The Right Pump

As usual with my off season there is no racing to write about, so I take the time to write about other things than the normal travel and race stories. Most of us have atleast once come across the drama of choosing the right pump, so I thought I would share a recent experience of trying to find the right pump and give a quick review of what I ended up with.

All season I had been using the ever faithful SKS Rennkompressor, an old traditional style pump that works well. Many pro mechanics still use one because of their reliability, but I wanted to go outside the box and find something a little better than a good working pump that has a unstable base and flimsy handle. So I began my search, looking at different pumps, but how do you tell if it's a good working pump. Sure you can search the internet all day and read reviews and forums [which is what I did] but the best way is to test one. If you get a good recommendation from a team mechanic or from a shop that uses a particular pump, then that is often also good, after all they are the guys that use them day in day out.

So after reading some reviews I made my purchase, and I will admit that I went in a little blindly [as the average consumer would] by not trying before buying, but that is the downside of online shopping. I chose this pump because I had read some good reviews but also read some bad reviews on this pump, but I thought it can't be that bad as it was a favoured top brand. Once I recieved a few days later, straight out of the box I noticed the base was loose, not a good start. On the first use it was hard to get the head on and off the valve, but it seemed to pump well. With the pumped extended out it was also a little wobbly. I used it at one race to pump all the wheels, but after 3 or 4 wheels the guage stopped working, then soon after the pump stopped working. With the pump extened it would not expell the air out of the chamber, I tried some different wheels [incase it was the valve] but it was the same. Lucky I still had the faithful SKS that day to finish pumping the wheels.

Annoyed with the pump I seeked out to return it. The online store where I purchased it were happy to replace it, but this time I would choose another pump. I don't know if it was broken or just poor quality, but I was left disappointed in this pump given the reputation of the brand.



My new pump now is a Lezyne Alloy Floor Drive. This pump not only works well, it looks classy. It has a CNC machined one piece base which allows it to stand stable and the feet are positioned well enough for a good stance when pumping. It also has a nifty clip in piece at the base to store the chuck when not in use and keeps the hose tight so not to snag on anything.




It has a reduced barrel diameter which is said to reduce pumping effort, but to pump a completely flat tubular to 120psi it takes 26 pumps, so not sure if it is that much of a reduced effort. I usually use the compressor if a tire is completly flat thou, that will take it to aleast 8 bar then I hand pump the rest to the disired pressure of 9 or 10 bar, depending on conditions. Although the pump also seems a little wobbly when extended, it dose have a slightly larger than normal internal shaft diameter.


The gauge, despite being at the bottom of the pump and not a white face, it is large and easy to read with clear bar and psi readings. It also holds the pressure stable, has some pumps the guage needle will give an unreliable reading while pumping. So there is no more of "that's around 120".




The handles are a nice shape and are sturdy despite being threaded on to a internal center piece.






A good feature of this pump is the alloy flip-thread chuck. Although a little more fiddley and time consuming than the standard push on chuck as this one threads onto the valve where the plastic cap would normally screw on. This allows a secure fit and there is no chance it will pop off before you reach your desired pressure, which is great when pumping high tubular pressures.
It also seals well, which is important if you are on your own pumping wheels as sometimes have been and end up pumping with one hand because the chuck is not sealing properly. Also, if you have high profile rims and have a valve that just sits out of the rim, then with this pump you may still [providing the thread is exposed] be able to pump your tire without the use or hassle of a valve extender. The chuck will release a small amount of air from the tube when unscrewed but that is expected.



With a quick unscrew of the chuck you can flip it over, screw it back in and your ready to pump a schrader valve tube, easy. The chuck spins on the base part that attaches to the hose, but sometimes two hands are needed to unscrew the chuck from the valve to stop the hose from slightly twisting. Thou not a major flaw I will see if it becomes annoying when the season starts and I have to pump several wheels.

Overall I think this is a great pump and hopefully it will serve me well. But a good pump is one that you can maintain, which is why the SKS Rennkompressor is so popular, because of it's wide range of spare parts. After you replace a few seals and rubbers the pump will last year after year. Lezyne is a great brand for high finished products and Im sure it will also be up to the job. It is important to have a good pump as tire pressure can be sometimes crucial in a race. In Belgium some pros only put 7-7.5bar in their tires, some get obsessed about it. I remember when Nico Mattan would ask for something like 7.2 and 7.8, insane as it sounds, in his final season of racing he didn't have a single flat all year. But you need a pump with an steady gauge to get those figures. I would normally run the pressure around 7-7.5 bar if conditions are wet and on cobbles, around 8 bar if roads are ok but wet and 10 bar if it is good smooth dry roads, but this will also depend on the riders weight. So for most of us 120psi is a good all round pressure and is usually more than enough.

Safe Riding
Mark