milcha01

Thanks for sharing the experience, I will keep your suggestions in mind.

CliffordK

What would it take to build a dual chamber electronically controlled pump?
Low pressures, < 5 PSI, use both chambers.
Mid pressures, 5 PSI to 50 PSI, use a single large chamber.
High pressures, > 50 PSI, switch over to a single small chamber.

Have it automatically switch based on power/pressure output.'

Do it right, and the pump could efficiently inflate everything from beach balls to air shocks, and automatically select without any user input.

HeadStorms

My object is to travel light as possible with the only required emergency necessities... I use the C02; I won't
even carry a hand or foot pump. Less baggage. Of all the years I've cycled; only twice have I had a flat tire
which the entire tube had to be replaced (blow out). Here's the oddity; both times those flats were less than
1 mile to my destination. I just dismantled the bike, used my lock and carried it back. Yes, i have the spare
but why bother... I always service the bike when I get home. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

mev

You seem to be luckier than me... I've had periods and times when I've gone long distances/times between flats. For example, most of Russia and several months at a time of continuous riding. However, I've also had periods where I get a succession of flats, e.g. small wires in Argentina and Bolivia through some successive days. Record is seven flats in a day (not touring, but the organized multi-day Christmas Ride in San Diego). CO2 cartridges can't fly on the plane - so a lot easier and more reliable for me to have a pump.

indyfabz

+1. While I don't get many flats (haven't had one while touring since 2014), I sure as hell would not want to be stuck with only one C02 cartridge in many places I have ridden. A 15 mile walk on a hilly, unpaved road in the afternoon sun with no shade just to get to the nearest town is not something I want to experience. And then where does one re-supply? My last two week tour didn't take me anywhere close to a bike shop or somewhere like Walmart until day 11.

I am now wondering how my Road Morph G pump compares in weight to two CO2 cartridges and the dispenser.

Happy Feet

While I rarely get flats (one pinch in 2016 from Winnipeg to Vancouver caused by human error), on a trip in 2018 I got 4 in a row. It's totally random.

milcha01

Great idea! I will look into that.

BigAura

Because it needs a charged battery to operate means I'd need to carry a hand-pump as a backup. If I'm carrying a hand-pump I wouldn't need the extra weight of an electric-pump.

If you're looking to use your engineering skills, how about designing a more efficient human-powered pump. Maybe something small&light that could be stepped-on to produce the pumping-effect.

CliffordK

There are a lot of pumps out on the market.

It would be worth purchasing a pile of them, and trying to figure out what works, and what doesn't work. Perhaps keep it bicycle specific, but multiple applications from FAT bike to Road Bike to MTB Shocks.

I've shrunk from a full frame pump down to a smaller pump that can fit in a bag. But, I haven't gone to the super small ones yet.

The same issue I mentioned with pressure/volume with an electric pump would apply to a hand pump.

So, I could imagine a pump with either selectible twin chambers of unequal size, or perhaps a single chamber that could effectively be shrunk, for example having a large plunger, then a method to lock it down and a smaller plunger in the handle.

Unfortunately, the more complex one makes it, the the heavier.

Somehow I seem to pump about 50% presta, 50% schrader. And, find myself repeatedly swapping from one to another. Disassembling the pump head every time I use it is effective, but gets old. I think Specialized made a twist head pump to do either one. I believe that Lezyne uses a reversible hose for presta/schrader. It works fairly well, and has the advantage of less of a chance to damage the valve. Still, I think I'd rather the pump head that attaches directly to the valve.