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Fire up the STW recommend-o-tron: Trackpumps

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My ancient Joe Blow has blown its guts out. Literally something popped, fired across the garage and disappeared forever.

Time for a new one, need high volume for fatbikes and high pressure for roadbikes. Any recommendations and deals spotted?


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 12:06 pm
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Lidl
£10 for the best track pump I’ve used. On my 3rd one cos I keep giving them away 😀


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 12:08 pm
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I'd go for a digital one if you can, if you're picky about pressure (I run mid teens psi on the MTB so 1psi difference is a lot) then it saves having to do a separate pressure check with a digital pressure gauge.

This will get my tubeless tank up to 120psi no bother (with a bit of effort at the end) too.

https://r2-bike.com/TOPEAK-Floor-pump-JoeBlow-Pro-Digital


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 12:12 pm
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I'm still using an Edinburgh Bicycle branded trackpump from about 20 years ago so my recommendation is to fire up the flux capacitor and buy one of those.


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 12:17 pm
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Sks renkompressor with a Topeak smart head. Last pump you’ll buy. Mine replaced a joe blow which was good, but blew after using an airshot.


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 12:27 pm
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I went with the cheap Lifeline one from Wiggle. Gauge being mounted high upakes a nice difference compared to my ageing Pedro track pump.

Not used much but does exactly what's expected and only £18.


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 12:38 pm
 mert
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Same, Rennkompressor, everything else is either massively overpriced, or fairly substandard in comparison.

Pressure gauges (digital or otherwise) that are fitted to trackpumps are uniformly useless. But as an added bonus, if you get a Rennkompressor (which also has a pretty poor gauge) you can screw a proper industrial fluid filled gauge in.

Like i did.

With both of mine.

Something like this Pressure gauge

Then when the original head wears out get either a Kuwahara Hirame or Silca copy (Hiro i think it's called).


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 12:40 pm
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I bought a bright red specialized one that's a good all rounder and has a nice big dial, solid and has a nice action


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 12:53 pm
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I'm a Lezyne fanboi. Either high volume for off road tyres or high pressure for road and off road.

Before everyone piles on to say that they keep unscrewing the Presta valve core with a Lezyne, that's only Lezyne's fault the first time it happens 😎


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 12:59 pm
 kilo
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As per @mert rennkompressor and Hirame pump head


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 1:04 pm
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On one pharrt from2006. If we are doing time machine reccomendationd.

It's a bit rusty round the feet. The head got replaced after 5 years

This is as close as I can find at on one today

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TOJOHUR/jobsworth-hurricane-top-gauge-steel-floor-pump


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 1:23 pm
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I like my cheap Lifeline. Invest the money you save in an Airshot or similar.


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 2:21 pm
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I’m a Lezyne fanboi.

got 2 useless ones in the garage you can have. Mini-pumps yeah, but their trackpumps are terrible value.
Airshot? Not used it since I’ve had a Lidl pump.


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 2:39 pm
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I’ve had a Lezyne one for quite a while now and use it weekly. It’s the cheapest track pump they do that has an ABS screw in head. I’ve never had it unscrew a presta valve.

It’s had loads of use - I’m always messing about changing tyres etc. I use it with an airshot for tubeless. Previously had a Joe Blow that I thought the chuck was foddly to connect - I can’t remember what went wrong with it in the end but it failed. I then had a combined pump / tubeless tank thing from CRC that last maybe 18 months before a seal near the bottom failed whilst trying to seat a tyre. Had a refund on that and bought the current Lezyne one.

£36.99 @ Wiggle / CRC

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/lezyne-macro-floor-drive-abs-track-pump/rp-prod161920

When this one dies I’ll buy another Lezyne with the same screw on head on it.


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 2:43 pm
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I’ve got a Silca Pista Plus which is great if not high volume, and was a bit speedy.

Rennkompressor with Silca Hiro head is probably a good recommendation (as track pumps breed in my house I’ve got four of them including a Rennkompressor Anniversary, and an ancient PFP-3 that Park replaced the gauge FOC when it broke)

Edit: actually it’s five as I’ve also a Silca travel one which is lovely but a sign I’ve more money than sense.


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 7:07 pm
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The Lifeline Airblast is good if you need one for tubeless.
I think the cheap Tuesday thing this week was showing it reduced to £50.


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 8:23 pm
 Aidy
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I like that cheap lifeline one - my favourite kind of valve head (I wish I could find them as spares, so I didn't have to buy a whole new pump).

They're not that stable, easy to knock over walking past them - but that's the only thing I can say against it.


 
Posted : 12/11/2022 9:58 pm
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Trackpump+to be used at home = Buy a compressor.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 12:41 am
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I've got a Topeak Joe Blow mountain x. Seems they're about £55 now, but think I got mine in the sale cos it wasn't anywhere near that much. Does tubeless nicely, and great for usual use.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 5:22 am
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I have a Renncompressor with a decathlon head,works fine but I hate the 200psi scale on the gauge, makes reading 18psi a bit difficult.
My Halfords one was perfect 20yrs old but gave it away.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 6:02 am
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how long have the sks renncompressors been around, my dad bought a new track pump around 35 years ago, handed it down to me about 20 years ago and is still going strong.

i think he put a new hose and maybe a valve onto it, before declaring it 'old' passing it to me and buying himself a new one

it does road bikes, mtb tubeless and car top ups


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 10:49 am
 mert
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how long have the sks renncompressors been around

Years. Decades.
I wanted to buy an SKS as a school boy, but funds wouldn't stretch that far so I got a cheapy silca. That lasted ~20 years. (And new silcas are eye wateringly expensive and don't actually offer anything over shinyness)

Then a brief flurry of fashionable track pumps, all of which failed within weeks and were returned.
Then my first renn, which I still have about 20 years later. (I was mechanic on a road team when I bought it.)

Even experimented with some other fashionable pumps a few years ago to keep in the car for race weekends. They were all crap too. So got another renn.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 11:26 am
 mert
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but I hate the 200psi scale on the gauge, makes reading 18psi a bit difficult.

Get an industrial gauge like I linked to up there, 0-4bar/0-60psi will cover everything unless you're running skinny tyres for road racing/track.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 11:29 am
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@soobalias @mert As above I’ve got an anniversary Rennkompressor. Having been to have a look at it, it’s got a 1966-2016 badge on it…

Out of interest is having a glycerine-filled gauge a Good Thing or is it just that it stops the needle flailing while you pump?


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 12:34 pm
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Lezyne high volume, its the reason I don't have an airshot or any of that stuff, done all my tubeless with it no issues, had it years.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 1:09 pm
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£7.99 Lidl jobbie from a few years back. Only pump I've ever had with a gauge that agrees with my D2.

Edit: never used it for roadie pressures however.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 2:21 pm
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Never seen the point in spending more, than what a Joe Blow costs. As they'll last for a decade minimum with regular use (maybe not workshop) and spares are always available, if parts do wear out. I'm on my second, as I couldn't repair my 15 year old one anymore.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 2:41 pm
 mert
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Out of interest is having a glycerine-filled gauge a Good Thing or is it just that it stops the needle flailing while you pump?

They are mostly properly calibrated out of the factory, then they (tend) to hold their calibration better than the rubbish ones on the pump. Even the digital ones.

And the needle doesn't flail about.

(I've got WIKA gauges and they came with proper calibration test slips. 4 fixed points IIRC.)

And as an aside, the calibrated WIKA ones cost me €18 shipped from a place in Germany, the replacement SKS one for a renn was about €19 shipped...


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 3:16 pm
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Lifeline digital track pump has served me well for over 4 years now...cost me £15 in a wiggle sale. Absolutely brilliant. Saying that, I have an air compressor for fitting tubeless tyres first time so I only use it for pumping soft or tubes tyres.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 4:20 pm
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I’ve had a Lezyne one for donkey’s years and it’s great. I have the skinny High pressure one that works well for road bikes as well but if it’s just for MTB and similar bikes they do a fatter high volume one as well which doesn’t go as high.

It’s steel and bombproof. I think they do a digital one now as well.


 
Posted : 13/11/2022 4:23 pm
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Well I went for the Rennkompressor. Lovely smooth action, nice hefty bit of kit, feels really solid. And pumps up fatbike tyres like a dream. Plus it matches my bike 😚


 
Posted : 15/11/2022 9:53 pm
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@desperatebicycle Can I have your Lezyne pumps, please?


 
Posted : 15/11/2022 9:59 pm
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I see Silca have just launched a floor pump with a non-linear gauge.


 
Posted : 26/11/2022 12:08 pm
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I really like Specialized ones, colours can be a bit garish but otherwise they're great. Loads of volume, good lever, not too short.

Topeak, decent but don't like the sharpish metal base as makes it risky chucking in the car with bikes.

Lezyne, looks lovely but hateful screw on attachment (instead of a lever) that loves to unscrew valve cores when removed. Relegated to backup.


 
Posted : 26/11/2022 1:10 pm
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@desperatebicycle Can I have your Lezyne pumps, please?

@finephilly - Definitely! collecting (Hants), or paying the postage?


 
Posted : 26/11/2022 2:54 pm

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