I have 26" wheels, 38mm tyres, and made the mistake of buying a Topeak RaceRocket HP pump, intended for skinny tyres. It's super small and cute and well made, but it pumps very little air per stroke!

Two weekends ago I went for a ride in the mountains with the local cycling group. I got a flat in a pointy-gravel descent, promptly changed to my spare tube, and started to pump. And pump. And pump. And pump...

I basically exhausted myself with the little pump, and had to rest and eat a lot after that to regain my strength. I then realized that I'm lucky enough to never have had a flat with my current tyres except for this one, and I've only used that pump to top up the tyres in the middle of a ride - not to actually inflate them from zero.

Does anyone have recommendations for a pump that will inflate such tyres quickly enough, and that is well-made/reliable/etc? Thanks!

I have a Topeak Peak DX (now they sell the DX II). Only used it occasionally to change a flat on 35 mm tires or pump tires after air trip, it was pretty slow but not terribly so. Topeak Mountain Morph might be what you're looking for: fairly compact but includes a hose & fold-out foot flap so one can use it like a floor pump.

I had one day where I had 5 "flats" and it was a relative breeze because I had a Road Morph. There are other similar pumps. It is basically a very small pump that one can use like a floor pump, so one can pump with twice the force as both hands on are on the plunger and the backforce is coming from the earth. Mine has a built in gage that seems accurate enough. Road morph; properly matched rims and tires; quick stick, and self adhesive patches, pretty much make repairing flat a pleasure.

Road Morph G, which has a pressure gauge, albeit a somewhat hard one to read unless it's been redesigned.

Great pump. I actually use it at home rather than use the floor pump.

Also the Mountain Morph might be a good option. I think it has a little bigger bore and as a result may be better for fat tires.

The Lezyne models are nice as well if you pick a model suited to your use.

I've used long stroke frame fit pumps for decades. they move more air per Stroke.

the Morph pumps are short , but you do have the ground to push against.


MyKoga WTR came with under the top tube clips for the Topeak , [5mm Riv-nuts ]

I took it off there and moved it inside my Carradice saddle Bag, so It wont get taken while I go in the Grocery store.

I have the topeak road morph which is a great frame pump. I agree with staehpji that if you are filling higher volume 26 inch tires you should opt for the mountain morph which is the same pump but with a larger barrel.

Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HV (HVG model has an in-line pressure gauge). It pumps more air than any mini pump, but is light and relatively compact. The fat bike guys found it sufficient.

I bought extra brackets (that go under a bottle cage) so I can swap the Lezyne pump between my bikes.

I prefer a full frame pump (Zefal HPX is great), but only two of my bikes have pump pegs on the frame.

The mtb version only works out better if your large bore tires are pumped up to lower pressures, otherwise you are going to have to bear heavier loads, though you will fill faster. I got the road version for my 700c 35s that I at times take to 80 or even 90 psi. But according to Heine I shouldn't be not only for comfort, but efficiency. I forget, but I think he mensions some pretty soft levels like 40. I don't like anything lower than 65, but I am reconsidering. So the decision whether to go road or MTB should possibily be based on your peak pressure, not what size wheels you have. I run the same size tires on both wheel sizes, but of course one might not. Either way if you ever pump to high pressures the road is probably better.

I love the look of the Lezine pumps, but for some odd reason, when I was buying the reviews at the time were not encouraging.

This is great, thank you, all!

I use a Topeak full sized frame pump and it can work well by itself, but I also carry a couple of CO 2 cartridges when travelling. I use the pump to fill the tires about halfway and the cartridges are an easy way to get it up to proper pressure. Anything to take the stress out of a flat on the trip.

Marc

Road Morph G or Lezyne Micro Floor Drive with gauge. Both pumps will work with Presta and Shrader.

The Lezyne threads onto the valve stem. If you have removable core Presta valves, you have to tighten the core first with a wrench, otherwise the core stays in the pump chuck when you take it off the valve stem.

Road Morph G has a little knurled threaded piece on the chuck that can fall off. Toppeak told me that was not covered under warranty and I had to pay for a rebuild kit and shipping to get that little knurled piece. So, make sure that it is threaded on tight enough. I have seen this pump in stores where that piece apparently fell off before the pump even got to the shelf.

Of the two pumps, teh Lezyne is slightly smaller, slightly lighter, costs a little more, has a longer hose but has a smaller handle at the top that you push on. I suspect that the Lezyne may need about 10 percent more strokes (a guess) due to smaller size. And since the Lezyne is threaded on, it takes more time to attach and remove.

I prefer the smaller bore pumps more than the larger low pressure high volume ones. If you are using a 38mm tire, that does not take as much air as most mountain bikes that might run 2.0 or wider, so I think you would be happy with the road version. I run over 80 psi in one of my 40mm wide 26 inch tires, so I want the higher pressure road version instead of the low pressure mountain bike version pump.

These pumps are expensive, I usually leave it in the pannier to avoid theft. I usually carry the Lezyne on a tour due to the smaller size.

Topeak Turbo Morph G is what we carry on our tandem with 38-622 tires; not as fast a the home floor pump, but not much slower.

I got a portable battery-powered Goodyear car tire pump, used to use a bike floor pump for the car tires but it gets tiring for bigger car tires, esp since I help friends keep their car tires inflated. Tonite was inflating tires on a friend's car, the tires were low so it took a fair while even for the battery pump. But still much more convenient than gas stations with balky/dirty air hoses (often requiring money). At 5 kg not good for bike touring; OTOH some bikers report using it at home, goes up to 110 psi supposedly; has a selector dial to automatically shut off at designated pressure.

Lezine pumps more air than its size would suggest (efficient calving), looks good, hose does not break off valve stems. Tried road morph, but was bulky, pinched my fingers, and not too pretty.

I use the mini-morph without frustration on up to 29x50 tires. I like that it is small and light. I use it for roadside repair only. If I planned to use a portable pump for routine top ups, for example on an extended tour, I would need a gauge and might appreciate more volume per stroke.

+another 1 for the Topeak Road Morph. Probably one of the best non-floor pumps I have ever used and I use it frequently. Has many of the features of a floor pump in a much smaller more compact size

The store had a Lezyne Allow Drive, which seems nice enough. Will report later on how it feels.

If your bike can fit a full frame pump, you might look at the Zephal pumps (HPX and the like). With 38c tires, it will be a few strokes. 28c 700s take ~100 strokes to hit 100 psi, so using a calculator, I estimate 26" 38c at 80 psi to take 142 strokes but those strokes would be easy.

Ben

I've just finished a tour on the fat-bike and am glad I took the big floor pump. I'm thinking of grinding-off one of the feet and most of the handle to make it lighter so I can take it on all my tours.

... it works very well! It's thick and comfortable to hold and pump.