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.
Old Roots, New Routes 