In regards to the tire pumping thread

[tribogota]

After reading all the trouble of pumping, well I think I will buy myself a floor pump. Any advice on a good but inexpensive one?

[MartianDestiny]

After reading all the trouble of pumping, well I think I will buy myself a floor pump. Any advice on a good but inexpensive one?

I'm really happy with this:
http://www.rei.com/product/657109

(You might be able to get it cheaper elsewhere, or wait until REI does a 20% off coupon, which is common if you happen to be a member)

Edited to add:

The Specialized brand pump my shop uses is extremely nice, but I haven't had a chance to try out their less expensive offerings. They could be worth a look as well.

[Biciclista]

JOE BLOW Great floor pump

[salsabike]

Yes. Joe Blow Pro. I would not call it cheap--I think we paid about $75 for ours. But it's completely reliable.

[ilima]

Another rec for Specialized.

My Joe Blow fell apart just past the measly 60 day warranty. One shop in town stopped carrying them because they don't stand behind their product. Blackburn pumps have a lifetime warranty.

[Running Mommy]

As much as I hate Specialized, they make a pretty rockin pump. I had to buy one when we got to running sons BMX national race and realized we left the pump at home. The shop was an "S" shop, so we were kind of stuck. I grumbled about it, but I have to admit that for 40 bucks it's a GREAT pump.

We carry the Topeak Joe Blow SPORT, and it has served us well. We had problems with the other less expensive joe blow models, but the sport (yellow barrel) seems to be a winner. I have yet to have a warranty on one in 1.5 years. It's also around 40 bucks.

In the shop the guys use a genuine innovations pump that they love. It's a 70 dollar pump, and has a very tall barrel. It's nice and smooth.

Hope this helps.

[withm]

After reading all the trouble of pumping, well I think I will buy myself a floor pump. Any advice on a good but inexpensive one?

Get one with a gauge mounted at the TOP of the pump and not at the bottom. Much easier to read....

[CyborgQueen]

I got a regular travel pump (no CO2 canister). Works great for my bike - however, I think it would be a little too big to fit in a bike bag...I haven't tried.

But then I saw some CHEAPER floor pump ($14-$16) at REI.

Now - I'm curious, WHY should you have the floor pump? I understand that when people get a flat on the road, they use the travel pump or CO2 pump...so if it's full when you're on the road, what difference does it make when you have a floor pump? For MTB users, it's obviously better off with floor pump.

Why some pumps are so expensive, while others are cheap? I got the travel pump because it was actually CHEAPER than the floor pump...until I went to REI and found a floor pump that was even more cheaper than my hand held one.

[Becky]

Joe Blow Sport here. We're had it over a year and no problems.

Speaking generally, I haven't had good experiences with any of the "smart head" pumps that adapt to Presta or Schrader valves without changing the insides around. IME, the guts wear out, and the head no longer seals properly on a Presta valve. From now on, it's changeable guts or dual-head pumps for me!

[MartianDestiny]

CyBorgQueen,

The mini pumps and similar sized pumps are great and necessary for on the road flat repairs. They work and they will inflate your tire to a proper PSI, assuming you have the strength.

BUT THEY ARE OBNOXIOUS! What takes me 5 or 6 "easy" pumps with my floor pump takes me...o....I don't even want to know how many...with my mini pump. My arms ache, I'm tired, I'm annoyed, etc.

CO2 solves that for me on the road, but cartridges are expensive. I'll gladly pay the $3.50 or so to get going again out on the road, but I'm not paying that once a week to top off my tire at home!

With a floor pump I can put more than just my forearm strength into it (more like my entire upper body), which means it's easier to pump AND I get more air per pump. Arms aren't tired, I'm not annoyed, and it takes no time at all.

That's nothing to do with MTB vs Road. I still have to carry my CO2 or mini pump when I'm on the mountain bike. And in fact, since my mountain tires are inflated to a much much lower PSI (30ish vs. 110) it's much easier to use a mini pump with the mountain bike and get reasonable results.

As for pricing. Pumps have different heads (the connectors) of different quality. More money buys you (at least in theory) better, easier connection, better seal, easier pumping, and longer lifetime. Some of the cheapies have a history of routinely breaking or being hard to get on and off the tube (whack your hand on a disk brake or your chainrings once when it comes flying off and you'll understand this HURTS!).

[colby]

We had a Joe Blow Sport and replaced it from REI with a Joe Blow whatever-the-next-model-up-is when it stopped working. Now, that one isn't working either - it has a leak in it, so it doesn't pump air unless you seal the spot where the bleeder valve is by hand. My 16 year old brother isn't the softest on equipment.

I purchased something that was originally REALLY expensive on Steep and Cheap (a cutter, I think) and it's been good so far, is light, easy to use, gauge and bleeder valve are conveniently located. I also have a separate Serfas floor pump that I bought on Steep and Cheap as well (with a frame mount pump since my husband needed one) and it's been good so far, but much more lightly used (I leave it in my office at work just in case we need it). It seems relatively run-of-the-mill. Time will tell on them both, I guess.