Tire pump, how do you work it?

[donkey doctor]

Hello; I wanted to fix a flat on my mountain bike and couldn't find my $10 compressor, so I yanked the pump off my R100/7. I don' think it has ever been used, it still works, all the plastic and rubber parts were there. I needed a new tube, so I used teh pump to semi-inflate tehd tube to install it. I found that you had to hold it pretty steady to avoid leakage and waste of effort.

I also had to repair my granddaughter's favorite ball (18" dismeter) that took a massive amount of air to fill. It took about a thousand strokes, my wife and I took shifts pumping it.

I took the tire to a gas station to pressure it up, I couldn't imagine having the patience to pump any amount of pressure. I couldn't see repairing a flat by the side of the road using that pump.

Does anyone know how to use it?

[James.A]

The only thing I can say for the standard issue tire pump is that a piss poor pump is better than no pump at all. It probably works best when the tube is intsalled and the valve stem secured in it's openning.

[username]

you know the saying about surviving a bear attack? you don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun the other campers. well, the same is true for emergency repair pumps, they only need to be better than

a) hitch hiking
b) waiting for a tow truck
c) walking to a gas station for help
d) pushing it to a gas station

the pump you have didnt have to compete with cheap cell phones and GPS units either. so people were more inclined to solve their own problems, no matter how crappy it was.

if it takes 30 minutes to pump up the tire, but youre god know where, then that's all there is to it. i carry a lousy but small bike pump with me with that same thinking - if i'm screwed, then im screwed, i might as well sit down and relax and spend an hour pumping up my tire. (i'll mess up the plug, and get to do it twice. ;) )

[R100RS]

I gutted a cheap-o $10 12V compressor and carry it under my seat. Works like a champ and without any sweat. Still plenty of room under my seat for a homemade set of jumper cables and some other miscellaneous parts/tools.

[Cosmoline52]

I've had the pleasure twice to use the pump and tools to fix a flat on the road. As stated, a minipump in the middle of nowhere is better than nothing, and if you've practiced beforehand with those little levers then the actual emergency repair in SoCal summer heat or similar can actually be performed in a decent amount of time.

The pump does take quite a while to get the tire up to pressure. One of those times I was pumping like crazy for what seemed like forever and the tire wouldn't air up. Taking it all down again I discovered that the patch had let go. Yeah I know one should ride with a spare tube but we don't all ride all the time with the Motobags, and patches can work well when you respect their limits.

Repatched the tube with more attention to detail and everything went fine, and I learned a lesson that that little rubber square means a lot when it comes to keeping one's butt off the ground...

I might add that I found that the toolkit levers work fine for OEM Contis and Metzelers, but for the years that I rode with Michelins/Pirellis/Dunlops I found more comfort knowing I'd stowed a more persuasive tire iron into the backbone frame tube instead of the lock. Never needed to use it but it was there...

[Weasel]

The pump won't take a whole lot of abuse...if you're pumping away 1000 times, those seals inside get hot and will fail. You can take the pump apart and have a look at the innards. Just use it for bicycles and motorcycles. For other stuff, some company or other makes a nice bellows-type foot pump that compresses quite nicely and can be stowed in a nearly flat state for m/c camping (should you use an air mattress).

[tvrla]

The pump will air up a tire. I've done it several times. It shouldn't take THAT long, though it does take a while. I'd be willing to bet that yours is leaking pressure past the seales. Take the pump apart and apply a little silicon grease to the seals. See if that helps.

A $10 12V pump from Walmart (with all the plastic removed) is a better solution, and still keep the hand pump for back-up.

The hand air pump, along with the tool kit, should really only be used for repairs alongside the road. Save them strictly for that, and they'll always be there for you.