So what's the best bang-for-the-buck in floor pumps these days?
10-11-18, 04:26 PM
#27
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Joe Blow Sport. I think the twin head works better than the smart head on the Joe Blow pro.
10-11-18, 04:37 PM
#28
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10-11-18, 05:35 PM
#29
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In 1986 I bought a pink Silca Pista pump. I remember the price as $45. At that time that was a top of the line pump and considered very expensive. I have been using it every season since then. Same brass screw on head, but have replaced the rubber seal in the head twice. Replaced the leather plunger once. The thing just won't die. As for the gauge, I have always used an external gauge (Accu-gauge) as pump gauges are known to be inaccurate.
If you want a cheapie, Serfas has a great little cheapo pump for $30. It is short, but pumps quickly up to 37mm tires. 29er tires it is a slow go, but it will do it. At the shop we have a Cannondale pump that is used many, many times a day during the season and it has been in service for 3 years without any failures. That is a $60 pump, but was $45 at the time it was put into service.
If you want a cheapie, Serfas has a great little cheapo pump for $30. It is short, but pumps quickly up to 37mm tires. 29er tires it is a slow go, but it will do it. At the shop we have a Cannondale pump that is used many, many times a day during the season and it has been in service for 3 years without any failures. That is a $60 pump, but was $45 at the time it was put into service.
10-11-18, 06:31 PM
#30
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Bike Pump
I currently have a Schwinn floor pump I have used for months that I got for around $17 from Meijer, but you could probably find one at Wal-Mart if you don't have a Meijer. It has a pressure gauge and multiple tips so it is very versatile.
10-11-18, 07:41 PM
#31
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I bought a Nashbar Orange pump about a year ago that seems pretty well made, was inexpensive, and seemed to have good reviews. I like it pretty well but there is one annoying trait. It takes a lot of force to push the head onto the stem. I mean a lot. Took me a while to get use to that.
Interesting to hear that people have so many failures of pumps. What goes wrong with them?
Interesting to hear that people have so many failures of pumps. What goes wrong with them?
10-11-18, 07:56 PM
#32
Interocitor Command
Years ago I bought a Walmart floor pump. It quit working in about 2 months so I returned it for another one. It quit working in a couple of months so I returned it for another one. After the 3rd one failed I returned it for a full refund and bought an entry level Specialized floor pump. It's worked fine ever since.
10-11-18, 08:04 PM
#33
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I’ve had a Sefas for about 15 years and it always worked well..... until I backed over it with a car.
I bought another one just like it. It is the TCPS model. I forget if the old one was called that, but they seemed identical, other than the new one not being run over by a car.
I think they go for around $30. Works well on presta and Schrader valves.
I bought another one just like it. It is the TCPS model. I forget if the old one was called that, but they seemed identical, other than the new one not being run over by a car.
I think they go for around $30. Works well on presta and Schrader valves.
10-12-18, 02:45 AM
#34
Senior Member
I have a Zefal floor pump I bought at Walmart a decade ago for $22, still works great. Use it a few times a week. I don't inflate tires past 60psi though.
10-12-18, 03:42 AM
#35
Mike J
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I got a green Bell pump at Walmart for $17. Seems to work just fine, and it has both Schrader and Presta holes so it'll work with either, which is handy for keeping my car tires properly inflated. The gauge isn't super accurate though.
If it fails in 2 years and I have to get another one, I'm still coming out ahead versus buying some > $50 high-end pump.
If it fails in 2 years and I have to get another one, I'm still coming out ahead versus buying some > $50 high-end pump.
10-12-18, 04:48 AM
#36
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Many thanks to all for the solid replies. To answer the question about what I consider "reasonable", I was thinking around $40 bucks or so. (It sure as hell ain't $120+ !! 
)
I took a look at the Pedros recommended above, but they seemed to have a high number of bad reviews on Amazon.
The Nashbar Orange looks like a solid candidate, but they have another one that's even cheaper, that has even better reviews.....
https://www.bikenashbar.com/cycling/...p-bn-egfp-base
)I took a look at the Pedros recommended above, but they seemed to have a high number of bad reviews on Amazon.
The Nashbar Orange looks like a solid candidate, but they have another one that's even cheaper, that has even better reviews.....
https://www.bikenashbar.com/cycling/...p-bn-egfp-base
Overall it seems to work exactly like the more expensive shop pumps at a couple of LBSs where I've aired up occasionally. The Earl Grey may have a little less resistance per stroke, hard to say. But a friend also commented on the pumping ease compared with his floor pump. Both of us are recovering from busted flippers so we're a bit more sensitive to excessive pressure on the hands and arms. Earlier this year when my right shoulder was broken and dislocated I was still able to pump up my road bike tires one-handed with the left only, to get the bike ready for the indoor trainer once I was able to support some weight on the injured shoulder.
10-12-18, 05:40 AM
#37
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I've had bad luck w/pumps too. I've three right now that are in various stages of "broken". The best is the Lezyne, which is mechanically perfect after many years and I'm sure it's because years ago dropped a fork onto gauge and broke the plastic cover so that I have to look through broken plastic each time I inflate a tire. The rest of the pump will live forever just to spite me! LOL.
10-12-18, 06:22 AM
#38
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Bad luck with pumps here too. Maybe it's because I have multiple bikes and a family with multiple bikes and we ride frequently all year round. So it gets a lot of use. But I generally get about four or five years per pump.
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10-12-18, 06:42 AM
#39
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I used it for my car tires and it works quite well actually; it's the Bell "Air Attack" high-volume pump. Obviously, I wouldn't want to use it for reinflating a tire that's completely flat, but for topping off my tires after a month when they've lost a few psi, it's a lot more portable and convenient than an air compressor. Also, I don't have a private garage (I live in a condo with a large parking garage) so I need something portable that I can throw in my closet.
10-12-18, 07:39 AM
#40
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Vibrelli Floor Pump | Vibrelli
been using this one for about a year, does presta and schrader with no adapter
$35 bucks on amazon
been using this one for about a year, does presta and schrader with no adapter
$35 bucks on amazon
10-12-18, 08:08 AM
#41
Full Member
Vibrelli Floor Pump | Vibrelli
been using this one for about a year, does presta and schrader with no adapter
$35 bucks on amazon
been using this one for about a year, does presta and schrader with no adapter
$35 bucks on amazon
Their phone mount is also nice. I have 2 of those as well.
10-12-18, 08:09 AM
#42
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I've been using a Pedro's Prestige for 4 or 5 years now with no problems. It's a good pump.
10-12-18, 08:19 AM
#43
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I bought a pump at REI about 15 years ago and it's sort of a dark red. That's honestly all I can remember about it. It has a brand name on the side and I'll post if I remember to. I have had to take apart the head once or twice because the rocker between the presta and schrader valve holes got sticky.
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10-12-18, 08:47 AM
#44
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Interestingly enough, I've never had a floor pump fail. Right now I'm using a Nashbar pump, a blue one, that I must have bought at least fifteen years ago. It still works fine. I bought it so long ago that I don't remember how much I paid, but believe it was the cheapest one in the line of pumps labeled by a color. If I were to buy a new one, I'd buy a Nashbar one.
10-12-18, 12:08 PM
#45
Banned
S/V I have another oldie, a Medai, with a thumb lock head ,
I keep the leather pump cup greased..
so its supple-soft, & seals well against the pump tube.
...
I keep the leather pump cup greased..
so its supple-soft, & seals well against the pump tube.
...
10-12-18, 11:16 PM
#46
Clark W. Griswold
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I would love to say the newer Blackburn pumps but alas it feels much cheaper than my AirTower Shop and while it does a fine job it is poor replacement for that pump (which still works but has a broken gauge (something dropped on it and it cracked the glass and doesn't read right). However the Airtower Shop is an excellent pump and if you find a NOS version go for it,
If I didn't have the two Blackburn pumps I would probably get a Lezyne CNC Drive becuase it looks like a good pump and their pumps have gotten great reviews plus I can get it either digital or analog which is neat.
If I didn't have the two Blackburn pumps I would probably get a Lezyne CNC Drive becuase it looks like a good pump and their pumps have gotten great reviews plus I can get it either digital or analog which is neat.
10-13-18, 04:50 AM
#47
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That's the Nashbar Earl Grey. Good pump. I've used one for three years. No problems. Only minor quibble is the chuck. It works and seals, no problem. I just find the press-on twist locking lever a bit fiddly. But I'm partial to threaded chucks. The Earl Grey is a great value, definitely not plasticky junk. I'd agree with the 4 out of 5 star reviews on the Nashbar site.......
I looked hard at a couple of the others in the price range that were recommended here, but at under $30 delivered, and with virtually no bad reviews at all, this one seemed come closest to meeting the criteria of "best bang for the buck".
And hopefully it'll stay in it's back-up role (after a few test runs), and my trusty old Blackburn with keep on ticking.
Thanks again to all for weighing in, it's been a good thread.
Last edited by Brocephus; 10-13-18 at 05:26 AM.
10-13-18, 04:36 PM
#48
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Hey, thanks for the review. Nashbar sent out a 25%-off e-mail yesterday, and after sifting through the reviews and prices, on several sites, I went ahead and ordered this Nashbar pump.
I looked hard at a couple of the others in the price range that were recommended here, but at under $30 delivered, and with virtually no bad reviews at all, this one seemed come closest to meeting the criteria of "best bang for the buck".
And hopefully it'll stay in it's back-up role (after a few test runs), and my trusty old Blackburn with keep on ticking.
Thanks again to all for weighing in, it's been a good thread.
I looked hard at a couple of the others in the price range that were recommended here, but at under $30 delivered, and with virtually no bad reviews at all, this one seemed come closest to meeting the criteria of "best bang for the buck".
And hopefully it'll stay in it's back-up role (after a few test runs), and my trusty old Blackburn with keep on ticking.
Thanks again to all for weighing in, it's been a good thread.
The only tricky bit with that Nashbar Earl Grey pump is the same with any pump that uses a press-on, lever locking chuck: It's easy to bend Presta valve cores. Helps to just barely crack the Presta valve core open, just enough to bleed off or insert air, without fully unscrewing it and extending the fragile core. But it's not really a bit deal. Most LBS shop pumps I've used have the same types of chucks.
Both of my on-bike mini pumps have threaded chucks and don't have this problem. But I haven't been motivated enough to replace the Earl Grey chuck so I guess it isn't really a serious problem.
10-13-18, 04:59 PM
#49
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I use two--a 35+ year old Silca that's on it's third gauge, about fourth hose, and numerous internal washers. So old it's got a "Ten Speed Drive" sticker on it. Two years ago a customer wanted me to order him a Pedros Prestige and I got one for shop use; amazingly good pump and the bonus is that it's the first floor pump where I didn't think I was going to rip a valve out of a Schraeder tube with. It has needed a washer in the Presta side of the head already; not a cast-iron part. Pumps a 700 x 25 tire to 90 PSI in 25 strokes. I would have to recommend this one, just get a spare washer for the head when you buy the pump.
10-13-18, 05:21 PM
#50
Senior Member
https://www.performancebike.com/shop...r-pump-40-5517
The double sided chuck is a terrific design. Being able to pump both types of valves easily is nice, but it has one other very nice subtle feature: after pumping a presta valve, flipping the chuck open automatically dumps pressure out of the schrader side, instantly closing the presta valve and ensuring you have the exact pressure you wanted in the tire. I've had an older version of this pump for ten years and use it daily without issue. Terrific pump. $30.
The double sided chuck is a terrific design. Being able to pump both types of valves easily is nice, but it has one other very nice subtle feature: after pumping a presta valve, flipping the chuck open automatically dumps pressure out of the schrader side, instantly closing the presta valve and ensuring you have the exact pressure you wanted in the tire. I've had an older version of this pump for ten years and use it daily without issue. Terrific pump. $30.
Last edited by Hiro11; 10-13-18 at 05:25 PM.