Floor Pumps

11 replies [Last post]
Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

"Does anyone know if this is a reliable pump that works well and is easy to use? I am sending back a Topeak Joe Blow Sport pump that releases air while pumping and also has that ""air bubble"" effect where the gauge rises really fast but you know nothing is really happening. One of the techs. at Performance recommended the Park Tool pump. I also have to be able to depress the handle and not need weightlifter status to do so. Any help welcomed!"

Anonymous's picture
"Chainwheel" (not verified)
Uh oh
Anonymous's picture
Judith Tripp (not verified)
I think it's ok

"That looks like the ""Professional"" Mechanic Floor Pump (at a whopping $65). The one I'm looking at is the ""Home"" Mechanic pump ($24). Thanks very much for the warning, just in case I was debating upgrading."

Anonymous's picture
Hank Schiffman (not verified)
Joe Blow floor pump

I have had a Joe Blow floor pump for probably 5+ years.
It has recently been leaking air as I use it, causing me to have to pump quickly to get ahead of the the air leak. But Topeak has sent me a new twinhead gratis. Kudos to them.
But your problem sounds to be neither the pump Chainwheel has mentioned as that is a Park pump, nor a pump problem, but rather, a user problem. My guess it that you have not let enough air out of your Presta valves before pumping. The valves are sticking on your tubes and you are just pumping up the hose. Some valves are that way. When your tires have air in them you must release air before you can add new air, as counterintuitive as it sounds.

Anonymous's picture
Robert Gray (not verified)
Hank is correct here

In my experience, some valves seat so well that they will not release to allow more air to be pumped in. You have to manually release a small amount of air to unseat the valve.

Anonymous's picture
Judith Tripp (not verified)
I don't think that's the problem

I do release air. And then, when it doesn't work, I release more air. And then, some more. And usually around the third or fourth time, it suddenly kicks in, by now I have about 40 psi left. I don't think it's OK because I don't have the problem with other pumps. As for the air escaping when you pump, Yee at Conrad's told me not to have the valve down on the floor but rather at the 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock position so that the pump hose doesn't bend or something. I tried that and it was a bit better but air still escaped. I'm still sending it back, my problem now is centered on getting a pump that works!!

Anonymous's picture
"Chainwheel" (not verified)
Sticky valves

"When you see the gauge going sky high when you pump, the air is not going into the tube, and you can damage the pump. It's good practice to give the presta valve a light tap just to free it up before you pump. If the valve isn't sticking, air will flow into the tube as soon as the pressure in the pump hose is greater than the pressure in the tube. No need to go down to 40 psi.

The escaping air you describe sounds like a chuck problem.

The big brass presta chuck that comes with the Silca floor pumps is the best around. It is simple and elegant. Replacing your current chuck with a silca may solve all your problems.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/tools/tire.html

""Chainwheel"""

Anonymous's picture
Judith Tripp (not verified)
Silca chuck

Interesting that you should mention the Silca brass chuck. A Silca floor pump was what I had before the two Joe Blow Sports. I loved it, until finally air escaped all the time; it simply wouldn't hold on to the valve. I got some little piece that was supposed to make it work, and in the end took it to the bike shop who told me to hold the valve with one hand and pump with the other. But there was no way I could do that, so now it sits forlornly in a corner. (Incidentally, it never gave me the air bubble problem, ever.)

Anonymous's picture
"Chainwheel" (not verified)
Need gasket

"""A Silca floor pump was what I had before the two Joe Blow Sports. I loved it, until finally air escaped all the time; it simply wouldn't hold on to the valve.""

That just means the little gasket inside the chuck is worn. Ya can get them for a buck or two and be back in business. Just unscrew the front part of the chuck and drop in the gasket. That's what's nice about silca pumps, everything is replaceable and available. Some folks have been using the same Silca pump for 20 years!

""the bike shop who told me to hold the valve with one hand and pump with the other""

Yikes! You need a new bike shop. ;->

""Chainwheel""

"

Anonymous's picture
Tom Laskey (not verified)

"I had a Silca pump once with the brass chuck. Yuck! I always felt like I was fighting with it and then finally, I experienced the same thing Judith did, air leaking out way faster than I could get it in. That was enough for me to chuck the pump and the chuck. I've had decent luck with Blackburns though the gasket inside the valve head seems to have a pretty limited life span.

As to problems getting air into the valve, I've also had this experience even after tapping the valve stem to let some air out. If I am pumping and the gauge is sky high, I gently wiggle the pump head while it is on the valve. Eventually I hear a little ""click"" - the sound of one valve stem unsticking. After that it's cake."

Anonymous's picture
Judith Tripp (not verified)
My last Silca experience

Thanks Tom! And thanks for the tip about wiggling the pumphead a bit. I had that Silca for years and replaced many gaskets, I'd forgotten about that, that wasn't the problem. My last few months with that pump, I was doing the A19 Sig, a stressful enough event anyway, and every time before a ride, like the night before, I would haul my bike and pump downstairs and my blessed doorman would hold the valve for me while I pumped up the bike.

Anonymous's picture
"Chainwheel" (not verified)
Two gaskets

"""I had that Silca for years and replaced many gaskets,""

""I would haul my bike and pump downstairs and my blessed doorman would hold the valve for me while I pumped up the bike.""


Let's make sure we're talking about the same thing. There's a large leather gasket inside the barrel of the pump. When that dries out, you can't get any pressure out of the pump.

Then there's a small latex(?) gasket in the chuck.

If the chuck won't stay on the valve, the only possible fix is that little latex gasket.

The only real problem I've had with a Silca pump was with the check valve inside the base of the pump. That's the valve that prevents ""backflow"" when you bring the handle upwards. If the check valve gets dirty, you'll have all kinds of grief.

""Chainwheel"""

cycling trips