Electric Pump?

[Hudson1984]

any recommendations?

prices seem to be massively varied. Any tried and trusted versions out there? I'm liking the idea of one over my frame pump and C02 options

 

[Dogtrousers]

Not from me, I don't have any experience of these at all.

But we did have a thread recently. Cycplus and Fumpa were two names mentioned

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/electric-bike-pumps.297577/

 

[sleuthey]

I have an RAC one that plugs into a car Cigarette Lighter. I have solar panels on my shed roof that keep a car battery topped up so I have 12v lights and free power fir the pump!! Does the job.

 

[Gwylan]

Makita, runs on their 18v battery and will do the campervan, the bikes and the Red Baron

 

[wafter]

Personally I don't see the appeal - just one more thing to have to stay on top of if you don't want to run the risk of the battery being dead when you actually need to use it, they're probably not particularly light and likely have integral batteries so will be fit for the bin when these have died.

What's wrong with a traditional pump?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Personally I don't see the appeal - just one more thing to have to stay on top of if you don't want to run the risk of the battery being dead when you actually need to use it, they're probably not particularly light and likely have integral batteries so will be fit for the bin when these have died.

What's wrong with a traditional pump?

Yes - heavy to carry so you can;t take it on a ride
and if you need it at home then you don;t need one with integral batteries

and most cars these days come with one that works with Schraeder valves - I presume you can get an adapter??? (or can you)

but basically a track pump only needs a couple of pushes to do a whole tyre
(fat tyre bikes people might disagree!!!)

 

[geocycle]

I experimented with a Fumpa nano on a mini tour I’ve just returned from. It’s very small, size of a matchbox, and light and will quickly inflate a 38 mm tyre to an adequate ride pressure from flat. The downside is that the battery will then need recharging which takes about 30 mins. But it did save the day since the Lezyne mini pump I took insisted in unscrewing the valve cores of three different valvaes/tubes. Without out it I would have been in trouble. Perhaps think of it like an emergency CO2 canister for those who use them.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I find that it is far too easy to have a device in a bag ready for use
then when you need it the level of charge has dropped too low to be useable
so I end up needing the original manual version as well

e.g. lights - although I get round that by having 3 at the front and another 3 at the back

 

[Pedropete]

Future landfill, sorry (not really sorry). Even if the battery copes with such an aggressive discharge regimen those teeny tiny little pumps won't survive all that many runs up to road tyre pressures, especially after sipping a bit of winter road crud. These [edit: micro electric inflators] are a wasteful and ineffective solution to a non-existent problem. Loads of good quality and serviceable pocket pumps available, why bother with this junk?

Edit: as @Dogtrousers rightly points out, not everyone can use a manual pump but why should that be a barrier to their cycling. A well designed, well made and serviceable electric pump capable of multiple inflations to >70 psi could be genuinely useful for these people. I'm just not aware of any that match that description, yet.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Future landfill, sorry (not really sorry). Even if the battery copes with such an aggressive discharge regimen those teeny tiny little pumps won't survive all that many runs up to road tyre pressures, especially after sipping a bit of winter road crud. Wasteful and ineffective solution to a non-existent problem. Loads of good quality and serviceable pocket pumps available, why bother with this junk?

Exactly - hopefully you will not need tyres inflated often while away from the house
so a cheap small pump is all you need and the extra effort it needs is worth it for the extra reliability (no battery to run out!)

having said which - the time before last that I had a puncture while out I discovered that the cheap small hand pump I had in my bag had broken

luckily I came across a small local garage that let me use their air line to pump the new tube up - and gave me a cuppa!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Future landfill, sorry (not really sorry). Even if the battery copes with such an aggressive discharge regimen those teeny tiny little pumps won't survive all that many runs up to road tyre pres sures, especially after sipping a bit of winter road crud. Wasteful and ineffective solution to a non-existent problem. Loads of good quality and serviceable pocket pumps available, why bother with this junk?

While you're probably right about them going (almost) straight to landfill, I disagree that there are "loads of good quality pocket pumps".

Pocket sized pumps are mainly crap. The concept is flawed. Even the very best ones aren't much cop. That's why almost every cyclist has a track pump at home these days.

I've owned a lot of different ones, the best being a Topeak Road Morph which I would praise as being "not all that bad". Even with that, to get one of my 28mm road tyres up to (say) 60- 80psi is a real battle. Now I'm a fit, healthy, large male and relatively strong. For someone with less arm strength than me, or someone with arthritis or similar I can imagine mini pumps being completely useless.

There's definitely a need for an inflation solution and pocket sized pumps isn't it. One possibility would be to get rid of hopeless mini pumps and return to full length frame pumps. Another is CO2 cartridges. Another is electric pumps.

Crappy low quality electric pumps will fail quickly but for some people I could see the attraction of a decent quality one.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I can see the attraction - but with my mini pump I can easily get the tyre up to a minimal pressure enough to get me home which is all I need in extreme circumstances - such as rain and cold etc

I can see the point in people with less arm strength - although my arms and wrists are pretty weak for a bloke anyway
but for someone like my wife I would suggest CO2 rather than electric - just for reliability

 

[Alex321]

Yes - heavy to carry so you can;t take it on a ride
and if you need it at home then you don;t need one with integral batteries

The whole point of these is to be able to carry them on the ride. They aren't heavy, or usually too large to fit in a saddle bag.

Though some of the examples, such as the Michein one in Decathlon do look a bit big for a saddle bag. The Rock Brothers and fumpa ones aren't.

and most cars these days come with one that works with Schraeder valves - I presume you can get an adapter??? (or can you)

but basically a track pump only needs a couple of pushes to do a whole tyre
(fat tyre bikes people might disagree!!!)

Yes, at home a track pump is easy to use and much quicker than one of these would be.

But out on a ride, it is likley to be better than a mini pump, and certainly less effort.

 

[Pedropete]

While you're probably right about them going (almost) straight to landfill, I disagree that there are "loads of good quality pocket pumps".
Pocket sized pumps are mainly crap. The concept is flawed. Even the very best ones aren't much cop. That's why almost every cyclist has a track pump at home these days.

I've owned a lot of different ones, the best being a Topeak Road Morph which I would praise as being "not all that bad". Even with that, to get one of my 28mm road tyres up to (say) 60- 80psi is a battle. Now I'm a fit, healthy, large male and relatively strong. For someone with less arm strength than me, or someone with arthritis or similar I can imagine mini pumps being completely useless.

There's definitely a need for an inflation solution. One possibility would be to get rid of hopeless mini pumps and return to full length frame pumps. Another is CO2 cartridges. Another is electric pumps.

Crappy low quality electric pumps will fail quickly but for some people I could see the attraction of a decent quality one.

You make some fair points, and I'd agree that a good quality powered inflator could be massively helpful for those who can't easily use a manual pump. I've just not seen any yet which inspire confidence around durability or capacity without being significantly bulkier and heavier than a compact manual pump.

As for 'pocket pumps', poor choice of words on my part; 'mini pump' or 'compact frame pump' is probably more accurate, of the Lezyne variety that clips behind the bottle cage. I've a couple on different bikes and they're still going strong after years of all-conditions use. Had a Bontrager branded one that was also very good, though never had to source spares for it so can't comment on longevity.

Smaller volume pumps will of course struggle to hit higher pressures as you point out, so a larger frame-pump always a better bet if you've the space/can tolerate the aesthetic trauma.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I'm guessing you want something small, light and electric to take out in case you have a slow leak mid ride? The CYCplus linked to above sounds really good but it says can only inflate to 80 PSI on a full charge. Probably enough to get you home but if you have quite a fast puncture or leak elsewhere then you're only good for one refill. IME anything with an integral battery does not have the longevity of standard batteries. I mean, they'll work, but their ability to hold a charge decreases quite rapidly if left unused or flat for extended periods of time.

Bear in mind also that most car pumps, even very good ones, are only rated up to about 40-45 PSI. I found that out when I first got a road bike and wondered why the car pump would not go above 40 PSI when I needed 100 PSI. We also have a mini battery operated pump which is even worse, it takes 6 AA batteries and struggles to get to 35 PSI. My track pump on the other hand, is amazing, you've obviously just got to put in the effort.

For your needs I'd say mini track pump is the way to go. They are small, light, don't need charging, are very unlikely to fail, are quite cheap, and can fit on a frame or in a backpack.