Road Cycling - Questions about pumps

I need to get a pump for my new bike. I am trying to decide between CO2 inflator or a frame pump. The bike I have got has no pump peg, so how do you fasten a frame pump to it? And any input on the CO2/ handpump combos would be great. Thanks

Originally posted by Sterling
I need to get a pump for my new bike. I am trying to decide between CO2 inflator or a frame pump. The bike I have got has no pump peg, so how do you fasten a frame pump to it? And any input on the CO2/ handpump combos would be great. Thanks

It would help to know what kind of bike you are riding, and what kind of riding you are doing.

I carry a CO2 inflator on my racer/road bike, which has no pump peg. CO2 inflators are great for fast repairs, but they are less reliable than pumps. Once that CO2 bomb is empty...it's empty. You need to make the repair right the first time, and pray that you have no more flats.

On my touring bike I carry a CO2 inflator AND a mini-pump. The Topeak Morph pumps are great: powerful, easy to use, dependable, and rebuildable. It attaches with a bracket next to a water bottle cage.

On my mountain bike, I carry a mini-pump in a pocket on my Camelbak. A single, unthreaded C02 cartridge will inflate a road tire to about 90 lbs. It takes 3 of them to properly inflate a mountain bike tire. Of course, there are larger threaded cartridges available, but they are harder to find and pricey.

Two-Fish fasteners makes a velcro and foam rubber device that will strap a frame pump to a bike with no pump peg. Many mini pumps attach next to the water bottle cage or will fit in a pocket.

I've never tried a CO2/Pump combo, so I am not speaking from experience, but, I don't think I'd want to do much pumping with one.

Hope that helps.

Is the frame pump the same length as the your top tube or seat tube? If so use a velcro strap to secure it.
Or is it a mini-pump? They usually come with a mounting bracket.
Visit your LBS and they should be able to help.

BTW: I have a mini-pump on my commuter and a frame pump on my road bike (it has a pump peg).
I was always a little leary of CO2 cartridges.

I'll vote for the Topeak Morph pump. They come with a bracket to attach to the frame, and they're the next best thing to a shop pump.

I've got a mountain morph, the store sent the wrong one, on my road bike, but I think the only difference is it doesn't have a gauge. I pumps my tires to 110 psi in a hundred strokes, and with the fold out handle and hose attachment it's very easy to use.

The rule I follow is that when riding alone, I take my frame pump. If I carried enough co2 cartridges to feel reasonably confident of making it home, I would end up carrying more weight than the pump. I have a Zefal hpx pump, which can be carried either under the top tube or in between the top tube and bottom bracket. The latter does not require a pump peg. This pump comes in 4 sizes, so you should be able to find a size that fits. I suppose I could end up getting stranded if the pump breaks, but the hpx is a proven, simple design that has been around for years.

If riding with a group, I ditch the frame pump and take a co2 inflator and 3 cartridges. It takes 1 cartridge and part of a second to fully inflate my tires to 120psi, so theoretically, I can fix 2 flats. This assumes that I don't screw up and waste a cartridge. I figure that if that happens, someone in the group will help out, either with another cartridge or a pump. The advantage of co2 is that I can inflate my tire in seconds, thus minimizing the delay for the group.

I use both. I have an Innovations Ultraflate and two 12g cannisters in my seat bag, and I always slip a Crank Brothers Power Pump (http://www.crankbros.com/PowerPump.htm) in a back pocket on rides of more than 50 km, or so. The C02 is fast and convenient, but sometimes buggy, and it's nice to have the tiny pump as a back-up.