Mini pump in Brompton

[Fastpedaller]

Yes, you did read correctly IN Brompton . Not my idea, as I saw it online, however I think it's worth repeating here because I 'stumbled' across it and it took a lot of trawling to find it again.
A small alloy pump with a connecting inflation tube is ideal ...... 'Branded' ones can be used, but I got a 'cheapie' from Ebay (supplied from UK, but made in China of course). Some spare inner tube can be put around the pump near each end, and folded over itself multiple times to increase the diameter (I hope that makes sense). This will make the diameter a little smaller than the inside of the seatpin, and prevent rattles. With the seatpin at its lowest, the pump can be inserted into the bottom of the seatpin. The next critical part is a brompton seatpin bung, or a soft plastic plug off Ebay (which may require some trimming). The plug stops the pump falling out. A pump that's neatly tucked away, ready to be used and a low cost.

 

[Fastpedaller]

Today in Lidl I spied another contender! Their usual Crivit own brand, very similar to the 'Handife' one I bought from Ebay (in fact I thought it was identical. I bough it, and when I compared it to the Handife, there were a couple of differences, but at £4.99 the Lidl one was a bargain.
Lidl one is slightly larger diameter (27mm), and still fits in the brompton seat tube. Handife one has a flexi-tube which 'emerges' from the pump, but means it's a bit tricky to guide between the spokes and screw it on the valve whilst also holding the pump. The Lidl pump... the flexi tube has to be unscrewed from one end of the pump and attached to the other end - this means it is easier to fit onto the valve, and once in place, the pump can be screwed onto the flexi. When the flexi is screwed onto the valve, however, it opens the valve, thus deflating the tyre - but useful if the tyre is flat as it makes the screw on easier as already stated above - Once inflated the pump and flexi have to be removed together of course. As I'd deflated the tyre with my 'experimenting' I pump it with the Lidl pump, and got it nice and hard (I haven't measured the pressure) with 80 pumps, so the increased diameter (as one would expect) reduces the 100 pumps required with the Handife.