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Bike Aesthetic Advice Needed: Tire Pump

3K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  martinrjensen 
#1 ·
I'm working on a build of a titanium frame, disc brake, drop bar do-all bike. Carbon front fork, some blue annodized do-dads...trying to keep it tasteful, though.

I really want it to be a beautiful bike, that I like to look at (and ride). It's the first time I'm trying to put together something with a thought to function and form.

I have a Topeak mountain morph G that I use on my mountain bike and Dummy, and a Road morph G that I use on my regular road bike. On the Dummy, I use a little plastic frame bracket; on the mountain bike, I throw it in my camelbak, and on the road bike, I use a plastic frame bracket. Each of the 'on the bike' solutions looks like hell. I don't wear the camelbak when riding on road, so that solution doesn't work. I hate the feel of riding with a pump in my jersey pocket...and I'm a bit reluctant to do long rides without some sort of non-co-2, manual pump on-board. That seems to leave some sort of frame-mounted option.

The question that I thus reach is whether, from an aesthetic perspective, I'm better off mounting a bracket and using the road morph I have, or whether a traditional, full-length, top tube frame pump would be a better option. If I go frame-mount, I'll probably go HPX or Park. The bike does have a lug for frame pumps.

What say ye?
 
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#3 ·
I don’t understand your question. Get threaded CO2 cartridges with the gun and trash your manual pump. From an aesthetic point, pumps are ugly, they only serve to inflate tires. The leaner you keep a bike and free of all non essentials, the better it looks. Lean and mean.
 
#4 ·
Although my Litespeed has a pump peg, I use a Road Morph G attached to the left side of the seat tube, same as on all my bikes. It blends in better against the Ti than against the painted bikes.

Thing is, aesthetics are a personal thing. Especially on an all 'rounder, I don't mind the looks of a pump at all. It adds to the ready for anything look, IMHO. However, if you don't like it, that's cool too, but I don't have any suggestions.

Only once has anyone commented on it. Guy thought it wasn't very aero. I told him that was the point. I put it on the left side to increase drag on that side so I don't veer off into the ditch. He shut up. Probably felt it wasn't worth arguing with an idiot.
 
#5 ·
Barbieri used to make a titanium barreled mini pump.

I have one. You don't.

Envy me. :D

(by the way, it's the best mini I've ever used, except perhaps for my wife's carbon version of the same thing.)

Separately, I have a buddy that uses a Twofish bikeblock to put a minipump behind the seat tube, inside the rear triangle. Sounds kludgy, but it's surprisingly stealthy, especially when riding. And if you want to sit around and admire your bike, it just unstraps.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Actually i kind of agree. Get a good small pump and put it in your jersey pocket, one of them. My Topeak rocket will easily pump up to 00 lbs. Never tried to go higher.That pictures one looks pretty small too.
Sisophous said:
I don’t understand your question. Get threaded CO2 cartridges with the gun and trash your manual pump. From an aesthetic point, pumps are ugly, they only serve to inflate tires. The leaner you keep a bike and free of all non essentials, the better it looks. Lean and mean.
edit: oops, that's 100 lbs, (keyboard issue)
 
#8 ·
martinrjensen said:
Actually i kind of agree. Get a good small pump and put it in your jersey pocket, one of them. My Topeak rocket will easily pump up to 00 lbs. Never tried to go higher.That pictures one looks pretty small too.
I think most pumps can hit 00 psi without even trying :p

I prefer a regular frame pump - been using a Zefal HPx4 for quite a while (have the asv version now)
 
#9 ·
martinrjensen said:
Actually i kind of agree. Get a good small pump and put it in your jersey pocket, one of them. My Topeak rocket will easily pump up to 00 lbs. Never tried to go higher.That pictures one looks pretty small too.

The threaded C02 cartridge (in contrast to the unthreaded ones) means you do not need a canister to hold it, that results in less to carry. Unless someone just wants more gadgets on their bike like this thread starter, I see no reason to carry a bike pump. The C02 will inflate my tire and not over-inflate it (120 psi max on my tires). I used to carry a lightweight bike pump for years on my 1980s Centurion before the C02 cartridges were popular. You can get the cartridges very cheaply on-line too, I think less than $2 each and they sell for $3-4 at a bike shop. I suppose some folks just like the look of a bike pump on their bike or do not yet know about or care to use the C02 cartridges for inflating tires.
 
#10 ·
I like a full size pump mounted along the leading edge of the left seat stay, propped between the seat tube/seat stay junction and the chain stay/seat stay junction at the dropout. IMO this looks preferable to sticking the pump inside the main triangle somewhere, especially if you want to use the second cage. I dunno why, but under the TT just looks wrong for some reason.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Crampandgoslow said:
I like a full size pump mounted along the leading edge of the left seat stay, propped between the seat tube/seat stay junction and the chain stay/seat stay junction at the dropout. IMO this looks preferable to sticking the pump inside the main triangle somewhere, especially if you want to use the second cage. I dunno why, but under the TT just looks wrong for some reason.

I run my frame pump similar to this. I align my quick release lever on the left side so that it is parallel to the seat stay and use it as a pump peg.

The only drawback to this setup is that the pump is more difficult to get to if you ever find yourself needing to fend off a feral dog(s).
 
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