[Closed] Track Pumps - Is there any reason to shell out a fortune?

Make sure you get one with a thin barrel for high pressures. Actually the Decathlon track pumps are excellent value and work really well.

Frankly, for the amount of time I use it, not worth shelling out a load. As long as it works and has a gauge I'm OK. If i was a shop or a mechanic or someone that pumped up lots of tyres every day, i might have a different opinion.

I don't have tubeless so the reservoir types don't impact me (although i'd be tempted when my current goes tits-up as long as they're not majorly more expensive.

I bought a Halfords Bikehut one years ago and it's still going well. Even after a few angry tubeless episodes.

my lidl one is bent.

this might have happened is use, or by a car seat being pushed on it. I genuinely don't know.

Make sure you get one with a thin barrel for high pressures.

Make sure you get one with a fat barrel for lower pressures and a gauge which is useful in the 15-35psi range.

This is still a MTBing forum! 😛

I bought a SKS Rennkompressor track pump which i guess is relatively expensive. I've had it twenty years and other than one new head it's been trouble free and showing no other signs of giving up on me.

I've a cheapo ~£15 Airwave (from CRC) BUT I discovered it was bending presta cores, so I changed the chuck for a Decathlon own-branded one that looks a lot like a Topeak. So cut out the faff and get a Decathlon. The dial pressure gauge is consistent with two different stand-alone digital gauges I have, so it's either reasonably accurate or they're all similarly out!

I had looked into replacing it with a fancy one, but 50-60 quid pumps still had mixed reviews.

I bought a SKS Rennkompressor track pump which i guess is relatively expensive. I've had it twenty years and other than one new head it's been trouble free and showing no other signs of giving up on me.

I bought a SKS Rennkompressor track pump which i guess is relatively expensive. I've had it twenty years and other than one new head it's been trouble free and showing no other signs of giving up on me.

The Lidl pumps don't last long IMO. A decent pump should last years (my Joe Blow must be 15+ years old) and have spares available if bits wear out.

I bought a SKS Rennkompressor track pump which i guess is relatively expensive. I've had it twenty years and other than one new head it's been trouble free and showing no other signs of giving up on me.

Keep saying I'll get one when the Blackburn and Bontrager break, but they just keep going....

my rekompressor one performs worse than my aldi one it tight hard to use and has resistance when used and the head rarely attaches without having to be held on - 5 years ish old.

Perhaps I got unlucky but I would say no.

My shiny Lezyne one leaks at the head regularly and needs taken apart and greased every 6 months or so. Either it's rubbish or blowing up tyres with sealant in them is an problem for it,

After the super-cheap (£8 from memory) one i got from Klas Ohlson broke wihtin about 18 months, I got one of the Lifeline performance ones from Wiggle. Has been great for Road and MTB use and had no problem seating tubeless with it (my buddy even borrowed mine to seat his tubeless ones as it worked better than his more expensive one).

So maybe don't go super-cheap, but just you know sorta-cheap?

So maybe don't go super-cheap, but just you know sorta-cheap?

Yep.

I have two:

A fat barrell joe blow for MTB duties, really like it not only is it nice to use it can be hung up by the handle which is important in a footpump as there a liability stood up in your garage always falling over.

The second one is a generic lifeline £15 one which is just meh its never a pleasure to use doesnt hang up and I wish I'd spent £15 more on a better one.

Got a couple of nice Lezyne ones that I'm very happy with, not cheap but more efficient than the SKS they replaced.

Having said that the SKS lasted years and I've no complaints for £12 from Decathlon.

Rennkompressor is great for road but the dial goes up to 220psi so is a bit rubbish at mtb or CX pressures.

Not sure about ones with an integrated tubeless inflator. Most I've seen you can't shut off the chamber so makes it a bit of a pain when you just want to pump up a tyre. I'd rather get a separate pump and inflator.

As for compressors (below) fine if you only ever have need to inflate a tyre at home 🙂

Just buy a cheap compressor, much better value IMHO.

Top tip, if you only use presta I've found removing a cheap crappy head and just pushing the hose over the valve is much better. drop of lube in the chamber and even a cheap track pump lasts for years.

The thing is there's pumps that are good for mountain, or for road, some that are OK for either but not great at both... For mtb use something like a Joe Blow Mountain really does kick the arse of most pumps, not so much because of quality/expense, mostly juist because of appropriateness, it's perfect for the job. My crappy Air Tower 2s are similar- high volume, inflates big tyres fast. The nicest pump in the world won't do as good a job for a 30psi mtb tyre if it's designed around inflating a 23c tyre to a million psi

When my other air tower dies I'll replace it with a Joe Blow Mountain, but not til then

My Silca must be 20 years old and spent a lot of time in a shed. The Rennkommpressor was ?10 years old when it got nicked.

Both really good quality and reliable but guages no good at mtb pressures on either. That said, my aftermarket digital SKS and Topeak pressure guages are both unreliable as well.

I've got a cheapie BBB affair & the only thing it can't do is seal the tubeless Adavantages on my FS (CO2 cartridge with one shot does it), It'll put 110psi in the roadie tyres ok.

My cheapy Lidl one ended up the other side of the garden in several more bits than when it left my hand.

I then got in the car, drove to Evans and bought a joe blow. Never looked back, and the rage has subsided as well now I have one that works....

Funnily enough I just killed my pump this evening too.

Looking for something that will seat road and off road tyres but also have a low pressure guage and high pressure ability.

Giant Control Tower Pro is my current choice.

Not too expensive, but not too cheap. Clever attachments in the handle for inflating rugby balls and pool inflatables as well. Nice piece of kit.

Having had tried Blackburn and a Joe Blow which both broke after a few years service bought one from Lidl and thought is was rubbish used it two times then put it in the bin. I have now bought a Boardman one with a wooden handle I think its really good for both road and mtb cist £30

Hmmm- my lidl one is years old and works perfectly. I did have to reinforce the handle tho

Bought a £25 Joe Blow one 8 years ago. Still looks & works like new.

I had a Topeak Joe Blow that is fine, works well, no issues. I also have a cheap Decathlon job that is better, but I can't quite work out why in any tangible way, I just prefer to use it.

someone is selling a bontrager flash on the classifieds btw

I've owned the Decathlon one and one from Muddyfox, both junk

Topeak Joe Blow, solid performer zero issues.

Decent price.

I have one capable of Road pressures as well as MTB.

Joe Blow here too, 10 years improved tremendously when added a small plastic blank on the unused side of the head to stop it leaking air.

i've had a Joe Blow since 2009 and it is still going strong. Seats tubeless pretty easily. Very pleased with it.

I have the basic Park one, which is fine. It's predecessor - a Lifeline - didn't last very long.

My free tesco one was left in the office cycle store, it's broken (I'm disappointed no one apologised for breaking it but hey ho)

The lidl one I have stopping pumping schraeder valves and struggled for the last tubeless inflation

I bought a joe blow booster, it's been ace for getting things up to pressure (chamber goes to 160 psi!), tubeless inflations and normal track pump use. Wasn't cheap though, but the tubeless part is excellent. It's seated a couple of real bastards!

I had a Joe Blow, left it with my dad when I moved to my own place.
I now have another Joe Blow.
Largely hassle free. The first needed a new head after about 5 years, and 10 years in the shaft is beginning to lose its paint/coating.

If I had to buy a new pump it'd probably be another Joe Blow.

I'll replace it with a Joe Blow Mountain, but not til then

Quite like the look of the Joe Blow Dualie, same as a Mountain but two gauges, one up to 30 psi and another up to 70. Looks great for low pressure MTB and CX.

Joe Blow was great for 8 years. Then it popped when I connected it to an Airshot and pumped to 120 PSI indicated. Replaced with a Ren. I won't be buying another trackpump. I use a Topeak Smarthead on both. It's excellent.

For how long they last, but above absolute cheapest, but don't be silly.

The standard answer to the OP was one of these:

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You had to put it in your will they lasted that long. But now they have gone silly money the standard answer is something else. I'm not sure what though. But the Topeak Joe Blow head works like it should on my inflator.

Silca's are lovely, but are really designed for high pressure road and track. A 220psi dial I think. One of the best bits about the Silca is the head, and you can get that separately for around 40 quid. It's a joy to use compared to the awkward clunky heads most pumps seem to come with these days. For road, a Rennkompressor with a Silca head is about as good as it gets IMO.

For MTB and CX I'd get a decent high volume pump with a low pressure gauge. Probably that Topeak one.

For tubeless inflation, then a compressor or separate tubeless chamber thing (or go ghetto if on a budget - mine only really struggles with seating very tight road tyres.)

I can't quite understand why the Rennkompressor dial goes as high as does as it's borderline unusable ant anything over 110psi. I have on occasion managed to get my GHetto Airshot up to 140psi but that was with an awful amount of weight on it and very tired arms at the end (it IS about 5 mins pumping to get there mind) It just seems like there's at least 25% of the dial that's redundant and could be better used giving a decent 0-30psi scale.

Does feel like it'll outlast me though.

Curious that, maybe something to do with the ghetto airshot as I've had no trouble getting 150 psi in a tub with a Rennkompressor.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-professional-track-pump/ This is a thing of beauty, had it for a few years and it is great

I've a Joe Blow too - can't go wrong with that either.