Help me find a good pump...

[DarrylH]

To repeat what I said above - for high pressure look for a skinny pump. This Giyo is much better for $25 -http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GIYO-160psi-Road-Pump-With-Puncture-Repair-Kit-/150921875283?pt=AU_Sport_Cycling_Accessories&hash=item2323a50f53

[anonymousmoose]

It should do the job, i have a small Topeak pump (not that model) and it works fine.

Thanks... because if I really get into this bike riding thing I will probably drop a grand or two on a bike and buying a pump for $100 will be worth it. But if I only ride a few hours a week and never to the office etc, I really cant justify $50-$80 on a pump right now.

[Matt_Matt]

Hi all, I want to serenely thank you for your help. But spending $50-$100 on a pump is a bit excessive at the moment for me

What about this pump specifically?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI ... PDKIKX0DER

If you are budget conscious the GIYO Micro Floor Pump TDC mentioned early is a good deal. They can be found online for under $20.

[Releng]

I bought this a few weeks ago:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=42197

And it is pretty good, better than my $40 Leyzene.

[JustJames]

Buy good stuff, buy once. Life is too short to buy garbage.

Nobody ever bought something and then said "you know, this is too nice, I wish i'd bought cheaper."

Just to clarify, this one is garbage? It seemed to get good reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI ... cyclenetau

It's average - just like every one I've ever chucked.

Just for clarity:
I'm not harping on about the (admittedly more expensive) Lezyne out of snobbery. It's just that I really do believe that it is a demonstrably better item. The way I approach these things is thus: If I am hemming and hawing over something, I compare the price of it to a tank of petrol. If it costs more than a tank of petrol, it's worth deliberating over. If it costs the same as a tank of gas or less, I just buy the darn' thing and move on.

[il padrone]

Thanks... because if I really get into this bike riding thing I will probably drop a grand or two on a bike and buying a pump for $100 will be worth it. But if I only ride a few hours a week and never to the office etc, I really cant justify $50-$80 on a pump right now.

You intend to spend up to $2000 on your bike but you can't justify $80 to keep the tyres inflated

That seems like a false economy to my way of thinking.

[TDC]

Thanks... because if I really get into this bike riding thing I will probably drop a grand or two on a bike and buying a pump for $100 will be worth it. But if I only ride a few hours a week and never to the office etc, I really cant justify $50-$80 on a pump right now.

You intend to spend up to $2000 on your bike but you can't justify $80 to keep the tyres inflated

That seems like a false economy to my way of thinking.

OP said that $50 - $80 on a pump cant be justified right now. That is the bottom line to this discussion. He does not want to spend 80 bucks... The $20 pump uses the the same air as the $80 pump, and he can buy 4 of them over the next 25 years. Either way his tyres will get air in them and he can ride his bike to the coffee shop where he can get ridiculed for having the wrong pump.

[anonymousmoose]

Thanks... because if I really get into this bike riding thing I will probably drop a grand or two on a bike and buying a pump for $100 will be worth it. But if I only ride a few hours a week and never to the office etc, I really cant justify $50-$80 on a pump right now.

You intend to spend up to $2000 on your bike but you can't justify $80 to keep the tyres inflated

That seems like a false economy to my way of thinking.

You either misread or are splitting hairs dear sir. Read again what I wrote , at the moment I dont even know how how much I will pickup this cycling.

[il padrone]

OK, seems I did misread you . Sorry

But as I said, don't be wary of buying quality, and I'm talking about functional quality, not poseur value. My Lezyne Micro Floor Drive just works, and works very well

[anonymousmoose]

OK, seems I did misread you . Sorry

But as I said, don't be wary of buying quality, and I'm talking about functional quality, not poseur value. My Lezyne Micro Floor Drive just works, and works very well

Ta, I know all about quality, dont worry. But I also dont want to spend big now and then later on not use it. I will keep an eye on for the Lezyne if I can find one on-sale, but probably will settle for a lower end one (but not too low, some of the ones I tried were just junk).

[ball bearing]

The problem with buying a low quality pump is that it will probably last quite a while as you put up with crumby performance. This really matters if you have a family and you need to pump up six or ten tyres.

I still have my Silca Pista exactly like this: http://thefridaycyclotouriste.com/?p=4773 which I have had for nearly 30 years. I used to think it was an excellent pump until I got a Lezyne. Who would have thought that a simple tube with a plunger and a hose could be so nicely engineered? Now I understand how lousy the Silca is - the rubber seal on the valve fitting is very primitive and the handle is very hard on the hands, the shape is wrong and too small.

I now have a Lezyne Alloy Dirt Drive, an Alloy Floor Drive an HP Road drive plus a HV Road Drive. My Silca has become a museum piece.

[il padrone]

With the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HV, I have always found it rather tricky to connect the chuck's threaded end to the base for stowing.





Then just on the weekend a mate pointed out the bleeding obvious - hook up the threaded chuck first.....



....then stretch the rubber hose over the handle


There is a right way to use the handle as well when pumping, to avoid the edges of the groove for the hose biting into your hand.

[Byke]

Whilst a big fan of Lezyne (a couple of my friends have bought the fantastic Lezyne Super Drive XL front light on my recommendation) I've been perfectly happy with this ~$10 BBB mini frame pump.

So happy in fact that after having one on my roadie for years I bought another one for my MTB four years ago. Both still going strong. And should I ever lose, break, or have one stolen I'll simply get another.

I don't understand why anyone who buys a $2000 bike thinks they need a frame pump that costs almost $100. If you ride your bike 10 hours a week then over four years the bike costs you ~$1 per hour and the pump costs you ~$100 per hour. Where's the sense in that?

[il padrone]

I don't understand why anyone who buys a $2000 bike thinks they need a frame pump that costs almost $100. If you ride your bike 10 hours a week then over four years the bike costs you ~$1 per hour and the pump costs you ~$100 per hour. Where's the sense in that?

I'm guessing you don't subscribe to house or car insurance ??

[Mulger bill]

In the name of fairness, I will gripe on the alloy bracket supplied with the road drive. While it looks stunning, if the strap should fail for any reason your pump is bouncing down the road.

Mine has a plastic bracket

But I too have broken the strap (luckily just starting off, so did not damage the pump). The leg of my baggy shorts snagged the top of the pump and ripped it out Without the strap the pump don't stay there at all. Eventually I got the strap stitched up and it works again.

Same cause of failure as mine First commute. It took about 11 hits from traffic before I could rescue it. Scratched to hell and the handle was a little ovalised but otherwise fine.

If I actually added up the cost of my pumps and divided by the number of flats, I'm sure the bottom line would be rather nasty but the ultra slim chance of being let down by these pumps makes them worthwhile for me.

[Byke]

I'm guessing you don't subscribe to house or car insurance ??

Well that's a strange assumption to make. (And whilst I'm unable to see the relevance, it's also incorrect.)

I'm not suggesting don't buy a pump. Far from it. I'm simply suggesting that you can buy a perfectly functional mini pump for about $10. It's lightweight, easy to use, and mine has given me at least seven years of reliable service. (Which means it has probably had about an hour's active use in its lifetime).

[TDC]

The air wont be of the same quality from your $10 pump...The bike wont feel as good