...but what is the difference between a frame pump and a mini pump? They look basically the same. Is it just that the mini pumps don't come with a bracket on which to mount it to the frame?

Pardon the ignorance, but we all started somewhere.

Frame pumps are generally bigger than mini pumps. Both of my mini's came with mounts so that's NOT the reason

Hmmmm...that's pretty interesting. Thanks!

Back in the day, when there were no such things as mountain bikes, good bike frames had a braze-on on the underside of the top tube called a "pump peg," and pumps were designed with a hole in one end (to fit the peg) and a spring inside to force the other end of the pump against the seat tube. Such was the "frame pump."

As far as I can tell, the term has lost its meaning today, since it's come to mean any pump that can be mounted in any way to a frame, including using a mounting bracket and the bottle-cage mounts. You can still buy true frame pumps, like the Zefal hpx, and occasionally you even see a new bike with a pump peg. So I guess the world hasn't gone completely to Hell.

RichC

Frame pumps are longer than minipumps. Most frame pumps mount to a frame without any kind of bracket. Spring pressure holds them in place. Some road frames have a pump peg behind the head tube to hold a frame pump more securely.

Minipumps, being shorter, need a bracket to mount beside a water bottle. Otherwise they can be stowed in a camelbak, or, the smallest can even go in a jersey pocket or seat bag.