to accommodate both Schrader and Presta valves. What a piece of junk! My tires need 110 psi, and this thing pops off of the valve, even in the locked position, at about 60 psi. My husband took it apart trying to figure out how to get it to lock on more securely, and neither one of us can figure out how to reassemble it so that it looks like it looked originally, even though it didn't work then. Grr. This is a truly worthless product, and I already e-mailed Schwinn offering to send it back, but I still need to vent a little more. I won't be able to do any bike rides until I can get a decent pump. Does anybody have any recommedations for something that can accommodate a presta valve?

[JaneE]

DH and I both have Topeak Road Morph frame pumps. We like 'em. They can handle both Schrader and Presta valves.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___56605

They're very widely available (though Campmor seems to have them at a very good price).

Happy riding!

[HoosierGiant]

After having issues with other pumps, this is the one we now use ~~ http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4360 Love it! Love it! Love it! Equally functional for the Presta valves on the road bikes and the Schrader valves on the girls' bikes.

[OakLeaf]

Are you talking about a floor pump? My pumps see Schraeder valves only rarely (last time was when the electric was out so I couldn't use the compressor to pump up the lawn tractor tires ) but I have no trouble at all getting 120 lbs out of my Serfas TCPG pump or my Specialized Air Tool Comp.

I do worry about gasket wear if a pump was used regularly for both types of valves. It always seems like the gasket is VERY VERY tight on Schraeder valves. But the Specialized pump is completely rebuildable.

Down south where we have hybrid commuter bikes, we have a cheap department store pump that does fine getting 65# into those tires, and I generally save the road pump for the high pressure Presta valve tires.

[TxDoc]

I would beware of pumps on sale at places like WalMart or KMart... Visit a bike shop and see what they have. I use a Blackburn at5 and it works perfectly, all of the at models are up to 160 and high volume, so they gets the job done in a minute.
http://www.blackburndesign.com/floor_pumps.html
Hope this helps.

[Ann G]

Fortunately we still had the K-Mart receipt for that Schwinn pump, and they took it back without questions. Yea! The local bike shop consists of a well-respected bike mechanic who works out of his garage late afternoons. He doesn't have a big inventory, but I think that he'll have 2 or 3 pumps. So, I think I'll try the local guy this afternoon before going to Performance Bike. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

[Beane]

We've had a JoeBlow, a Pedro's, and a planet bike "sport". The only one which still works perfectly is the planet bike and it was also by far the cheapest. It doesn't "feel" super strong but is great. Highly recommend.

[JaneE]

+1 on the Topeak Joe Blow floor pump. Ours is efficient and easy to use.

I assumed that you were talking about a frame pump.

Reading comprehension: It's a good thing.

[wackyjacky1]

Yeah, I bought the same crappy pump from either Wally or Target, I forget which. It was popping off for me, too. I googled for info on the pump and found a lot of entries talking about that very thing. The key is to really get it seated down on the valve stem before locking it in place. If you really push down and make sure it's well-seated, it'll work. Super annoying, though.

[7rider]

I actually picked up a Topeak JoeBlow at TJMaxx!
It's worked like a charm for about 7 years of heavy use....although now I think it's about time to replace the head on it, as it leaks a bit while pumping up the tires.

[Zen]

It never pays to be cheap.

[Skierchickie]

Yeah - I had a Joe Blow from TJMaxx, too. Loved it for 2 or 3 years, but my DH and my best buddy both had trouble with it - found it very confusing, and refused to use it after a while. I never saw the problem - seemed perfectly clear to me. But then the head fell apart (literally). It would fall apart in my hand when I took it off the valve, and I'd pop it back together. Until it finally shot one part into orbit somewhere.

So now I have a nice Park Tool brand floor pump, just like my DH's. And he and my friend don't get confused anymore. I did rather enjoy being the only one who could figure out my pump.

[JLMitchell]

I've been wondering about pumps too, so I guess I'll piggyback my question onto this thread. How about a frame pump? I'm interested in a good one that will get me up to ~100-110 psi.. My LBS coaxed me into getting a CO2 setup, but my waste alarm is ringing like crazy. I'd like something portable that works on human power.

[JaneE]

I've been wondering about pumps too, so I guess I'll piggyback my question onto this thread. How about a frame pump? I'm interested in a good one that will get me up to ~100-110 psi.. My LBS coaxed me into getting a CO2 setup, but my waste alarm is ringing like crazy. I'd like something portable that works on human power.

OK. Now this answer is appropriate.

Topeak Road Morph. It's a good one.

[Zen]

I used my frame pump on the trail recently. It got me up to about 70psi but it took one person to hold the pump in place while the second person pumped.

I cannot recommend a frame pump for a road bike.