Decent frame pump . What happened to them

[bikeworkshop]

I was nearly killed by a Frame Fit Pump.
The pump jumped forward when I hit a pot hole and managed to jam my steering, causing me to veer through 2 lanes of oncoming traffic.

That long stroke though makes filling a 700x23 to 100psi a whole lot easier than a short fat mini pump.

Favourite is people trying to fill a race tyre with a halfords footpump.
They only try it once

 

[jim haseltine]

While sorting through 50 years of junk in my parent's garage last week I found three pumps - a frame fit Bluemel, a frame fit Truflo and a still boxed unused Zefal Maxi HP floor pump. The washer in the Bluemel is dust and it's too big for any of my frames anyway so will be going to the tip, the Truflo is ok and might fit but I haven't yet offered it up to a bike. I've assembled and used the Maxi and to be frank it's not a touch on my 1980s Meidai Top, with the handle being so flexible that it constantly feels like it's about to snap, especially when getting close to my preferred pressure - which by coincidence is 7 bar (101psi) in a 23c tyre.

 

[synchronicity]

What's wrong with cartridges?
I use zefal ez adapter.
One of the few (if not the only one) with no moving parts.
Probably the lightest and cheapest as well.
Have never had it fail.
I keep expecting something to go wrong, it never does.

 

[bikeworkshop]

a cartridge seems environmentally (and financially) costly to put a little air in the tyre.
A good pump will last many few years, and possibly have similar embodied energy as a couple of cartridges.

But then if it's emergency punctures only a cartridge, probably adds up to the same as driving a car 100 yards.

It's not much in the great scheme of things. Most of us could just park the car and walk the last 100m once a year

 

[Old Ned]

Back in the 1980s plastic SILCA pumps had a reputation of exploding in use. During clubs runs it wasn't unusual to see the shaft of one arcing across a road like a wayward fireworks rocket whilst a clubmate struggled to deal with a puncture without losing too much time.

I had a similar experience with a metal pump. possibly a Bluemels, back in the early 70's. Middle of winter, cold, damp, foggy, roads covered in grit (you all know the sort of day!). About 15/20 miles to get home on the Sunday club run - and I get a double puncture! I think I was running heavy winter tubulars and had to borrow one from a clubmate as I only had one spare. Half way through pumping the back tyre the shaft bent double which annoyed me somewhat. In a fit of pique I threw the sad remains over the fence into the adjacent field - which was ploughed, muddy and extremely wet. As the sad remains cartwheeled through the air I remembered there was a Campag adapter fitted to the pump. Some minutes later, ankle deep in mud and bullets, I retrieved it - and threw the now slightly smaller sad remains back into the field. Couple this with me kicking the back wheel and injuring my toe in the process (I lost the nail!) I was not in the best of spirits when I eventually got home to tell my long suffering Mrs the sorry tale.

Did I get any sympathy? I'll leave it to you to decide...........................

 

[Rapparee87]

Frame pumps.. many a vicious dog got a whack on the head from me back in the day. They usually stayed inside their gates from then on... Cruel maybe, but it was them or me...

 

[The History Man]

@bagpuss interested?

 

[bagpuss]

Pm on it's way

 

[Cloverleaf]

a cartridge seems environmentally (and financially) costly to put a little air in the tyre.
A good pump will last many few years, and possibly have similar embodied energy as a couple of cartridges.

But then if it's emergency punctures only a cartridge, probably adds up to the same as driving a car 100 yards.

It's not much in the great scheme of things. Most of us could just park the car and walk the last 100m once a year

Yep, I'm with you. I'm an environmentally conflicted soul; I love wilderness, nature, wildlife and being immersed in it. But I also love old cars, fast cars, bikes and lots of other things that aren't great for the environment because they require 'stuff' to be made (and wear out) to do it. I just try to be as balanced with it as I can, not be unnecessarily wasteful, and do what I can when I can. In the grand scheme of things a can of CO2 is what, 25g? That's the equivalent of driving a few hundred yards with even with a very, very frugal car. I don't use CO2 as a rule, but on the big bike I carry them rather than a pump because the likelihood of a puncture is very, very low - I've had two punctures in 4000km, and that includes riding some very rocky trails. On the road bike though where the likelihood seems higher because of the glass/thorns and thinner tyres I do carry a wee mini pump. The can the gas comes in is probably worse for the environment, especially as the CO2 already existed (or rather was a byproduct of industrial processes, usually).

On the topic of pumps, I really rate the Lezyne Micro Floor Drives. The first one I got sent back in '10 by them through Pinkbike and when that finally died a few years ago I got another one. Because you're pushing against the ground it's actually surprisingly efficient. I just keep it in the small toolbox in the car these days and don't even bother with carrying a proper track pump. That said I have used a track pump on car tyres, I certainly wouldn't be using one of these for that! They may be a little ugly for strapping onto your bike but that's more aesthetic than anything else.

 

[The History Man]

Pm on it's way

I have replied via my publisher/alter ego, the younger brother old Swiss Tony.