Frame Pumps: The Greatest Ever Made

[wgp]

ZenNMotion -

Your post has made me drastically reconsider my decision (thanks in part to your knowledgeable Honda salesman) - I'm chucking the pump, calling to return it to Silca ASAP (be gone damned faulty instrument of tire deterioration!), and returning to the virtues of CO2 so as to not rot from the inside out my expensive tubulars!! What was I thinking????

Thanks for the Moots props BTW ;-)

[Trevor]

Just picked up the Silca frame pump. Although it does not sit nice and tight up against the top tube, it does work well and is nice and snug in there. Didn't feel like digging for a ski strap, so maybe that will help. However, after pumping up a tire just for S&G's it seems to work pretty well!

SRS_FP.jpeg

[Too Tall]

Darn tootin' they work well. Put a skinny velcro strap on that ASAP!

[Saab2000]

Darn tootin' they work well. Put a skinny velcro strap on that ASAP!

Agreed. Pumps need to be secured with either a pump peg or a strap. Or both. There's no worse feeling than riding with someone whose pump suddenly dislodges itself in the middle of a group ride at speed.

[Brandon White]

Agreed. Pumps need to be secured with either a pump peg or a strap. Or both. There's no worse feeling than riding with someone whose pump suddenly dislodges itself in the middle of a group ride at speed.

My TopPeak doesn't need a strap. Its secure - almost as secure as my tubular glueing.

[Matthew Strongin]

My TopPeak doesn't need a strap. Its secure - almost as secure as my tubular glueing.

It's true. I've watched Brandon brace his bike against his legs and use two hands and all his force to remove his frame pump. I think he just got the wrong size.

[AngryScientist]

it depends on the fit in the frame. my frames are so small (50 cm) that all my frame pumps wedge in very tightly. there is literally zero chance of my pump ever coming off my frame without me prying it out.

actually, i was just in Vermont this weekend and forgot the frame pump was on my frame for a 300 mile trip on the highway with the bike on the roof, including several dirt washboard like roads, and the pump was as secure as ever the whole trip.

no straps for me.

[Trevor]

Definitely rallied a few pot holes... and the pump didn't budge an inch. Also felt nice having some extra space in my jersey pocket. Plus it adds to all the lines that are going on in the picture.

SRS_GI_Lines.jpg

[hmai18]

it depends on the fit in the frame. my frames are so small (50 cm) that all my frame pumps wedge in very tightly.

Same here. The rubber head on my Topeak wedges very securely into the HT junction on my bike.

One thing I overlooked, however, is asking for a peg to be placed on the seat tube instead. While the spring tension is more than enough to keep the pump in place without a strap, I discovered that the high tension + hard plastic Topeak handle had left some pretty good imprints in the paint after a few days. Just something to keep in mind if you're using a frame pump that isn't rubber coated at both ends.

[Tom Kellogg]

With the Silca Impero Ultimate, if you use that kind of annoying rubber sleeve thingie, there is no way that the pump can come off on its own. Once in place, pull the rubber thing up firmly against the base of the handle and it simply can't compress. It does take a few extra seconds to get back on the bike after a flat, but it sure is secure.

[froze]

Dang, a lot of pages for just a few frame pumps!

I have Silca Impero frame pump with the Campy head in yellow that I've had for 32 years though I stopped using it about 25 years ago when minis first came out, plus I had a feeling the pump was going to become a classic, so it sets on my bookshelf looking like it was almost new.

I also have a Zefal HP that I bought in the late 70's, it still works fine, I haven't used it in a while either since mini's came out, and that pump was a bit of a tank in weight compared to the Silca and a mini of course. I found out some time ago parts are no longer available for the Zefal.

I think today though the best frame pump is the Topeak Master Blaster which is probably the one I will get for my touring bike even though I have a Topeak Road Morph G on it now, but the frame pump would fit a look better. The Zefal only comes in black not really to my taste for that bike, and the Zefal I saw in chrome called the Classic was very expensive for a frame pump at $100! I guess someone could take a Zefal and get a can of chrome paint and mask off the brand markings and the black handle and paint the body Chrome!

[sevencyclist]

Can't claim to be the greatest, but worked pretty well. Mounts solid.
2016-12-03 13.06.34 by sevencyclist, on Flickr
2016-12-02 22.46.34 by sevencyclist, on Flickr

[boots2000]

I flatted in the rain on Saturday- fixed the flat fine. I had a spare bag with two tubes and also rubber gloves (key for fat repair in bad weather).
Pumped up my tire with a Blackburn frame pump like this-
Blackburn Frame Pump | Chain Reaction Cycles
And went on my merry way.

Fast forward to today- 72 hours or more after this flat repair.
I go to ride my fender bike. I pump up tires-
When I attach the pump to my rear tire the gauge reads 100 psi- I pull the chuck off and reattach- yep, 100 psi. Done by a frame pump in the rain.
Now that is a pump!

[chiasticon]

One thing I overlooked, however, is asking for a peg to be placed on the seat tube instead. While the spring tension is more than enough to keep the pump in place without a strap, I discovered that the high tension + hard plastic Topeak handle had left some pretty good imprints in the paint after a few days. Just something to keep in mind if you're using a frame pump that isn't rubber coated at both ends.

one thing I do with the Topeaks is glue rubber onto the contact points that are plastic. so on the handle end, I glue a small rubber washer. and over the little "dial" above the handle, I glue a strip of rubber I grabbed from those little shims they give you when you buy a head/tail light. has worked great for me with no paint scratching over the past 3-4 years now.

[s_curran]

I've had a few years with both the Zefel and Topeak. The Topeak is a far nicer to use pump, which is too bad, I love the look of the Black Zefel. The Zefel seems like it could be more durable though, the threaded ring near the handle on the topeak cracked very early and now its a little fragile. My Zefel on the other hand made it through months of travel, both on the frame, and as an everyday use pump.

I sort of wish I had just bought a Silca instead of two decent pumps.

[hmai18]

one thing I do with the Topeaks is glue rubber onto the contact points that are plastic. so on the handle end, I glue a small rubber washer. and over the little "dial" above the handle, I glue a strip of rubber I grabbed from those little shims they give you when you buy a head/tail light. has worked great for me with no paint scratching over the past 3-4 years now.

Good tip, for sure.

I ended up putting clear frame protector stickers on the seat tube and under the top tube where the pump makes contact with the frame a few days after getting everything built up and it's been fine since.

[doomridesout]

I scored an Impero Ultimate for Christmas-- and dang is it nice. Thanks for the tip on how the rubber bumper helps secure w/o a strap, TK.

[skouri1]

Any longer term updates on these ? They look so nice and have some serious endorsements but I've seen some complaints of loose retaining screws and a few " my zefal or topeak is better"
I'm trying to figure out why (besides aesthetics ) I need this over a new hpx ...

[Saab2000]

Any longer term updates on these ? They look so nice and have some serious endorsements but I've seen some complaints of loose retaining screws and a few " my zefal or topeak is better"
I'm trying to figure out why (besides aesthetics ) I need this over a new hpx ...

Can one get a new HPx? This is an older one. I try to keep several in rotation. The weakness is any aluminum, which tends to corrode. I've had the valve levers break in the wild and the whole things ends up in the nearest dumpster.

This picture was taken 15 minutes ago. Rode the Indy Fab this evening and I still carry the pump. It's rarely used, but when it is it's worth its weight in neutronium, or platinum, whichever comes later. I know this will work in a pinch.

That said, if I were buying today it would be the modern Silca. I'm a bit old school and this is my old school frame pump that I've always loved over the older shitty Silca pumps. But the new ones are good methinks.

I've used these Zéfal pumps as my only pump on more than several occasions and they get it done. But today they're probably outclassed.



Let this pic suffice as my Indy Fab pic this week and my ride report pic. The Ti hides the dirt and the spray very well. It's getting a good beatdown over the past couple weeks.

As an aside, the battery pack front and rear are the object of derision and mockery at times but the lights never wavered and we had several lighting failures this evening. In cold weather, twice the battery capacity one thinks one needs might be just enough. Get more than you need. Cheap blinkies don't cut it when it's 30ºF and you've been out for a couple hours.

[Too Tall]

Any longer term updates on these ? They look so nice and have some serious endorsements but I've seen some complaints of loose retaining screws and a few " my zefal or topeak is better"
I'm trying to figure out why (besides aesthetics ) I need this over a new hpx ...

Sure! I have three on various bike in continuous service since they arrived. The retaining screw did come loose on one whick is a simple matter to reinstall and I checked the others. The pumps are a delight to use and will out pace cockroaches contending for the planets most enduring.

Seriously, there is no contender buy it already.