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A couple of suggestions regarding pumps

16 October 2023
TAGS | Consumerism · Maintenance

Floor pumps mainly differ in:
• max pressure,
• gauge accuracy,
• volume of air per stroke,
• and, most importantly, in whether they have the head that just works or annoy you every time, as most of them do for some weird reason — even though a valve is a valve, and how hard can it be to make a thing that simply fits it.

Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to tell. Being an aficionado of watches, I know how different dials can give you different perception of time. pressure.

Take a look at this Accurate Pressure Gauge.
Let’s assume it is dead on accurate indeed — from the technical point of view. Now imagine you have to pump exactly 25 psi / 1.7 bar. I mean, you can do it, but meeeh.
I trust you’d prefer this gauge instead. Not only it is larger, but also the grading is done such that you can actually see what you’re doing.

Speaking of the size of the gauge, some pumps have it elevated from the floor towards your eyes. In such case the gauge appears about twice as large in comparison to one sitting at the floor level. (Or you can just get a digital gauge.)
Since we’re talking pumps here, I cannot recommend enough the one that I carry in my little saddle bag. Yep, you heard me right: the thing is 9.9 cm long and 59 grams.
I wouldn’t believe it myself, but it pumps better than most portable pumps I tried — and everytime we have a flat in a group, I like to try what people carry with them. Mine can do up to 100 psi / 7 bar, while easy on hands, very secure on the valve, and taking just a few minutes to pump up a 45 mm gravel tyre to 30 psi / 2 bar, or a road one to 60 psi / 4 bar.

It even has a built-in schrader to presta adapter that you can use to pump from gas-station compressors. Seriously, this thing sounds too good to be true — but it is that good. The name is Airbone Supernova ZT-702 (no link so that you wouldn’t think I’m sponsored or something).
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