I've had one of these for about 5 years now and was always grateful I never had to use it as I just couldn't believe the comments about it. I figured it would be better than a standard minipump, and after I realized the adapter needed to connect the pump and the tired had fallen off figured I'd be using the CO2 cartridges I carry if I ever needed to use it. Well yesterday was the day I did need to use it, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it not only worked but worked well.

No one ever gets a flat tire at a good time, and mine yesterday was no exception. My GF and I were out riding a local trail when she realized she'd left her phone back at the park we'd stopped at a few miles ago. I gave her my phone and took off for the park while she went back to the car and about halfway back to the park I noticed the back tire was going flat. By the time I'd walked the mile or so back to the park the tire had lost all it's pressure, and fortunately her phone was sitting on the park bench right where she left it. I figured I'd change the tube and put enough air in it to ride slowly back to the car, but I quickly realized I would be able to refill the tire to the 60 PSI that I usually used and was able to ride back at my usual pace. There were a few homeless looking people in the park that seemed interested in what I was doing as I changed the tire, and I must have impressed the guy who came over and asked me if I could adjust his handlebars for him. All in all what could have been a lot more unpleasant turned out to be a couple of minor annoyances.

I prefer Lezyne pumps because they are a bit smaller and have the hose inside, but the Topeak pumps have a strong following and are no doubt a good product.

I could have told you that!

You may have! The recommendations here were one of the reasons I bought the pump, and I'm still glad I got to wait all that time to find out for myself. Here's to hoping I can go that long before I need to use it again.

Here's hoping we can all go that long!

How about it! I've been kind of lucky where the previous few flats were either at home or close enough to it where I just walked home and changed the tube there.

That didn't take too long. In less than 10 miles I got another flat, and fortunately this was about a block from home when I noticed the deflating rear tire. Again. I must have pinched the tube putting it back in as I couldn't see/feel anything sharp in the tire that would have made a hole.

I also made the mistake of mentioning the cats hadn't puked up anything for a while......

That span of years points to the only problem I've had with Road Morphs: there's no cap protecting the business end that attaches to the valve stem, so crud collects inside. Historically, Topeak was excellent about providing replacement guts for this part, but a cap would be helpful. Good news: I found a soft plastic cap for furniture legs was just the right size to do this job. (And yes, on my folding bike, where size limits what I can attach to the frame, I've found a Lezyne pump also does a good job.)

I don't have the road morph as mentioned but I do have the topeak racerocket HP. In a recent flat, this pump worked way better than a Blackburn airstik SL that I have mounted on my other bike. I can only wonder how much better the road morph is than my race rocket HP

Roughly 1000 times.

The Race Rocket, as well as most ultramini pumps, doesn't have a lot of volume so that means a lot of strokes to pump up a tire. It also has to be held steady to pump up a tire or you risk pulling off the stem which usually means bracing the wheel up against something like a tree or knee or your hand. It becomes something of a complicated ballet to hold the tire steady and pump the pump back and forth.

With a Road Morph, all that effort that goes into keeping the tire braced while pumping goes into the ground. You can leave the wheel on the ground or on the bike or leaning up against something without worrying about holding it up.

The Road Morph is a little big so size and weight might be an issue. If that the case, Topeak makes the Mini Morph G and the Mini Morph which are 50g and 75g lighter while being 3" shorter than the regular Road Morph.

Way to make me spit out my oatmeal! We have Amazing Regurgitating Felines as well.

Also, adding my love for my Lezayne. Great design, and it works.

Nope it turned out I had some small shards of glass in the tire that couldn't be felt, but the guy at the shop was able to poke them out with a tool. I'm hoping to be done changing tubes after getting a new tire, and am glad the cats haven't puked up anything else.

Get thee a pokey tool! We make them at my local co-op out of spokes and old quick releases. We grind a point on them and they are handy for all kinds of stuff that needs pokin'!

I've got some of those at home left over from dissection kits and dental tools, but I couldn't see the holes the glass came out of. Neither could the guy at the shop, but he had the experience to know what to look for when I showed him the areas that corresponded to the pinholes in the tubes.

A couple of things:

1. "Clock" your tire and tube. Align the tire label with the valve stem. It makes finding the cause of punctures easier. You might go so far as marking the direction of rotation on the tube which makes it even easier.

2. Carry some cotton balls or have some at home. When you drag the cotton ball around the inside of the tire, it will catch on something sticking through the tire and leave a bit of cotton on it. It makes it easier to find.

3. Get a steel can and use it to vigorously scrub the inside of the tire before you install the tube. This will knock out any thing that you can't find with the cotton ball or by hand. Just about any can will work. We use the can that vulcanizing fluid comes in at my co-op. Of course you can't do this on the road unless you happen to be carrying around soup

Thanks!
I've been doing the first, I'll have to try the others next time I get a flat - and I hope that will be a while.

I've learned the hard way that you have to take care to identify the location of a leak in the inner tube and inspect the tire in that location. Otherwise, you can end up with a second flat in no time. I like the idea of a cotton ball rather than my finger.

Also, if you are on the road and find something pointy that is so small you can't force it out of the tire, you can try putting a folded up dollar bill in the tire. Hopefully it will be thick enough to prevent the pointy thing from puncturing the tire again. I found a very small swarf in my tire on my one flat and was fortunately able to remove it since there was enough length on the outside of the tire to grab with my fingers. It was barely noticeable on the inside of the tire.

This is a disadvantage to phasing out the 1&2 dollar bills. I have to be a little more desperate to use a fiver.

The plus side of this episode of flats is that I looked inside the side pockets of the rack trunk and found $24 I didn't know I had.