Author Topic: BIFL bicycle pump?  (Read 78002 times)

dragoncar

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BIFL bicycle pump?
« on: July 10, 2013, 05:46:23 PM »
Any recommendations or should I grab the cheapest thing I can find?  In the past I've borrowed an electric pump/battery thing but want something semi portable

brandino29

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Re: BIFL bicycle pump?
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2013, 08:03:18 PM »
Park Tool is your best bet.  They're not the cheapest as far as pumps go but they're top'o'line and they'll last forever. 

http://www.parktool.com/product/home-mechanic-floor-pump-pfp-8#
This one should fit any bike valve you'd have, probably find it at your local bike shop for $30-35.

napalminator

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Re: BIFL bicycle pump?
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2013, 10:30:13 PM »
anything from a real bike store, not a department store, will suffice. 

Matt K

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Re: BIFL bicycle pump?
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2013, 07:17:48 AM »
As a true Buy It for Life, most pumps, even bike shop ones, won't cut it.

They have rubber (or silicon) seals that wear out, dry out, or otherwise fail - and can't be replaced. Stored next to an electric baseboard heater, even the best pump will die an early death. Stored well, and an inexpensive pump from the bike shop will last a decade or more.

Lezyne makes a real old school pump where every part is replaceable, that's BIFL, but the pump is also three times more than a good quality one from the local bike shop.

So yea, go to your local bike shop (or REI or MEC or whatever) and pick up a metal bodied floor pump and understadn that it will serve you well for a long time, but not forever.

GuitarStv

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Re: BIFL bicycle pump?
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2013, 07:27:22 AM »
I've had good luck with the orange pump that Nashbar sells.  Eventually any pump will die though, as mentioned above.

Russ

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Re: BIFL bicycle pump?
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2013, 07:36:32 AM »
As a true Buy It for Life, most pumps, even bike shop ones, won't cut it.

They have rubber (or silicon) seals that wear out, dry out, or otherwise fail - and can't be replaced. Stored next to an electric baseboard heater, even the best pump will die an early death. Stored well, and an inexpensive pump from the bike shop will last a decade or more.

Lezyne makes a real old school pump where every part is replaceable, that's BIFL, but the pump is also three times more than a good quality one from the local bike shop.

So yea, go to your local bike shop (or REI or MEC or whatever) and pick up a metal bodied floor pump and understadn that it will serve you well for a long time, but not forever.

+1, BIFL for bike pumps really means BIF10years. Most bike shop-quality pumps will have a serviceable head where the rubber that contacts the valve on your tube can be replaced (usually the first leak to develop), but that's about it.

Bakari

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Re: BIFL bicycle pump?
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2013, 08:27:18 AM »
As a true Buy It for Life, most pumps, even bike shop ones, won't cut it.

They have rubber (or silicon) seals that wear out, dry out, or otherwise fail - and can't be replaced.

Our Giant brand shop pump had a rebuild kit available.  Its slightly higher quality than the cheapest, but its no Lezyne.  I'd guess other brands have replaceable seals too, they just don't advertise it - you have to seek it out.  In any event, they are never anything fancy or proprietary, so it shouldn't be that hard to find a rubber seal of the same diameter and thickness at an ordinary hardware store.

Though I have pumps more than 20 years old with all original seals that still work fine.


The thing to consider is which matters more: ease of pumping (go with a floor pump), or ability to bring it with you, in case of mid-trip flats (go with a mini pump).   
Also, a gauge is really helpful in getting the right pressure - most novices, lacking a gauge, pump their tires WAY too low, which increases rolling resistance, decreases tire life, and increases the chance of flat tires.  On the other hand, its one more thing to potentially break (though most pumps do continue to function even after the gauge breaks).

Lastly, be aware that every modern pump fits both type of bike tube valve (presta and schrader) - you just take off the screw on cap over the fill hole, pull out the plastic and rubber parts, flip them both around, and put them back.  You don't need an adapter, no matter which valve you have.

dragoncar

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Re: BIFL bicycle pump?
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2013, 10:09:00 AM »
Cool, thanks for the replies.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!