Always a lame question.

Yesterday on my commute to the office, I figured I would stop by the campus art studio (I am a workstudy at my university) and use the air compressor to inflate my low tires. I was pleased by the ability of the 10000 gallon air compressor to inflate my 2.0 tubes so easily. I thought it was a great feeling having such newfound low rolling resistance at the cost of severe bumpiness. Well, I hit the first small lump in the road and POW! I heard the loudest gunshot-bang ever. Bits of tube and tire littered the road and I had several brand new dings in my rim.

I have since decided I need a floor pump.

So what is best? Aluminum? Lifetime warranty? Rebuild-ability? Brand name? What does everyone else use? Give an absent-minded student a tip.

It sounds like you radically over-inflated your tire. Don't ever use any kind of inflation device without a gauge, unless you're in an emergency. You're slightly more likely to get pinch flats with under-inflated tires, but you'll make it home.

I personally wouldn't bother spending too much money on a floor pump. I have a Performance Hurricane pump, on sale for $20, and it's perfectly adequate.

- Warren

I cant advise on pump models, but can give you this tip: make sure whichever one you use, set tire pressure with a known accurate gauge.

My neighbor's fancy brand new floor pump has a built in gauge which reads off by 20 psi - he was inflating to 80 when he thought it was 60. I picked up on this using the finger pinch technique.

This may be the reason you routinely see fifty dollar pumps marked down to fifteen dollars at e-tailers. I can't say for sure, i bought my floor pump (medai i think) 25 years ago and its still going strong.

So beware the gauge defect.

I would echo the previous post that a cheap floor pump works fine. I have a Specialized Airtool Comp Floor Pump which I paid about $30. Does the job perfectly.

I see you live in Texas like me. Another good reason to buy a cheap floor pump is the Texas heat will kill a pump left in the garage after a few years. You could buy a more expensive rebuildable one and replace all the rubber, but for $20-30 I'd just as soon toss it and get a new one.

I have a Serfas FP100 that seems to work well and the gauge seems to be spot on with another digital gauge I have. paid $25 for it I think at the LBS

No reason to spend 50+ dollars on a floor pump, I think most any will do. Some might move more air and pump up a tire slightly faster though

Park PFP-3. $25 and the pump head is super easy to use. Small hole for presta big for schraeder, no parts switching or adapters.

My LBS uses a Joe Blow and even though it is not the most expensive pump they stock. They told me they had to replace an o-ring once (this is the pump they use in their shop every day). I pain $35 for one an I couldn't be happier.

I've used the Joe Blow, the Big Al and the Innovations (I own that one). Hands down the Joe Blow was the best floor pump I've used. The others got the job done and I would recommend them as well, but the Joe Blow is just a better engineered pump. Perhaps the best feature is that the air that is compressed in the pump after you finish filling your tubes is released from the opposite valve when you flick the lever thingy. Hard to explain exactly, but you'll know what I mean if you use it.

Torelli; it's very well built and it's rebuildable...as if that would ever be needed.

topeak road morph

--- When shopping for a pump, test the head--how easy it is to connect to (and remove from) a valve stem. You can test that right in the bike store.

Park tool PFP-3

$26.95 shipped. One of the other BF members said he ordered from this guy with no problems.

Joe Blow, gauge is up on top (no need for my reading glasses) head works great on presta or schrader, lasts a long time.

I have this pump and would not recommend it. The hose comes off the connectors easily at pressures > 100. I had to use some electrical tape around the ends of the hose to prevent them coming off the connectors. I have also noticed (by comparing with other pumps) that the gauge is not accurate.
There are better pumps, even in this price range.

Look here:

https://www.mtbr.com/reviews/pump/index_byprice.shtml

I've found the Performance pump to be cheaply constructed. I've "blown" through two of them before finally choosing a Joe Blow. Incredibly, the JB died after three uses! I was able to get a free exchance and it has worked perfectly since then. It's easily the best pump I've ever had, though I can't vouch for the accuracy of the gauge other than by saying "it feels correct" (via finger pinch test). The "SmartHead" or whatever they call it is very handy for multiple bikes with different sorts of valves. The other great thing about it? It feels solid.

Joe Blow for me. The guage on mine seems to be pretty accurate and as everyone else has said it's well made. Good value!

My Silca Pista lasted 17 years with a few replacement parts, I finally got a Super Pista this year because I wanted more stroke volume. I keep the Pista at my parent's house with an old road bike for when I visit there. The Silcas are expensive ($60) but they are very sturdy, and any good bike shop can sell you any replacement part you could need, although they might have to order them for you.

The schraeder component to my Park pump broke and now I can't find a replacement. I consider it a cheap pump overall. I'd toss mine in the garbage right now if the Presta component breaks.

JoeBlow Sport for the money you cant beat it. Works Great no problems.

I got the topeak joe blow turbo. Seems solid so far.

If you want accuracy, get a digital gauge. Analog gauges are often right, but digital ones seem to ALWAYS be EXACTLY right. Even the cheap ones.

You realize you replied to a 9-year old thread, right?

How the HECK did that happen? All I ever do is look at the top page of a forum. Maybe I clicked something unintended and brought zombies up from the past.

I thought I was replying to a very similar thread started just last week.