nisqualee

Can anyone recommend a good presta valve pump (with guage) to bring along while road biking?

Thank you for your help.

OnyxTiger

You mean a pump for your ride, or one to sit at home?

If for the ride, I'd go the CO2 inflator route, a 16g threaded cartridge and a good adaptor should be much more pleasant.

For at home, most pumps in the $25+ range should do the job.

Retro Grouch 

There are several things to think about:

1. Do you ride alone or with a group? If you ride with a group, CO2 maakes more sense because it's much faster so you don't have a group of folks waiting quite so long for you to fix your flat. Also, if you screw up and lose your CO2, one of your fellow riders will have mercy on you and let you borrow his pump.

2. How testy are you? If you are the kind of person who gets worked up when you have a flat, you need CO2 or the biggest pump that you can carry so that it will inflate your tire more quickly. If you are the kind of person who feels that flats are rare so you don't care how long it takes, you might be satisfied with a more stylish mini-pump. I can't use a mini-pump because I'm old and might not have enough time left to completely inflate a bike tire with one.

I rode for years, both alone and with groups and carried only CO2 - no back up. It never let me down once. Today my pump of choice is a Topeak Road Morph. That's the going away favorite for the people that I ride with too. It functions like a mini-floor pump so you can get plenty of air pressure without having to work too hard. Functionally it's a great pump. It's only drawback, that I can see, is that it's ugly.

CliffordK

There are too many options to list.

For home, find a good floor pump with gauge.
For on the road, just use your thumb as gauge.

The Lezyne high pressure pumps are nice with the reversible hose, especially for a newbie.
I've used the Specialized Airtool Pump with good success. The nice thing about it is the storage compartment for your patch kit.

I actually have two styles of PostPumps NEW that I'll sell for $40 each + shipping.
27.2mm posts.
(I don't have 33.9, but they are available on the internet).

The PostPump (top) has a textured paint, and the hose comes out the bottom.
The Doppleganger Pumps (bottom two) come in black and silver, and the hose is hidden below a plastic press-in cap in the handle.

Schrader only.

Velocivixen 

I just bought Zefal HPX for my vintage bike. They come in 3-4 varying lengths, and have been around awhile with good recommendations.

fietsbob

Still have a Silca Impero (Campag head) on my road bike ... It works fine ,

I only brought a gage when Touring and had the pannier space.

New one is US made not Italian & costs More ( to Recover cost to buy out the company )


Consider? The compression ratio of a Long stroke Frame fit Vs a Lot more short strokes
With a shortie, to bring the pressure up to that needed 100psi, per stroke.

Looigi

In a group ride you don't need CO2 because invariably there will be several riders anxious for you to use theirs. At least that's what's always happened to me.

jhazel

I like the Road Morph for an on-bike pump. It works well and I can't run out of CO2. I like the control I have with the pump. I do have friends who question the way it looks on the top of the top tube of my Kuota K Factor.

MikeWMass

I use Blackburn (or Nashbar copy) frame pumps. I carry a small presta gauge as well, but I am anal. Once you put the pump on the valve, you can lay the wheel down with the pump head on a rock, curb or branch and use it like a floor pump. I have no problem getting 110-120 psi, and have never broken a valve with this technique.

Homebrew01

I've had bad luck with Blackburn full size pumps. After a while the plunger does not make a good seal with the barrel, so air slips through. I switched to the adjustable sized Park full size pump.

I never felt the need for a gauge on the road. Calibrated fingers are good enough.

Probably cursing you under their breath.... "That guy"

MikeWMass

I guess I just don't get enough flats!

CliffordK

If the plunger stops working, I usually add a little grease or margarine and it is generally OK unless something big has broken inside.

I've used full sized pumps for years, but started carrying 2 water bottles, and dislike using a top-tube frame pump, so the big pump had to go. Lately I've just been tossing a mini-pump into the backpack. Or, now that I'm running Tannus tires, no pump for the commuter.

Homebrew01

Yes, that usually works. Maybe if I needed it more often, I would have remembered. But my Park pump has not needed it.

dougmon 

+1 on both points. It's a great pump, and it didn't fit comfortably on my Kona Big Rove anywhere except the top bar, where I had to use zip ties to fasten it. But it does work, and works well. I have the Road Morph G which has a built in pressure gauge.

MRT2

I also use the Topeak Road Morph for the last 4 years now. Never go out for a ride without it. Though it is a little bigger than some other frame pumps, it has never let me down and pumps up to 90 psi or more without too much difficulty.

doctor j

Topeak Road Morph G

chedarhead

I bought a bell air strike 500 and I have used it twice (once was for practice) and it seems just fine. I did not bend a valve or anything like that. It is not as fast to fill as my Blackburn frame pump but it sure is pocket sized.

scott967

You must have better technique than I do, at least with a mini-pump I quit that method after a couple failures. Now I let the wheel hang free. A little harder to get as much pressure, but good enough for my riding style.

scott s.
.

79pmooney

Zephal HPX for me. They work. Good for years, decades. Good for any pressure you might want to ride.

Ben

RushFan2112

I'm a huge fan of Lezyne pumps. I have a Steel Floor Drive that stays in the garage and a (size small) Pressure Drive that lives in my jersey pocket. I also carry a Trigger Drive CO2 inflator in my seat bag along with a CO2 cartridge. It may seem like belt and suspenders, but if I flat while riding I use the Pressure Drive to add enough air to make mounting the tire a bit easier then inflate it properly with the CO2. If I happen to get a second flat I have to resort to the hand pump entirely - of course I also have to resort to a patch kit because I usually only carry one spare tube with me.

mrodgers

I have a Road Morph G so I'll 2nd or 3rd the thoughts. I don't have a floor pump as my old junk foot pump broke. I've been using the Road Morph G to air up before riding. Not ideal obviously but works fantastic. If it works this good for me as my primary pump, I figure I couldn't get better as an emergency pump mounted to the frame.

Podagrower

Road Morph G. Used it again Sunday in a charity ride for another riders flat. He had a slow leak that couldn't be found roadside, and 1 CO2 cartridge-I suggested using the pump then and saving the CO2 for later if he needed it. It really is a great pump.

veganbikes

Another vote for the Topeak Road Morph. I for a while used that pump for everything because I wasn't ready to get a new floor pump after I donated mine to some folks who really needed one. It wasn't as fun but it worked, and now I have a proper floor pump again.

If you must have a mini pump, Topeaks RaceRocket series is the way to go, it has an adjustable hose that fits inside of the pump so it is small but is a real life saver so you don't bend valves and you have a little more room so you can be more comfortable while pumping.

ddeand 

I've been very happy with the Lezyne pumps. I have a Co2 Lezyne on my road bike and the $20 frame pump on my gravel bike (had to use it today for a slow leak). I also have a Lezyne Floor Drive. What I like about all of them is the metal-to-metal connection. If you get a pump, just make sure it has a hose.