Pump It Up

At the Shah Alam Enduride 2015, Marvin, Justin and I came upon two people with flat tires.  Not unusual.  What was more unusual was that neither was carrying a pump.

This post is about my chosen tire inflation devices.  What I carry with me, and what I have at home.

I used to carry CO2 canisters and a chuck, either in a jersey pocket, or more often in a saddle bag.  Much like this set from Genuine Innovations.

This combination got the job done, but at the risk of freezing a thumb and perhaps a finger or two in the process.

I graduated to an inflator like this one, also from Genuine Innovations.

This type of inflator protects hands from getting frozen, and also has a large trigger that is easier to use that the ‘press to inflate’ chuck.  The disadvantage is the additional bulk.

I was happy with my inflator and CO2 cartridges until I moved to the Netherlands.  I read an article about the wastefulness of discarding empty CO2 canisters.  The Netherlands has a strong recycling ethic, and the combination of the two convinced me to switch to a hand pump.

I read some reviews, and Lezyne pumps got good scores.  So I looked at their website, and made my choice.  A medium sized Lezyne Pressure Drive.

I chose the Pressure Drive because it can inflate a tire to 120psi / 8.3 bar.  It also comes with a hose that has a threaded Presta valve connection on one end, and a Schrader valve connection on the other.  I also like the flexible hose because it puts less stress on the valve stem while pumping up a tire than a direct-connect pump does.  The threaded connector is easier to attach to a valve than a hose that attaches with a lever.

The medium sized Pressure Drive is 216mm long, and it fits in a clamp that attaches to the frame together with a bottle cage.

The Pressure Drive works very well on the road.  So well that I have given away my CO2 canisters and collection of inflators.

But it does take some effort to inflate a tire to 90psi / 6.2 bar and above.  So for home use I bought a Lezyne Classic Floor Drive.

The Floor Drive will inflate a tire up to 220psi / 15bar, although I don’t fill my tires beyond 90 psi.

The Floor Drive comes with a large gauge, so it is easy to tell when you have achieved your desired tire pressure.

It also has a threaded Flip-Thread Chuck that fits both Presta and Schrader valves.

I am very pleased with my Pressure Drive and Floor Drive pumps.  I am sure they will continue to serve me well for a long time to come.