any road pump recommendations ?

On Mar 8, 4:07*pm, Woland99 wrote:
On Mar 8, 11:48 am, philcycles wrote:

In 50 years of riding my Silcas have never failed me.
Phil Brown

I researched Silca and their Impero frame pumps are unfortunately
out of print - some Internet shop may still have them tho. Looks
like a true classic. *Only concern is how well it stays on Presta
valve? Can you lock it? Or do you have to press with your hand?

Unlike Phil, I have broken Silca pumps at the top of the pump body
(where the cap screws in to the body) and had pump shafts shoot out
like arrows. There is no thumb lock (which really is not necessary
with a good gasket seal); they are not at the very front of the pack
in terms of achieving inflation pressure, and they are not as durable
as the Zefal HPX. On the other hand, they are far better than any
mini pump. They are chic and do a good job, and they do not develop
that floppy thumb lock lever that can snag your shorts. I would get
either that Road Morph or a Zefal HPX unless I were outfitting a
custom steel racing bike. Then I would get the sleeker Silca.
Rember, to work their best, they need the Campy head. I have a bunch
of Campy heads, which I would sell for a reasonably excessive price.
-- Jay Beattie.

On Mar 8, 10:29*am, "Jay" wrote:
"sally" wrote in message

...



Woland99 wrote in news:580fc92b-a892-4717-ac0a-
:
I have touring bike with Vittoria Randonneur 700x32 tires - they need
about 80psi.
I bought Crank Brothers Alloy Pump for it but then checked online
reviews and
they are very polarized - people either hate it or think it is the
best pump they
ever had. Are there any other pumps you could recommend?

Topeak Road Morph is very quick and easy, even for a lightweight woman.
The
pump is pretty bulky, though. *The Topeak Mini Morph is smaller, but takes
more time and effort.

Another vote for the TRM. There was a thread in RBT not long ago, and the
TRM was the consensus choice. Sounds like there are a lot of junky small
pumps out there. Here are some reviews:

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Pump/product_86619.shtml

I have one. Up to 80psi you should have no trouble. Above that, it becomes a
bit of a workout.

J.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

With 32mm tires, you may want to consider the Mountain Morph instead.
You don't need to get the tires up to 120psi, and the larger barrel
will fill the chamber much more quickly. I have a Road Morph for my
touring bike (I run 700x35 Paselas) and the initial filling of the
tube can take a while.

Not as long as with my Topeak Micro Rocket though. Got a flat on my
skinny-tire bike with that the other day. It took me about 8 minutes
to get a 700x23 tire up to about 50 lbs with that thing. But hey, how
many other pumps fit in a seat wedge?

On Mar 8, 7:00 pm, landotter wrote:
On Mar 8, 11:20 am, Woland99 wrote:

I have touring bike with Vittoria Randonneur 700x32 tires - they need
about 80psi.
I bought Crank Brothers Alloy Pump for it but then checked online
reviews and
they are very polarized - people either hate it or think it is the
best pump they
ever had. Are there any other pumps you could recommend?

JT

Unless you live in a place with unusual road hazards, such robust
tires should go long enough between punctures to make the limitations
of even the lousiest pump bearable.


the Vittorias

I'd been eying those Vittorias as a future replacement for the city
bike, as I'd been terribly pleased with the performance of some of
their least expensive 27" Zaffiros on a vintage Raleigh--so I did a
quick web search this evening. I never had a puncture with my
inexpensive Zaffiros, and none of the reviews of the Randonneurs, even
mega distance riders got punctures. Those are tough tires. You can
probably skip carrying a pump, an just orally inflate a tad if you get
a puncture. ;-)

The bike pump was perfected, roughly, in about 1978, with the
invention of the Zefal HPX (called HPX 73 by Zefal):

http://www.xxcycle.com/hpx-73,,en.php

Blackburn makes a decent knock-off pump that works almost as well :

http://www.sunandski.com/Blackburn_F...2063209016.htm

Most other pumps are fashion statements, not pumps.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA, USA

On Sat, 8 Mar 2008 21:46:33 -0800 (PST), landotter
wrote:

I'd been eying those Vittorias as a future replacement for the city
bike, as I'd been terribly pleased with the performance of some of
their least expensive 27" Zaffiros on a vintage Raleigh--so I did a
quick web search this evening. I never had a puncture with my
inexpensive Zaffiros, and none of the reviews of the Randonneurs, even
mega distance riders got punctures. Those are tough tires.

I had the same (pleasantly) surprising experience with a set of 700x23
Zaffiro tyres. Not one puncture in over 5,000 kms.

Jay Beattie wrote:
On Mar 8, 4:07 pm, Woland99 wrote:
On Mar 8, 11:48 am, philcycles wrote:

In 50 years of riding my Silcas have never failed me.
Phil Brown
I researched Silca and their Impero frame pumps are unfortunately
out of print - some Internet shop may still have them tho. Looks
like a true classic. Only concern is how well it stays on Presta
valve? Can you lock it? Or do you have to press with your hand?

Unlike Phil, I have broken Silca pumps at the top of the pump body
(where the cap screws in to the body) and had pump shafts shoot out
like arrows.

Yup, I've had the "handle" crack and nearly break off the shaft. But
that's in 20+ years of use.

There is no thumb lock (which really is not necessary
with a good gasket seal);

Agreed.
they are not at the very front of the pack
in terms of achieving inflation pressure,

I can get 125 psi with a Silca, but it's *really* hard; takes double the
force on the handle as a Zefal (pump chamber has double the
cross-sectional area of the Zefal).

and they are not as durable as the Zefal HPX.

Amen. I have several HP's (HPX predecessor), the oldest going on 32
years. Caught one in the tandem's crossover chain, put chainring "bite
dents" in it, managed to pound out the dents by ramming a ratchet socket
through the tube, and can still get 120 psi from the thing. Bombproof.

Lots of Silcas on Ebay, and plenty of Zefal HP/HPX's there too.

Mark J.

In article
,
Woland99 wrote:

On Mar 8, 11:29 am, " wrote:
On Mar 8, 10:20 am, Woland99 wrote:

I have touring bike with Vittoria Randonneur 700x32 tires - they need
about 80psi.
I bought Crank Brothers Alloy Pump for it but then checked online
reviews and
they are very polarized - people either hate it or think it is the
best pump they
ever had. Are there any other pumps you could recommend?

JT

Best pump is the Zefal xpx full frame. mini pumps are silly,
especially for touring where you don't need to save weight.

http://www.bikepro.com/products/pumps/zeffram.html

Get it hehttp://www.coloradocyclist.com/product/item/ZEFPFYDT

Thanks - I read about Zefal but reviews of recent models - HPX ASV
were mixed - supposedly older models were somewhat superior.

I can vouch for a very old Zefal mini double shot. It resided
in the bottom of a messenger type bag for years, where it had
everything dropped on it, while it swam in whatever detritus
accumulated in the bag. It is rarely used, and always comes
up aces. It has a better protected carrying pocket now. All
the tubes are Al alloy.

As a mini-pump it takes upwards of 300 strokes to make a
630x28 ridable; but the punctures are so rare that I do not
mind, and the 23 cm length means I never notice it.

Regarding mini-pumps - I have Topeak Master Blaster DX on my MTB
and couple times that I tried to use it I was not very happy with
results. Maybe I should try Crank Brothers pump on MTB - esp since
you can mount it on top tube where there is less chance for it to snag
a branch.

If I were to replace it I would probably get a mini with
a hose. A few days ago I got a CO2 inflater for my primary
inflater. (12 g threadless cartridges)

--
Michael Press

In article
,
landotter wrote:

On Mar 8, 7:00 pm, landotter wrote:
On Mar 8, 11:20 am, Woland99 wrote:

I have touring bike with Vittoria Randonneur 700x32 tires - they need
about 80psi.
I bought Crank Brothers Alloy Pump for it but then checked online
reviews and
they are very polarized - people either hate it or think it is the
best pump they
ever had. Are there any other pumps you could recommend?

JT

Unless you live in a place with unusual road hazards, such robust
tires should go long enough between punctures to make the limitations
of even the lousiest pump bearable.


the Vittorias

I'd been eying those Vittorias as a future replacement for the city
bike, as I'd been terribly pleased with the performance of some of
their least expensive 27" Zaffiros on a vintage Raleigh--so I did a
quick web search this evening. I never had a puncture with my
inexpensive Zaffiros, and none of the reviews of the Randonneurs, even
mega distance riders got punctures. Those are tough tires. You can
probably skip carrying a pump, an just orally inflate a tad if you get
a puncture. ;-)

26 thread per inch?

The Zaffiro is an affordable training tire that
delivers many high-end features. It contains Vittoria's
Dot C.O.M. ("dot Computer Optimized Measure") concept
which allows for calibration of the size of the tread
dots according to their position on the tread surface.
The dots are smaller in the center, for less rolling
resistance, and larger towards the sides, for better
grip, creating a tire that is fast on the straightaways
and safe in corners.

Oh, please!

--
Michael Press

On Mar 8, 5:46 pm, Jay Beattie wrote:


Unlike Phil, I have broken Silca pumps at the top of the pump body
(where the cap screws in to the body) and had pump shafts shoot out
like arrows.
-- Jay Beattie.

The Silca heads aren't bad although I must confess that all of my
Silcas have Campys. And I was fortunate to be shown the proper grip on
the tire/head many years ago and have never had one break.
Phil Brown

On Mar 9, 5:21 pm, Michael Press wrote:
In article
,



landotter wrote:
On Mar 8, 7:00 pm, landotter wrote:
On Mar 8, 11:20 am, Woland99 wrote:

I have touring bike with Vittoria Randonneur 700x32 tires - they need
about 80psi.
I bought Crank Brothers Alloy Pump for it but then checked online
reviews and
they are very polarized - people either hate it or think it is the
best pump they
ever had. Are there any other pumps you could recommend?

JT

Unless you live in a place with unusual road hazards, such robust
tires should go long enough between punctures to make the limitations
of even the lousiest pump bearable.

the Vittorias

I'd been eying those Vittorias as a future replacement for the city
bike, as I'd been terribly pleased with the performance of some of
their least expensive 27" Zaffiros on a vintage Raleigh--so I did a
quick web search this evening. I never had a puncture with my
inexpensive Zaffiros, and none of the reviews of the Randonneurs, even
mega distance riders got punctures. Those are tough tires. You can
probably skip carrying a pump, an just orally inflate a tad if you get
a puncture. ;-)

26 thread per inch?

Sounds low for sure, but they're supple enough for tootlin' tires--
more so than something like WTB Slickas, less so than IRC utility
offerings.


The Zaffiro is an affordable training tire that
delivers many high-end features. It contains Vittoria's
Dot C.O.M. ("dot Computer Optimized Measure") concept
which allows for calibration of the size of the tread
dots according to their position on the tread surface.
The dots are smaller in the center, for less rolling
resistance, and larger towards the sides, for better
grip, creating a tire that is fast on the straightaways
and safe in corners.

Hahahaha! That's bull**** for sure, but they're virtual slicks--the
pattern looks great and actually went well on the old Sprite they went
on. The 27x1 1/4 Zaffiros might be my favorite riding tires ever,
running at a gentlemanly 80psi. Probably the under $15 price adds to
the psychology of it all. Hey, if it's round, quiet, never flats,
rides nice, and is cheap--I can forgive cachet and mass.