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Good Pump for Presta Valves
| qmulguy | 01 Aug 14:39 |
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Joined: 29 Jul 2006 Posts: 4 Bike: | Can anyone recommend a good pump for pumping up high pressure tyres (presta valve). I have tried a pump that you push onto the valve, but on two occasions have slipped and damaged the valve so that it wouldn't work. On one occasion, I actually managed to break the valve at the point that it connects to the inner tube. I have also tried a pump I got from Halfords some time back which screws onto the valve, but when the tyre gets to a certain pressure, it just seems as though the air doesn't get into the tyre no matter how much more you pump. Cheers, Mark |
happy 
| 01 Aug 16:37 |
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Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 302 Bike: Orange P7 with Rock Shox, Michelin Wildgripper Lites, XTR Chainset My Profile | Hi Mark, Being mainly a mountain biker I haven't had much experience with Presta Valves my self. When I have though, it's usually always been a nightmare suffering the same problems you had. Have a look at what wiggle have under floor pumps http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ You may be best to try and get one specifically for a presta valve so that it doesn't break the valve. Cheers Alan |
| My Latest Route: Oct 2010 Livingston to Ayr Avoiding A71 | |
| mexico | 30 Jun 14:11 |
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Joined: 30 Jun 2008 Posts: 1 Bike: | Hi, I can't say I've ever had any trouble pumping up my tyres. I use what you describe as a "Push on type pump" without any trouble. Just make sure you unscrew the locking collar on the valve first, unscrew the plastic ring on the push on part of the pump and screw it down again once the pump is on the valve, and you should have no trouble. Oh, I also find it helps if I tap the end of the valve once I've unscrewed it - it just releases the presure a bit. If you still have trouble feel free to email me direct; fdavidwelch@opticalimaging .co.uk. |
| Mighty Antar | 03 Sep 15:34 |
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Joined: 27 Jul 2008 Posts: 6 Bike: | The Halfords type pumps which you describe are really only good enough for roadside punctures, they're usually cheap (about £5) so fairly safe to leave on the bike without worrying too much about theft but too feeble to get over about 40psi. Under-inflated tyres are probably the biggest cause of punctures in the first place, so it's well worth investing in a decent floor pump for home use with a built in pressure-guage (Blackburn are a good brand with a lifetime warranty) Their pumps have a push on connector with a lever that locks the adaptor to the valve. These do let some air out of the tube as you push the adaptor into place, but don't require much effort to fit and you'd have to be very heavy-handed to break the valve. |
| Hank | 04 Sep 20:29 |
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Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 1 Bike: | Been there, done that! The secret I found was to buy a pump which clamps on to the valve with some sort of lever action. I now have 3 Topeak pumps all of which work brilliantly with either presta or schraeder valves. These are the Joeblow, the Mountain Morph and the dx. All can be bought at most bikeshops. |
| JoeB | 06 Oct 17:11 |
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Joined: 06 Oct 2008 Posts: 2 Bike: | If you have a "clip on" pump, its all in the configuration of your pump. If you unscrew the part that attaches to the valve you will find two removable parts inside. the particular arrangement of these parts will facilitate the use of the pump on Presta, Schraeder and Woods valves. For your Presta valve, you need to put the component which has a cross piece over the whole through middle into the pump first. The cross piece should form a kind of pyramid that goes into the pump first. If you look inside your pump before you do this you will see a corresponding shape into which this portion will fit. The other side of that first piece has a collar on it that is now pointing outward. The second piece has a wide hole on one side and a smaller hole on the other. Put this piece into the pump with the larger hole going in first. This larger hole will fit over the collar of the first piece that you inserted. Now screw the main collar back on tight. Now when you place this over your opened valve, the valve will only just fit through the narrow hole in the second piece that you put into the pump. But, if you place it on carefully you won't lose any air. Then, when you pull up the lever on the other side of the pump it will set up a tight grip on the valve. You can now pump away, all the air will go into the valve, and the pump will not come off. In other configurations, you won't get any air in the tyre and may break the valve Sorry, if you already knew all of this, its just taken me all evening, every possible configuration and a fair degree of sweat to work it out!! |
| wee sidney | 11 Oct 08:41 |
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Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Posts: 1 Bike: | Thanks for the info Joe B, I've spent ages trying to work that out :-) I thought I was going to have to go and buy another pump. wee sid |
| Greystone | 15 Feb 11:46 |
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Joined: 15 Feb 2012 Posts: 2 Bike: | Though you said you had trouble getting over a certain pressure with a screw on hand pump, those are by far the best type for presto valves as I too have had similar problems with push on type pumps. My problem is that too much air escapes when putting on and taking off the push on pump. The reason you may not be getting a high pressure though with the screw on type pump is because it is too wide and is intended for low pressure mountain bike tyres. The wider the pump the faster it will inflate tyres but the lower the pressure you will achieve so get a narrow pump. You can also get specialist high screw on pressure pumps for presta valves which cost upwards of 20 pounds. But they are worth it. They use a narrow usually allow tube and often have a pressure gauge on as well. The screw on type pumps have a hose which means you do not put too much pressure on the valve. Push on type pumps are only really suitable for car type valves as they tend to break presto valves too easily. Cycle stores like Cycle Surgery and Evans Cycles usually have a good range of high quality pumps. It is also advisable not to go over about 80 pounds per square inch of pressure anyway, the reason being that with today modern alloy rims it puts too much pressure on the rim and can cause it to break. I have actually seem this happen. 80 PSI should be ample pressure anyway. |
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sdwalker
| 15 Feb 13:23 |
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 Joined: 17 Mar 2011 Posts: 91 Bike: My Profile | Hi As above I use Topeak mini DXG master blaster which has a quick clamp which I keep in my bike bag. this will get upto 100psi after a lot of sweat and arm ache at the road side if you need to replace a tube to repair a puncture on the move. I also have a standing pump at home which belive it or not is one of the only good things I have bought from the Halfords own range that works properly. much cheaper than the bike shed and Topeak counterparts at around £15 and only takes around 8-10 full plunges to inflate from flat to around 85psi but goes all the way upto around 180psi if your tyres can take that presure. |
| My Latest Route: Mar 2012 Bedgebury Forest Red Route | |
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annieslandmissile
| 16 Feb 15:38 |
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Joined: 13 Jul 2010 Posts: 85 Bike: My Profile | I just got the Topeak Road Morph pump which is quiet good and easily changeable from schrader to presta. Its quiet good but not the amazing so i v e just decided to buy a Genuine Innovations Air Chuck tyre inflator and get some extra compatible Genuine Innovations CO2 Cartridges which i m hoping will be quick and easy to use and generally more efficient. I ve got them on order from Halfords. Yeah i have trouble getting my tyres especially on my road bike up to the right pressure (about 130 psi) when using a road pump. i like to use a a machine pump at my local bike shop. Its easier on my MTB to get the right pressure. Just remember to unscrew the little ring on your road bike and tap it to let some air out first. Check out you tube for help. Topeak Joe blow pumps are good. good luck though |
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qwiksilver
| 17 Feb 23:24 |
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Joined: 23 Apr 2011 Posts: 27 Bike: My Profile | any decent track pump will do that is from a reputable dealer and costs over 25 quid either that or go the co2 route but always keep 1 on ya bike for road side repairs you can get home on a semi inflated tyre |
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