compressor or hand pump?

obliquepanic

obliquepanic

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On a long-ish trip I want to take something with me to keep tyres up to pressure. The compressor sold by touratech seems a bit of overkill in terms of cost/weight/space and I've been wondering about those pumps that look just like (and probably are) bicycle pumps - cheaper, lighter, take up less space etc. But are they any good? Does anyone have any experience of them?

thanks
Michael
 
Presuming that you're going to put a drop of petrol into the bike, now & again, why not just use the airline at the same time...? The only reason I take anything with me for blowing up tyres is to deal with a puncture.
 
I've tried both hand pumps, compressors and co2 products all have had there weaknesses. Go with whatever you fancy:thumb

Just be aware that the small, easy packable, hand pumps take a lot of pumping to fill a bike tyre, and in the past i've found they have vibrated apart in the pannier before i even got a chance to use the pump:blast

Nippy Normans did a nice little compressor for not much money, a 'Slime' i think

Shep
 
Paul Young said:
Presuming that you're going to put a drop of petrol into the bike, now & again, why not just use the airline at the same time...? The only reason I take anything with me for blowing up tyres is to deal with a puncture.
Click to expand...
yes, of course: this is stunningly obvious. Why didn't I think of it? I believe there are petrol stations all over Europe. Maybe I was looking for an excuse to gather kit of various kinds.
 
another idea

what i did was to pop to qwik fit and i asked the fitter for a couple of mushroom plugs and a can of glue, so a permanent puncture fix can be made roadside,then i bought a cheapo 12v electric pump from the petrol garage(£4.99) ripped off all the plastic crap around it, and hey presto a small permanent puncture kit all for a tenner.:D
 
+1 Stop and Go. Awesome. Ask Bobble for his story about these tyre plugs! It was that good I purchased a kit straight away! :D
 
If you are on a serious expedition I would suggest taking both:

1) Expensive but serious compressor - Cycle Pump™ (available from Metal Mule) built to last and has enough pressure to get the tyre bead back on. There's also space inside the metal box should you want to store small items inside to save space. The optional pressure gauge is also hard wearing and has good accuracy (unlike many airlines you might find along the route)

2) Manual backup - Take a compact bicycle pump or footpump (KTM do a pretty good compact one) and some of the CO2 cartridges (you'll struggle to get the pressure from a hand pump to put a bead back on the rim) you never know, your battery might be flat
 
Shep said:
I've tried both hand pumps, compressors and co2 products all have had there weaknesses. Go with whatever you fancy:thumb

Just be aware that the small, easy packable, hand pumps take a lot of pumping to fill a bike tyre, and in the past i've found they have vibrated apart in the pannier before i even got a chance to use the pump:blast

Nippy Normans did a nice little compressor for not much money, a 'Slime' i think

Shep
Click to expand...

just bought one, great bit of kit and it doesn't look cheap and nasty like some, and there on special offer at the moment:thumb2
 
schiannini said:
If you are on a serious expedition I would suggest taking both:

1) Expensive but serious compressor - Cycle Pump™ (available from Metal Mule) built to last and has enough pressure to get the tyre bead back on. There's also space inside the metal box should you want to store small items inside to save space. The optional pressure gauge is also hard wearing and has good accuracy (unlike many airlines you might find along the route)
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. The cycle pump unit is very well constructed.
 
hand pump

if you do want to take a hand pump i`ve found the mountain morph by topeak is the best all rounder,has a small foldout leg, alu body,handle twists to form a T handle and just sits upright in a TT pannier
 
The little compressed air cyclinders are useless for a rear flat and a manual pump is hard work. I went for a little electic pump from Slime (sold by Nippy Norman for £29). It comes with adapters to directly connect to the battery, croc clips, etc. It's small and neat and a lot cheaper than the Touratech option (lets face it. EVERYTHING is cheaper than the Touratech option).

I use mine with a DIN plug attached to fit a BMW socket but it uses too many amps when on load (as will other electic pumps) and the socket cuts out so I have a second socket on the beak wired direct to the battery which also comes in handy for my mains inverter for charging the laptop,etc.
 
andyclift said:
The little compressed air cyclinders are useless for a rear flat and a manual pump is hard work.
Click to expand...

Wrong on the first part, but right on the second.

The 2 people I helped with rear punctures at the Dent off-roading weekend a couple of weeks ago will testify. 2x 16g cylinders put each of them back on the road in seconds, once the puncture was repaired.

Cartridges...

Good, but cheap inflator...*

(* When they say only use Innovations CO2 cartridges, they mean non-threaded ones. These will take any make of threaded cartridges).

I've been seriously impressed by how well this stuff works, but if I was going somewhere in the true "back-of-beyond", I'd take a manual pump as well.
 
Wrong on the first part, but right on the second.
Click to expand...

Maybe I should define what I mean by useless.

The three CO2 cylinders that come with most kits took my rear tyre to about 15 psi. Looked OK, maybe alright for slow off-road but neither road legal or safe. Even the website that Paul Young suggests estimates 32 psi for a rear tyre using FOUR cylinders. This is less than the one up pressure specification of a GS and almost low enough to be illegal.

Using these cylinders is a one-off event. I.e. get it wrong the first time, maybe the plug has not sealed properly, and you don't have a second chance. Really unlucky and two flats on one trip, not an unlikely event on some of the Eastern European roads I have used. How many cyclinders can you carry.

They have to be thrown away and replaced after every use - and cost money.

They can't easily be used for general tyre pressure maintenance.

Now my Slime pump. Sits in pannier and takes up very little room. Will easily take the bike to legal pressures while I look at the scenery. Reusable. Can be used for tyre maintenance. One off-purchase - costs more than a box of cylinders and inflator but I only buy once and is there for use for my bike, wife's bike and anyone a meet.
 
andyclift said:
The little compressed air cyclinders are useless for a rear flat and a manual pump is hard work. I went for a little electic pump from Slime (sold by Nippy Norman for £29). It comes with adapters to directly connect to the battery, croc clips, etc. It's small and neat and a lot cheaper than the Touratech option (lets face it. EVERYTHING is cheaper than the Touratech option).

.
Click to expand...

If you'd have looked in the bargain section you'd have seen a comparison test between the slime pump and [URL="[URL="Compressor"][URL="http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185719&highlight=wilkinson"]Compressor[/URL]"]THIS[/URL][/URL] with a cheap buy it link. :thumb
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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