Is the wrench force mini pump okay to use on a commuter bike with schrader valve tubes? Or will a pump with out the flexible hose puts stress on the tube? Will my Wrench Force Mini Pump be adequate for a pressure range of 40-85 psi or is that going to be difficult? Thank you and sorry about the newbie questions.

Nah, you don't need a flexible hose, should be fine. For the rest, look up a spec sheet online, I'm sure you can find one somewhere.

Yes the pump will be fine for schrader valves. It's not the best but it will work fine. Pumps with hoses, like the Topeak Morphs, are a little easier on the valve since you aren't pushing on the valve while you fill the tube like a traditional frame pump. The best thing about the Morphs is that you can push all the pumping force into the ground which makes them easier to pump.

I don't know about the pressure since I'm not familiar with your pump. 40 psi with a small hand pump is doable. 85 psi takes a lot longer.

Fold your hand around the pump head and wheel rim to provide stability while pumping, that way the valve stem won't be ripped off.

I very much disliked the minipump I used for about a year. I guess I never was able to get the gist of holding the nozzle still, so I ended up damaging some stems. I eventually bought a Topeak Mountain Morph with a flexible hose. Not only does it not damage stems, it fills up the tire a lot faster (OK, a lot less slowly).

Obviously, there are trade offs and personal preferences to consider. Some like the much smaller size of the minipumps and are coordinated enought to use them right.

Ever try using a mini pump to inflate a tire. Its not fun, but it definatly works. I've used all three methods (CO2, full size, mini) and have come to the conlcusion that all three are not fun. So realistically, a mini pump is no worse than anything else. The size comes as a trade off for speed. I've yet to rip off a valve. The 85 psi will work, trust me, the moment its full enough to ride, you will stop pumping. I'm not a commuter yet, but I can see an added advantage of a mini pump being you can cary it into work with you and prevent it from getting stolen.
scott

I'm using the wrench force mini on my commuter. Thankfully I get flats at about 2 / year. anymore and i'd be shopping for a better pump. I can get it to about 40 psi, to go further is ALOT of work. I'm skeptical of any pump that says the head is self selecting. I'm not making that mistake again.

Provided you're not doing insanely long commuting rides then use of a mini-pump is fine. If you buy one without a guage then the chances are you won't pump to max psi but don't let that worry you if you will be able to access a track pump quickly.

I'd just get one of those pumps that is a hand pump that also uses CO2. That way I can use the hand pump option to get some air in up to 20 psi or so then blast it with 12g's of CO2 to get it to 120psi.

A couple of things to consider:

What pressure do you run your tires at? A 'road' style mini pump can hit 80-90 without a lot of problem. A pump designed for fat mountain bike tires won't hit anywhere near as high. Always assume a pump cannot do all that it is rated to do. If it says 120, figure you can probably hit 80-90.

If you have a pump you are asking about, pull a wheel off your bike, let the air out of it, and then pump it up with the mini pump. It is better to find problems at home than on the road.

Good luck and God bless!
Wayne J.

I haven't had any problems with rigid nozzle mini pumps, but I'll add another vote for Topeak Morph pumps. I have a road morph, and while I don't flat much, when I do I appreciate getting back on the road with 30 or 40 fairly easy strokes instead of 150 hard strokes. I actually flatted yesterday, picked up a stray sliver of steel, and I was pumped up in no time.

+1 more for the Topeak Morphs. Used to carry a Crank Bros minipump. After having a hell of a time trying to help a guy pump up his flatted road tire at CM,I switched to the Morph. It's not as compact,but way easier to use.

+1 more for the road morphs...just got it recently but much better than my roomates minipump

Road morph !

A floor pump at home will spare you much mini pumping out on the road.

My Mountain Morph has hit 120 psi. Great pump.

+1 for the road morph

A word of warning on the Topeak Morph pumps. Don't trust the little bracket to hold the pump onto the bike. I had mine fall out of the bracket and lost it. Add one of the little Velcro straps to make sure it stays put.

I carry a Blackburn mini pump in my trunkcase. In most instances, it is just sufficient to inflate the tire so that I can get to a gas station or a "real pump".

This definitely is not a tool for everyday use!

I use a mini-pump for my commute. I tried it at home (just got it so haven't used it on the road yet) and got the tire up to something sufficient but short of the normal 110 psi I use. For my road bike which goes on longer road rides, I have a full sized frame pump. It is easier to get to full pressure with the frame pump than the mini.

I also keep a floor pump at work so if I have a flat on the way in, I can pump it up fully when I get to work.

Yes. I use the mount from my first crappy mini pump i bought prior to the road morph. It holds it perfectly to my rack.

Interesting. I've had mine on my bike for about 2500 miles now, and 40% of my riding is over rough, sometimes washboarded gravel, and it's never come loose on me at all. But I can see how it could, especially if it were in a position where it got nudged often when you were loading bottles in the triangle, or something. A velcro strap wouldn't hoit.

I carry a BlackBurn mini-pump in my bag for

-checking for the leak after I've removed the tube
-seating the tube/tire combo after the change out
-emergency backup / last resort / too cold for full CO2 inflation

otherwise it's CO2 for me.