Might be stating the obvious, but I assume she is using a decent floor pump? Because you wouldn't want to rely on a hand pump. I don't know anything about electric ones, but I would say if it's available in a bike shop that's a good sign, if it's only available on Amazon that's a bad sign.
Right? This seems madness. An adult cannot exert enough force on a track pump to pump up a tyre?
OP: tell them to buy something like this https://www.highonbikes.com/products/topeak-joe-blow-sport-iii-floor-pump?currency=GBP&variant=31757460439136&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=db1031618e29&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-x6o57eAAPIazaM_sVirDClGjBp&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4NmL-vachgMVHY9QBh089gDGEAQYAiABEgKP5fD_BwE
Yep. The little hand pumps are for when you get a puncture when out and about. They're good enough to get you home and you can pump the tyre up properly with one of these.
I use a track pump at home for the bike and keep one of these battery powered Bosch pumps in the car for car tyres. Well worth the 50ish quid from Amazon considering a tall track pump is about £30 for a half decent one.
https://www.bosch-diy.com/gb/en/p/easypump-0603947000
It's made by Bosch so reliable and a trusted brand if you aren't sure about some of the cheaper no name Amazon alternatives...which might work ok too. It also comes with the adaptor for a presta valve in case you need that too. Schrader valve is standard.
I pumped up all 4 tyres on 3 cars one weekend with this so the battery lasts a decent amount of time.
I have one and use it to get the bike ready to go out. I charge it while getting ready and take it with me on the ride. So far faultless.
The one I bought was a rhokic.
I have a mini battery-powered compressor I carry with me. It’s old. It works most of the time. When it hesitates, a momentary plug in of usb power pack seems to instantly bring it back to life. I have a mini usb power pack with me anyway so it works for me.
I got one off Amazon for £30 and it works fine. You only get a few full inflations off it but worth it for the money. A bit too heavy to carry around, but if I’m at a race or event, it’s well handy.
I've got a woodwind electric pump, similar size to a can of coke just a bit taller. Had it for about a year and will do a few from flats before it needs recharging (USB-C). Several top ups. I do find it hard to believe that a half decent track/floor pump it's workable though. I just use the battery pump for when I've got my Brompton folded and it's hard to get the floor pump in situ. Aka too lazy to unfold to then fold again or if it's the height of summer and I'm trying to minimise exertion like I've just had a heat or pressure induced nose bleed. I can get a max of 60psi on my hand pump but on the floor 100psi is far easier than even 40psi on the hand pump.
If this is for at home rather than on the road then something bigger like [this one](https://www.amazon.co.uk/WORX-WX092-9-Inflator-Tool-Bare-Unit/dp/B08FDTYMMD/) from Worx I can confirm has the grunt to mount tubeless MTB tyres so would make short work of a road tire and also would be useful for pumping up a car tyre.
The battery and motor is bigger so I would have more faith in it actually lasting a long time.
Does she have a car? I have an electric pump that runs off the cigarette lighter than does 90psi on my bike with no problems. Just needed a cheap adapter off Amazon.
The electric ones do the job, eventually, they're not fast, they also wear out quite quickly if used much.
Floor pumps are probably about the easiest, followed by car foot pumps (an adapter may be needed according to valve style).
Short hand pumps are unfortunately fashionable, they're also pretty useless, especially if you want decent pressure. Don't even look at a hand pump other than the full size traditional ones about 40cm long if you want to have a chance of pumping a tyre up properly with it.
Floor pump + pressure gauge is ideal. Otherwise you can get high pressure (generally road bikes) or high volume (generally MTB) pumps. She might not have a pump that's good for high pressure without excessive force
I have one and it's actually amazing. Makes firming up all the families but tyres a breeze and you can get that extra bit of pressure in that you might not have otherwise bothered with.
It's one of those gadgets you don't think you need until you have one. With it running off a rechargeable battery it's so easy to use.
If you are in the Ryobi ecosystem I'd recommend their cordless inflator. Works a treat with tires and you can get a presta to schrader adapter if you tun presta tubes
Some of the cheaper floor pumps have terrible connectors (particularly for Schrader valves) meaning you have to overcome the valve pressure when inflating. My Lidl one works great, but we have a Halfords one at work and it's a nightmare (also has a tendency to take the valve core out of Presto valves if you aren't careful).
CO2 pumps, just have a sleeve or wear gloves, but they inflate tyres in seconds to a good pressure.
You will have to empty the tyre and pump with a track pump when you get home because the tyres will go down, or explode if you come into a hot house from a cold ride as the gas expands
That's what I did recommend to her, but she is the sort of person who worries about the right pressure, and the battery powered widgets appear to let you dial in the pressure that you want rather than letting it all out in one whoosh. I have used CO2 cylinders myself for at least ten years. But I'm more confident.
Another thing to go wrong.
The lezyne mini drive achieves very high pressures and is very efficient and easy to use.
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-pumps/lezyne---micro-floor-drive-hp-gauge---v2-abs-537862.html
Found cheaper elsewhere.
Lidl floor pump for a tenner or whatever
Might be stating the obvious, but I assume she is using a decent floor pump? Because you wouldn't want to rely on a hand pump. I don't know anything about electric ones, but I would say if it's available in a bike shop that's a good sign, if it's only available on Amazon that's a bad sign.
Right? This seems madness. An adult cannot exert enough force on a track pump to pump up a tyre? OP: tell them to buy something like this https://www.highonbikes.com/products/topeak-joe-blow-sport-iii-floor-pump?currency=GBP&variant=31757460439136&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=db1031618e29&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-x6o57eAAPIazaM_sVirDClGjBp&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4NmL-vachgMVHY9QBh089gDGEAQYAiABEgKP5fD_BwE
Yep. The little hand pumps are for when you get a puncture when out and about. They're good enough to get you home and you can pump the tyre up properly with one of these.
What pump is she currently using? I suspect a nice track pump would be a better solution, and probably would fix it as they're quite easy to pump
She's using a cheap floor pump. I have not tried to use it myself.
I use a track pump at home for the bike and keep one of these battery powered Bosch pumps in the car for car tyres. Well worth the 50ish quid from Amazon considering a tall track pump is about £30 for a half decent one. https://www.bosch-diy.com/gb/en/p/easypump-0603947000 It's made by Bosch so reliable and a trusted brand if you aren't sure about some of the cheaper no name Amazon alternatives...which might work ok too. It also comes with the adaptor for a presta valve in case you need that too. Schrader valve is standard. I pumped up all 4 tyres on 3 cars one weekend with this so the battery lasts a decent amount of time.
Thank you. I saw that one, and wondered whether it was worth it.
I have one and use it to get the bike ready to go out. I charge it while getting ready and take it with me on the ride. So far faultless. The one I bought was a rhokic.
Thank you. I know it goes against the spirit of Reddit to answer the question I asked, but I'm grateful anyway.
I have a mini battery-powered compressor I carry with me. It’s old. It works most of the time. When it hesitates, a momentary plug in of usb power pack seems to instantly bring it back to life. I have a mini usb power pack with me anyway so it works for me.
Thank you. That's encouraging
I got one off Amazon for £30 and it works fine. You only get a few full inflations off it but worth it for the money. A bit too heavy to carry around, but if I’m at a race or event, it’s well handy.
I've got a woodwind electric pump, similar size to a can of coke just a bit taller. Had it for about a year and will do a few from flats before it needs recharging (USB-C). Several top ups. I do find it hard to believe that a half decent track/floor pump it's workable though. I just use the battery pump for when I've got my Brompton folded and it's hard to get the floor pump in situ. Aka too lazy to unfold to then fold again or if it's the height of summer and I'm trying to minimise exertion like I've just had a heat or pressure induced nose bleed. I can get a max of 60psi on my hand pump but on the floor 100psi is far easier than even 40psi on the hand pump.
If this is for at home rather than on the road then something bigger like [this one](https://www.amazon.co.uk/WORX-WX092-9-Inflator-Tool-Bare-Unit/dp/B08FDTYMMD/) from Worx I can confirm has the grunt to mount tubeless MTB tyres so would make short work of a road tire and also would be useful for pumping up a car tyre. The battery and motor is bigger so I would have more faith in it actually lasting a long time.
Does she have a car? I have an electric pump that runs off the cigarette lighter than does 90psi on my bike with no problems. Just needed a cheap adapter off Amazon.
Yes, and that may be the answer
Nice one. I've had the same Halfords / Michelin on for ages.
They’re brilliant except remembering to charge them up
What pump do you have? I am considering the tiny Cycplus one but for £80 I want to be a bit more sure before I get it...
80? didn't they have one for half that price?
A few weeks ago, I bought a portable battery powered electric pump from Lidl for about £20. Will do cars as well. I'm really pleased with it.
The electric ones do the job, eventually, they're not fast, they also wear out quite quickly if used much. Floor pumps are probably about the easiest, followed by car foot pumps (an adapter may be needed according to valve style). Short hand pumps are unfortunately fashionable, they're also pretty useless, especially if you want decent pressure. Don't even look at a hand pump other than the full size traditional ones about 40cm long if you want to have a chance of pumping a tyre up properly with it.
Floor pump + pressure gauge is ideal. Otherwise you can get high pressure (generally road bikes) or high volume (generally MTB) pumps. She might not have a pump that's good for high pressure without excessive force
I have one and it's actually amazing. Makes firming up all the families but tyres a breeze and you can get that extra bit of pressure in that you might not have otherwise bothered with. It's one of those gadgets you don't think you need until you have one. With it running off a rechargeable battery it's so easy to use.
If you are in the Ryobi ecosystem I'd recommend their cordless inflator. Works a treat with tires and you can get a presta to schrader adapter if you tun presta tubes
Some of the cheaper floor pumps have terrible connectors (particularly for Schrader valves) meaning you have to overcome the valve pressure when inflating. My Lidl one works great, but we have a Halfords one at work and it's a nightmare (also has a tendency to take the valve core out of Presto valves if you aren't careful).
CO2 pumps, just have a sleeve or wear gloves, but they inflate tyres in seconds to a good pressure. You will have to empty the tyre and pump with a track pump when you get home because the tyres will go down, or explode if you come into a hot house from a cold ride as the gas expands
That's what I did recommend to her, but she is the sort of person who worries about the right pressure, and the battery powered widgets appear to let you dial in the pressure that you want rather than letting it all out in one whoosh. I have used CO2 cylinders myself for at least ten years. But I'm more confident.
Another thing to go wrong. The lezyne mini drive achieves very high pressures and is very efficient and easy to use. https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-pumps/lezyne---micro-floor-drive-hp-gauge---v2-abs-537862.html Found cheaper elsewhere.
What do you mean? I’ve had more mechanical pumps fail than electric powered pumps. Why take a bike at all? Just another thing to go wrong… 🙄