Road Cycling - More newbie stuffl. Floor pump, or frame pump

I think the Title says it all. I'm planning on getting a C02 job and some cartridges to carry with myself, but I'm wondering if I should get a good frame mounted pump, or a floor pump.

I have a hand pump I carry with me in my camelback...but it was bought for my MTB, and I dont think it could hack 120psi.

Thanks,

Colin

I'm a n00b as well but I followed your path exactly. C02 as a carry along and a nice floor pump for home. So far so good.

Ronn

I have both (well, aint I good?!?! :D )

If i had to choose, I'd get a Zefal HPX aluminum frame pump before a floor pump because you might decide you're sick of using cartridges, or that they don't give you enought pressure.

I have both (well, aint I good?!?! :D )

If i had to choose, I'd get a Zefal HPX aluminum frame pump before a floor pump because you might decide you're sick of using cartridges, or that they don't give you enought pressure.

So...would that be a small or a medium for a 56cm frame?

I think the Title says it all. I'm planning on getting a C02 job and some cartridges to carry with myself, but I'm wondering if I should get a good frame mounted pump, or a floor pump.

I have a hand pump I carry with me in my camelback...but it was bought for my MTB, and I dont think it could hack 120psi.

Thanks,

Colin


Well...interesting. I just noticed that I misspelled stuff in the title. Lol.

Dont judge me. :D

So...would that be a small or a medium for a 56cm frame?

If your frame has traditional geometry (ie, non-sloping top tube), the pump is most likely a size 3 Zefal HPX

http://www.zefal.com/AAA/page.php?nom=produits&sousFamille=pompesHautePression&langue=an

What type/brand of bike will it be going on?

In my experience, the most I could muster with a mini pump was 110 psi (hand held, no hose). It takes a lot of effort and a lot of pumps to generate the same amount of pressure that a big floor pump will do in 3 pumps. If I ever bought another mini-pump, I'd get one with a hose (and a pressure gauge like my current one) so that I could put one end on the ground and use the solid ground as backup instead of my own hands and arms. Trying to get 130 psi out of a mini-pump is a workout in itself. I don't CO2 for the sole reason that you don't know how much air you are putting in. Any CO2 pumps with a built in gauge?

I think the Title says it all. I'm planning on getting a C02 job and some cartridges to carry with myself, but I'm wondering if I should get a good frame mounted pump, or a floor pump.

I have a hand pump I carry with me in my camelback...but it was bought for my MTB, and I dont think it could hack 120psi.

Thanks,

Colin


I've never used the CO2 so I can't comment on their effectiveness/how well they work.

I carry a frame pump but use a floor pump at home. Frame pumps are for occasional use. Plus there are pumnps for MTB bikes and for road bikes. MTB pumps are small and provide lesss air, as MTB bikes take 30-35psi. Road bikes are 100psi or more. You will need a road bike frame pump in order to get that pressure.

Make sure you get the best pump(s) you can afford.

The only thing that is stopping me from gettting CO2 is that you are limited to how much air you have available. Where as a frame pump, you can get as many flats as you have tubes or patches. HOWEVER, since I have not had a flat this summer after 2500km (knock on wood) and when i DO get a flat, it's usually only one per ride, then CO2 is more attractive.

Perhaps when my frame pump bites the dust I'll get CO2.

Digger

You really need to get both, the floor pump for at home, to top off the tires from a weekend of non-riding, changing tires, etc. The "frame" pump for when you're on the road and need to fill up a tire to get you back home, but as mentioned getting 120psi out of a handheld frame pump is going to require an effort beyond what most people can do (probably beyond the limits of most frame pumps).

If I had to choose just one, then I'd do the frame pump (getting stuck on the road and walking just sucks).

Ideally I'd want all three, a floor pump, a frame pump and some CO2. As you can use the frame pump to get you up to 70-80psi, then nail it with a CO2 cartridge to get you the rest of the way there on a high pressure tire.

Andrew

I'd vote for both. If you can only afford one, get a a good frame pump. You can use a frame pump at home, but you can't use a floor pump on the road. Make sure the frame pump has a hose at the end. Otherwise, you risk damaging the stem, which is very, very, very bad when you're far from home.

Yep, I'd definitely agree with Andrew. I had to get a new pump when I got my road bike (the one I was using on my mtb just didn't do the trick) and got a flat on my way to the bike shop....

So, the moral is: buy a frame pump first. I have a specialized air force 2 pump which I got for AUS$34 and stick in my backpack for the ride to uni. I haven't actually had to use the frame pump yet though. I use a tioga floor pump at home to get my tyres up to the right pressure before my ride - got that for about AUS$50 and it's a breeze to pump them up.

You could get by with a frame pump only, but just make sure you're pumping them up enough. The bloke at the lbs said that you couldn't really trust the little gauges that come on the frame pumps - you need one of the proper ones with a needle.

You might try your MTB pump to see what kind of pressure you can build up. Some people are able to get a rideable pressure (say 80 psi) which is at least enough to get home.

Still, your long term goal should be to get both. A floor pump (I have a Zephal that works fine) and a frame pump. For the latter, I like very much the Topeak Road Morph, which can be used against the floor and allows easily one to build pressure. I think it's a bit flimsy to be used as your sole pump, but it is a very good pump to use on the road. I keep it stored in my rear pannier, so it's always with me.

As for CO2, I find the concept interesting for people doing races or brevets where time is limited. But for commuting, solo rides or even touring, I can't figure out why I should carry lots of cartridges that are good only once when I can pump God's air for free and for as long as I need it.

Besides, I'm not sure you save that much time with CO2, since most of the "wasted"' time is wasted when you patch or change the tube, not when you pump the air (at least with a good pump). There might be weight savings with CO2, but how many cartridges does one need to bring for a 2-week tour? P.S. Don't expect to re-supply anywhere in Newfoundland, Yukon, or... many other good places for touring.

I'm with the frame pump and floor pump crowd on this. I use the floor pump before every ride and take the Blackburn Air Stick on the downtube every ride. I've never used a CO2 pump so I can't comment on that.

It's great to have both a floor and a frame pump, because the frame pump can be really tough work on the shoulders and pecs after a while, so it's nice to use different muscles on the floor pump.

If i had to choose, I'd get the frame pump for the versatility.

My vote: FLOOR PUMP ONLY (and carry C02).

A road bike tire likes 100 psi. You can't easily get that with a frame-mounted pump, and even then it's alotta extra weight to lug around when you already have water bottles and a seat pack.

When you have a flat, you just want to get back up and running. C02 lets you do that, and it's lightweight. Air up at home with your floor pump before each ride. Floor pumps are much easier to reach 100 psi with.

I have both (well, aint I good?!?! :D )

If i had to choose, I'd get a Zefal HPX aluminum frame pump before a floor pump because you might decide you're sick of using cartridges, or that they don't give you enought pressure.

You're much more likely to get your tire up to pressure on the roadside using co2 than you are with a frame pump. Even the best frame pumps take a lot of work to get up to 100psi. There's no substitute for a floor pump for keeping your tires up to pressure.

You're much more likely to get your tire up to pressure on the roadside using co2 than you are with a frame pump. Even the best frame pumps take a lot of work to get up to 100psi. There's no substitute for a floor pump for keeping your tires up to pressure.

Hmmm, i obviously disagree :)

You weren't convince by my "how much pressure from a Zefal HPX" thread? :eek: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=59425


Without sounding like a "tosser", I suppose I'm probably above the average fitness, and I pump iron...(RAAAGH :D ), so I guess getting up to certain pressures is pretty hard work; 80lbs of pressure from a 1/2 inch shaft, according to your calculations

I must admit, it's kinda hard work with the floor pump getting up to 160psi; sometimes harder than the frame pump

Besides, I'm not sure you save that much time with CO2, since most of the "wasted"' time is wasted when you patch or change the tube, not when you pump the air (at least with a good pump). There might be weight savings with CO2, but how many cartridges does one need to bring for a 2-week tour? P.S. Don't expect to re-supply anywhere in Newfoundland, Yukon, or... many other good places for touring.

If you are racing and have nearby support, CO2 may be fine. But mgagnonlv is right, how many cartridges do you need to bring to make sure you don't run out? My frame pump takes some work to get to 110 psi, but it gets there just fine. I can always put a little more elbow grease into a frame pump, but once your CO2 is empty, it's empty.

As you can see several people have different lines of thought on this topic.

I have recently gone through a series of bad luck with flats, so I will share my thoughts.

Get a good Floor pump. This in my opinion is the first thing you need. A floor pump is the easiest pump to use to get to high pressures that road tires need.

For out on the road, get a good CO2 system. One like the second wind is good because it is a CO2 system with a built in hand pump for emergency.

For most my rides I carry 1 (sometimes 2) spare tubes, 3 CO2 cartridges and my CO2 system. And a couple of quarters.

I have tried to pump up a road tire using a frame pump and it can be done, but I am out for a ride, not an upper body work out :p

CO2 cartridges are cheap if you get them at Wal-mart or other places where they sell bb-gun/air gun supplies. These are the 12g non-threaded type. Make sure you get a CO2 system that can use these.

Yes air is free, but CO2 is cheap and pretty easy :D A 12g catridge will get you more then enough air to get home. The quarters are for the gas station with the air pump that cost money to use, just make sure you have a presta/shreader adapter.

CO2 cartridges are cheap if you get them at Wal-mart or other places where they sell bb-gun/air gun supplies. These are the 12g non-threaded type. Make sure you get a CO2 system that can use these.

I'd read that you don't want to use the bb-gun type (Crossman for example) because they contain oil to lubricate the gun, which you don't want in your tube.

I agree though, I've carried both CO2 and a frame pump, but recently just started carrying the CO2...alot more compact. ;)