Classic & Vintage - Zefal HP Questions

My favorite pump was run over and completely destroyed a couple months ago. I was very happy to find that I had a more or less new unused one hiding on a shelf. The problem is that it appears to be set up for schrader valves and does not seem to adapt for presta with the existing parts.

The rubber part in the head seems like it would reverse and possibly work with presta, but there is a plastic piece that opens the valve on the schrader tube. When I remove the plastic piece it seems like it almost works but is too loose without the plastic piece. I have a little lathe and could make a piece to replace the plastic piece but with a hole for the presta valve to pass through.

The part I am proposing is basically just a washer the same thickness as the existing plastic piece.

I wish I had saved the parts from the one that was run over.

What I want to know is:
1. Is the rubber supposed to be reversable for presta?
2. Is there supposed to be a different piece to replace the existing plastic piece to make it presta compatible?
3. Are parts available? and where?

Any body able to shed some light on any of this?

My favorite pump was run over and completely destroyed a couple months ago. I was very happy to find that I had a more or less new unused one hiding on a shelf. The problem is that it appears to be set up for schrader valves and does not seem to adapt for presta with the existing parts.

The rubber part in the head seems like it would reverse and possibly work with presta, but there is a plastic piece that opens the valve on the schrader tube. When I remove the plastic piece it seems like it almost works but is too loose without the plastic piece. I have a little lathe and could make a piece to replace the plastic piece but with a hole for the presta valve to pass through.

The part I am proposing is basically just a washer the same thickness as the existing plastic piece.

I wish I had saved the parts from the one that was run over.

What I want to know is:
1. Is the rubber supposed to be reversable for presta?
2. Is there supposed to be a different piece to replace the existing plastic piece to make it presta compatible?
3. Are parts available? and where?

Any body able to shed some light on any of this?

Zefal Hp pumps used to be extremely well supported as far a replacement parts go.
I want to say that if you flip the soft rubber piece over and then also flip the inner hard plastic piece, that the unit will convert. But that was a long time ago - BTW mine got run over by a car years ago as well - flattened like a pancake on the trans-Canada highway.
Don't have much time now. Check this website: http://www.xxcycle.com/
I think they carry a bunch of Zefal stuff. They're kind of like the French version of probikekit.com.
Good luck.

Zefal Hp pumps used to be extremely well supported as far a replacement parts go.
I want to say that if you flip the soft rubber piece over and then also flip the inner hard plastic piece, that the unit will convert. But that was a long time ago - BTW mine got run over by a car years ago as well - flattened like a pancake on the trans-Canada highway.
Don't have much time now. Check this website: http://www.xxcycle.com/
I think they carry a bunch of Zefal stuff. They're kind of like the French version of probikekit.com.
Good luck.

That is what I thought, but it didn't seem like the valve would go in far enough. Maybe I will try it again. Perhaps I was just having a stupid attack :) Otherwise maybe I will just make a new piece instead of flipping that one. The website did have the rebuild kit for the HPX which may be the same.

I've got three of them. One of them I bought in the late '70s and the other two I bought new on eBay. There is no plastic piece, just the rubber. They don't fit loose.

That site has Stronglight A-9 headsets for $21.29!

my feeble recollection is that the hard plastic piece gets flipped...the peaky side depresses the schrader valve and has to be reversed to not foul the presta...been a while, sorry

When I bought my Zefal pump many years ago, it came with a little bag of parts which I assumed were to convert to Presta. I didn't own any Presta valves, so I never tried it. There was a rubber insert, a spring and a steel washer. I guessed you would take out the plastic pointy piece and the rubber piece and replace them with the other rubber piece and washer and spring.

I thought a washer in place of the plastic thing and flipping the rubber part might work, but it was too loose and didn't compress the rubber part enough to make a seal. I figured a stack of washers maybe but it was an odd diameter and I only had one that fit.

I was going to make a thicker one on the lathe, but first spied a faucet washer that looked like a possible fit. The OD and thickness were perfect, but the hole was too small so i drilled it out. It works better than my original if anything.

My husband has a Zefal HP from 1984 which he still uses, it is Schraeder only (it definitely does not convert). Can I suggest that you invest in a Presta-Schraeder adapter and carry that with you? This is what my husband does and it works fine.