Author Topic: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment  (Read 14955 times)

Danneaux

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Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« on: August 01, 2012, 08:56:57 am »
Hi All!

I find myself in need of a smallish -- probably mini -- pump, preferably in black (aesthetics do count on an all-black Batman Bicycle), though that is not an overiding requirement. I've always used frame or frame-fit pumps as my primary source of on-tour air, so this is an adjustment for me to go smaller due to space requirements. I'd still be happy with a longer frame-fit version if I can figure how to mount it...probably between the seat tube and rear fender, using a Zefal Doohicky on the chainstay bridge and a non-marring nylon worm-clamp pump peg.

I will be using the pump with 26x2.0 Duremes for touring, so the pump will need to manage 55psi/3.8bar or so, max.

It needn't have a hose and footrest, but I suppose it would be convenient to have it convert to a floor pump in the manner of the Topeak Morph series. Do the hoses hold up over time? Some appear to have a lot of possibly leak-prone connections/joints. I can also do the hand-pump thing with no problem as I do on all my other bikes. I used to ram 130psi into my skinny tires with an old styrene plastic Silca Impero and Campy steel head. That was like a trip to the gym; anything else is cake.

I'd like it to be long-lived and rebuildable (at least new valve gaskets), and not require a bazillion strokes to get the tire full' a half-bazillion would be fine. Similarly, it would be nice if it had a high-volume/high-pressure switch, but not a requirement. I have a Crank Bros original PowerPump switchable dual-action mini in my underseat bag as my emergency backup; what I am seeking is a new primary pump, not only for flat repair, but for topping off tires while on-tour. Presta-capable with conversion to Schraeder would be nice, but Presta is a requirement. I would prefer to avoid a screw-on valve connection. Oh! and some means to attach it securely to the bike so it won't have to be stored in bags or a jersey pocket. No CO2, please. I would prefer aluminum over plastic, but plastic can work, sometimes surprisingly well. I carry a separate Zefal Pressograph manometer so I don't have to have a pump-mounted gauge, but including one wouldn't be a stopper.

I have looked around a bit, and several candidates jump out at me:

= Zefal HPX 1 (the shortest made) or possibly HPX 2, repainted if necessary
= Blackburn Mammoth 2
= Cannondale Airspeed Max mini (hose)
= Topeak Turbo Morph Mountain Mini Track Pump with Pressure Guage (and black spray paint or tape)
= Axiom EnforceAir Pro Gauge Mini Pump (doesn't appear rebuildable?)
= The Cycleaire Mini and Rapid pumps fill me with a vague dread...has anyone tried them? How to attach to the bike? Durability?
= Park Tools PMP Mini
= Specialized AirTool MTB mini pump

Am I missing any good examples that didn't make the list? Do you have a proven favorite? What would you suggest? I realize this is a rapidly-changing market segment, hence my call for the best at the moment.

Many thanks in advance for your suggestions!

All the best,

Dan.

julk

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2012, 10:19:45 am »
Dan,
SJSC recommended and I got a Topeak Turbo Morph Mountain 6 years ago and it performs well on my 26x2 tyres.
I have used it more on other peoples tyres than my own!
No signs of it ageing yet.

I carry it in a pannier, although that is about to change.
I have treated myself to a Relevate Tangle frame bag and that will be the repository for my heavy tool roll and pump in future. One of my sons is just back from a cycle camp round the top of Scotland and the Orkneys, he wear tested the new Tangle bag for me, what a kind son. He says that it drew some interested people on the tour.

There is room behind the seat tube for a pump of this size on your new bike.
Julian.

NZPeterG

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2012, 10:27:21 am »
Hi Dan,
I have been using Lezyne Pump's for the last few year's.
I had one with Me in Africa this year  :)

Pete..
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il padrone

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2012, 10:48:07 am »
Yep, I used to swear by the Zefal HPX. Still do, however a couple of things now work against it:

1. The one I had (right length) would not sit securely along the Nomad's top tube. Down tube and seat tube are out due to water bottles.

2. Zefal no longer manufacture the HPX.


So I have switched to the Lezyne. I bought the Road Drive first, a really well made 'long' HP minipump. However it's volume may be an issue for larger tyres - I have 2.15" Mondials for my outback tour. To get air into these I have also bought a Lezyne Floor Micro Drive HV (high volume). It's a mini floor pump with pressure gauge in the hose and able to mount on a bidon cage mount. I'm yet to use it in anger, but it should work well by all reports.

(Not my bike)
« Last Edit: August 01, 2012, 02:05:09 pm by il padrone »

Andre Jute

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2012, 03:23:33 pm »
I have a whole bunch of mini-pumps that just don't cut it, almost all from reputable makers. I've even been disappointed in the mini-pumps of SKS, whose Rennkompressor is such a star among the garage pumps.

The only one I have that has given good service on all sizes of tyres is the Topeak Peak DX. It takes Presta and automobile valves, is rebuildable, and comes with a clip intended to fit under a water bottle, which is useful. The clip is available as a spareand I recommend buying a spare clip as I break one every three years or so. (The clip is so useful, several of the pedalpals now use them on their bikes for other brands of pumps.) Good fold-out handle. No gauge but I carry a BBB electronic manometer with me anyway because I like running my Big Apples on the lowest permitted pressure. Can't say this pump has seen extensive use on my tires (I don't have any that are not puncture-proof, and am good about topping up at home with the Rennkompressor) but it has served the pedalpals well, hardly a week going by without someone, including those with pumps on their bikes, asking to borrow it.

What I don't like about this pump is what I hate about the vast majority of mini pumps,  that you have to bend over the wheel to hold the head steady. I think an extension tube on a mini pump would be a very good idea!

A mini-pump is by its nature a compromise. I have a hard time believing you can beat the HPX, which is a proper pump if short, if you can fit it (I can't). It doesn't bother me that it is out of production: buy enough service parts to see you out.

Andre Jute

Lemming

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2012, 03:30:52 pm »
Another vote for the Lezyne HV Micro - and I have had to use it in anger (inner tube that came with the Nomad finally split at the valve stem!).
And I use the HP version with my Brompton.
It is the first "small" pump that I have been happy with - but I still have an HPX as a permanent fixture on another bike.

martinf

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2012, 04:04:51 pm »
I have also bought a Lezyne Floor Micro Drive HV (high volume). It's a mini floor pump with pressure gauge in the hose and able to mount on a bidon cage mount.

I also got one of these Lezyne Floor Micro Drive HVG pumps in January for topping up fat tyres on tour, but I carry it in a bag. Worked well on a test to inflate a 50 mm Supreme, but I haven't yet had to use it for real.

I have not (yet) had a puncture with the Supremes, but need to top them up regularly as I use latex inner tubes. This isn't an issue at home as I have one of the old RennKompressor track pumps.

I also have a very small (22 cms), light and simple Lezyne pump that has seen a fair amount of use. It has an aluminium barrel for durability and an old-style hose connector that screws onto the valve but seals well. I carry this as part of my everyday tool kit. For a micro-pump it is quite fast for inflating 28x700C and Brompton tyres after punctures, and would also do fat tyres if absolutely necessary, but the 26" and 650B tyres I use very rarely puncture. I like the flexible hose at it avoids valve damage, which might be a problem if I was ham-fistedly inflating a tyre in the cold and wet with the more usual type of micro-pump. As a bonus, it will also do Schrader valves by reversing the hose.

Danneaux

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2012, 07:14:04 pm »
Wonderful job, All! Thanks so much for your suggestions and personal reviews...this is just what I was hoping for!

I had an errand to run at REI yesterday, so I stopped by their bicycle-accessory department (always a requirement for any trip there and looked to see what they had. Sadly, at this time of year, stock was pretty well depleted, but they did have on-hand the road version of the Topeak Turbo Morph Julian mentioned. It looked very nicely made, and my concerns about the longevity of the hose appear unfounded (I was thinking the rubber might deteriorate quickly in the desert sun and heat...but it appears to be plastic, which woud likely last longer). It could always be "de-silvered" with some suitably large black-colored heat-shrink tubing. So, a possibility, for sure. The only thing that really gave me pause was the foot-rest. It is plastic with a teeny-tiny little retainer hook that looked as if it might become embrittle in cold weather. My concerns are probably unfounded, but that did catch my eye as a potential trouble spot.

There just one Lezyne there, a tiny thing about the size of a highlight marker pen made of carbon fiber. Beautifully constructed, so I can say I was impressed with the fit-and-finish and should investigate their other offerings (like the Floor Micro Drive HV Pete, Martin, and Lemming referenced).

As an old-school roadie, I am particularly fond of the Zefal HPX series of pumps. I'm saddened to think they're no longer made, as Andre said. I knew the black ones had been discontinued in favor of silver, and they still appear in the Zefal catalog...but have been dropped by SJS Cycles. I might be able to source one in the right size from eBay. I have the HPX2 from Sherpa and two or three spares I laid-in for future (one sourced from a shop in Ireland!). Once the 590M Nomad arrives, I will have a much better idea of it is possible to fit one to it behind the seat tube. I doubt I will have clearance for one in the same location, because the Nomad will have a shorter seat tube. So, it may be I need to either sell what I have or keep them for spare parts and seek a shorter HPX1 if I go that route. I realize the Zefal HPS is a "long and skinny" pump and therefore not particularly suited to relatively high(er)-volume, low(er) -pressure use on my 26x2.0 Schwalbe Duremes...but I do like it, it is familiar, and really long-lived. Rebuildable, too, provided one has some spare parts laid-in. Andre summed up my feelings about it nicely when he wrote...
Quote
A mini-pump is by its nature a compromise. I have a hard time believing you can beat the HPX, which is a proper pump if short, if you can fit it (I can't). It doesn't bother me that it is out of production: buy enough service parts to see you out.

Still, if one cannot be found, or is too long even in the smaller (HPX1) size (I have available means to mount them), then I will need to consider the best of the mini-pumps to substitute. I'll be looking closely at the ones mentioned above and the Topeak Peak DX.

The reason I was looking at the "convertible floor pump" versions is the shorter length and smaller barrel diameter couple with high-volume tires means an awful lot of pumping compared to a skinny road tire and pump. Though I've never had a problem sawing through my valve stems, I can see it being more likely when a lot more strokes are required.

Any other candidates come to mind, or further thoughts and suggestions?

Thanks so much for the help; very much appreciated!

All the best,

Dan.

il padrone

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2012, 10:09:19 am »
Of course just today somebody reminded me of this surprising take on a mini-pump. Not sure exactly how effective it is, but there are two models, one good for 80psi and one to do 120psi.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8TVl3Ui-WHg

6527richardm

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2012, 08:04:16 pm »
Another vote here from me for the Lezyne.  It is well made performs well and is easy to use. Before I bought the pump I was not convinced about the old style hose attachment but now i have used it I am

Danneaux

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #10 on: August 04, 2012, 04:57:40 pm »
Hi All!

Please, can someone with a Nomad Mk2 measure the outside diameter of their seat tube for me?

It occurs to me...unlike the Sherpa's fastback seatstay attachment, the stays on the Nomad attach to the sides of the seat tube, leaving a clear passage that *might* allow an otherwise too-long Zefal HPX to pass between the stays and end in a Zefal worm-drive nylon clamp attached to the seat post (the seat clamp faces forward, so would be out of the way), the pump bottom resting in a Zefal Doohicki attached to the seatstay bridge.  <-- My nominee for longest run-on sentence in a Thorn Forum post to date.

Thanks very much in advance to the kind person who is able to provide the OD of a Nomad Mark2 seat tube! I...presume the seat tube would be the same size for all frames (mine will be a 590M).

Best,

Dan. (always thinking...occasionally with good result)
« Last Edit: August 06, 2012, 05:19:26 am by Danneaux »

il padrone

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #11 on: August 05, 2012, 12:37:52 pm »
The handle of my HPX very easily fits up between the seat stays. Drat, why didn't I think of that. But I don't have one of these Doohickies that can hold the bottom end of the pump.  Are they still available?


Ah, ummm, a spanner in the works:

Quote from: bikepro
Using the Doohicki requires that there be a hole drilled, front to back through the chainstay bridge on your frame. The chainstay bridge is the horizontal tube joining the chainstays just behind your bottom bracket shell. The Doohicki bolts to the bridge through the hole using contoured adapters, cantilevering toward the B/B shell.
http://www.bikepro.com/products/pumps/zeffram.html

The Thorn Nomad only has a threaded hole, for the mudguard mount, in the rear of the chainstay bridge  :-[. You could start drilling through your nice new Nomad, but...... :'(
« Last Edit: August 05, 2012, 12:41:42 pm by il padrone »

Danneaux

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #12 on: August 05, 2012, 04:35:17 pm »
Quote
You could start drilling through your nice new Nomad, but...
Hi Pete!

No drilling of new Nomads here! (or old ones, for that matter!)

On Sherpa, I just substituted the Zefal Doohicki for one of the nuts Thorn used as a spacer to set the fender distance, then reused the same bolt into the threaded boss. See: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3896.0;attach=1399 BikePro were thinking of the Doohicki's included pass-through bolt and unthreaded chainstay bridges. Won't be a problem in this case.

If you can't find a Doohicki, I may be able to; let me know if you have no luck. They really do the job for keeping the Zefal HPX securely in place. The little locator "wings" on the pump head slot completely into the Doohicki, and I cannot imagine any situation in which it could possibly hop out. The worm-drive nylon clip holds the top securely in place, also. The only caution I would make is to avoid excess tension on the pump when stored on the bike -- it isn't necessary, and could unduly stress on the Doohicki "shelf". The Zefal mounts are very well-designed/braced and made of really high-quality nylon (like the soles of my now "vintage" Detto Pietro Article 74 cycling shoes), so breakage should not be a problem for ages, if ever.

I think it will work fine to mount the pump here (thanks for confirming the measurements, NZPeterG, and for you, Il Padrone, for checking also) and will allow me to use my existing pump and spares.

I surely thank everyone for their best mini-pump recommendations at present. Very helpful and useful information, and if the Zefal doesn't do the job for me...one of those suggested surely will!

All the best,

Dan.
« Last Edit: August 06, 2012, 05:18:31 am by Danneaux »

freddered

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #13 on: August 19, 2012, 09:32:40 pm »
Lezyne.  End of discussion.
 

freddered

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Re: Your choice for best mini-pump at the moment
« Reply #14 on: August 19, 2012, 09:34:01 pm »
Of course just today somebody reminded me of this surprising take on a mini-pump. Not sure exactly how effective it is, but there are two models, one good for 80psi and one to do 120psi.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8TVl3Ui-WHg

These are just no good. The only people that don't hate them have never owned one


[Minor edit for language by Mod Dan.]
« Last Edit: August 19, 2012, 09:48:14 pm by Danneaux »