JonathanGennick 

You know, I can see going either way. If the OP has just one bike and doesn't get many flats and just needs to top off pressure now and then, sure, a frame pump will do fine.

OTOH, if you have several bikes and enjoy changing things up by swapping out tires and moving wheelsets and other parts around between frames, you'll quickly want a floor pump.

rumrunn6

lots of folks will swear by floor pumps but I like electric. I used a car pump at my car for a while but then got one that plugged into a wall socket. I love it.

keep the frame pump for on-road emergencies

Ozonation

A good floor pump with an easy to read dial/readout is really convenient.

Doohickie

I'll throw out another thought: If you have just a frame pump that isn't that easy to use, you may put off keeping your tires inflated. If you have a floor pump that makes filling your tires with air easy and convenient and has an easy-to-read gauge, you're more likely to keep your air pressure where it should be.

DCB0

+1.

ANd the irony is that not inflating your tires is a common cause of flats, so by avoiding using your pump, you may be making it necessary to use your pump.

Ozonation

+2

rumrunn6

here's a pic of an electric unit I had. it eventually broke so I have another. there's a ton of these electric babies out there to choose from. just be sure they have the traditional quick release and not a screw-off type adapter. my new one had a screw off and there was too much air loss, so I spliced in a quick release I got from an auto parts pneumatic dept.

njkayaker

Bizarre. People ride bicycles for exercise but can't use a floor pump?

JonathanGennick 

I like my floor pump, which I conveniently leave outside sitting on the back porch all season for anyone who wants to use it. I wouldn't be able to leave an electric device sitting out in the elements like that. (My porch is not well shielded from the rain).

rumrunn6

um excuse me? it never occured to me to get a floor pump. I never knew anyone who had one and I always had a car pump because i go fishing on the beach and other off roading. so instead of going to a gas station I just used my pump. then one day it occured to me to look for one I can plug in at home instead of going out to my car.

JonathanGennick 

@rumrunn6. You know, you're right. I can totally see what you're getting at. I'll go back and amend my earlier post.

rumrunn6

jonathangennick I was addressing njkayaker

I wasn't saying electric was better, I was just sharing what I used. who knows, if I tried a floor pump I might like it. just haven't

JonathanGennick 

Hard to say. Sounds like your current solution is working for you. It had never occurred to me to buy electric. It's my background. I grew up in a home having a floor plump. When I got back into biking, it just seemed natural to buy what I'd grown up with.

Artkansas 

A floor pump is nice especially if you have presta valves. But I went for decades just using my Zefal HpX frame pump and schrader valves. If you go that route, get the largest model you can as they come in several sizes. The minipumps like the Road Morph are strictly for emergencies and are a pain to use.

DCB0

When I Was a teenager my dad had a small electric compressor. As I recall it had a set point that was too low for the narrow racing tires (~20mm) I was using at the time. Also, I tried tro pressurize a 10 gallon air tank with it and I killed it.
Then my dad bought a big electric compressor with its own tank. Those are handy.

rebel1916

When I just used to mountain bike I didn't have a pump at all. I would fill up using the giant compressor at my firehouse. I had to throw the bikes on the car to get to the trail so stopping at the station was no big deal. Once i started riding on the road, I got a floor pump. Now I could not imagine living with out one.

njkayaker

If this extra information is important or useful, then don't leave it out! It's not other people's job to guess!

I know people who are afraid of the "effort" a floor pump requires!

If you have an electric pump for other reasons, it certainly makes sense to use it for your bicycle tires. Otherwise, it's overkill for a bicycle.

You weren't saying enough to provide a reason for the suggestion.

Nermal

Just for what it's worth, the day after I got my first bike I couldn't ride it due to a flat tire. I ran down (drove) to K-Mart and picked up a Schwinn floor pump for about ten dollars. I'm sure there's much, much better out there, and I plan to get one. The only problem is that cheap, ugly little Schwinn keeps right on pumping up the tires.

Get a floor pump - though I see you've already made the decision.

wahoonc

I have a big shop air compressor, but if I load the bikes on the car or in the truck and drive to a place to ride the cost of the hose to reach is cost prohibitive. I put the floor pump in the trunk just in case. I am lazy and a floor pump works a lot easier than anything else.

Aaron

IthaDan 

You can get a good floor pump for the price of a decent dinner out. Just do it.

DCB0

You can get an awesome floor pump for the price of a decent dinner out. You can get a decent floor pump for the price of a cheap dinner out.

IthaDan 

Exactly.