[Review] NT Tire pump comparo shootout!

[Coyote Chris]

OK, I took four-five meathods to fill up an NT front tire from 15 psi to 30 psi and put them Head to head. Lets see how they do...

Slime in a can. I put one of these in my wife's old car tire and it may have gone to 5 psi. No more. The can is way huge so If you want to carry slime, carry a small bottle of it and use a pump.
Maybe on a bike tire it would fill it a bit more, but for its size, I am leaving mine at home. Maybe I had a bad can, but the real estate these take up IMHO can be better used by pumps...

Slime Tire Topoff e-pump.. $13
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Slime-Tire-Top-Off-Inflator/16782755?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=3005&adid=22222222227018384892&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40871798552&wl4=pla-78765142832&wl5=9033793&wl6=&wl7=9033780&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113146015&wl11=online&wl12=16782755&wl13=&veh=sem

A little larger than some small Slime pumps I have, it took 5.5 minutes to pump up the tire...didnt get hot, the clip leads I used to connect the battery to the cigar lighter type plug didnt get hot.
Gage jumped around at times but for $13, it worked as advertised. You can make a connector to go from the male cigar lighter to your bike's trickle charger plug but other Slime pumps come with that.

CO2 cartridges. You would need three of these to go from 15 to 30 but you better carry 9 ea. Many inexpensive "Applicators" out there for 10-20 bucks. They are fast....and expensive, at a dollar a round which gets you 5 psi...and when you are out, you are dead in the water. Still, for the weight and real estate they take up, I am carrying them as there are some in my Stop and Go plug kit anyway.

Lezyne pumps are made in Taiwan and are quality machined CNC metal. They have buttons to let air out and work on both types of bike tire valves. They dont leak. Tests in bicycle magazines really like them.

Lezyne Litedrive. $25. High pressure low volume. Max PSI 120 . Six minutes and 700+ easy pumps will get you from 15 to 30. Only nine inches long.....

Lezyne Micro floor drive HV. Low pressure high volume. Max PSI 90. $50. 12 inches long. Two minutes and 150 pumps. Floor mount with stand and T handle. When you pump this baby, you will know you are getting a workout but after two minutes nothing on your body will hurt and the long ABS hose and floor mount make , IMHO, this the pump to have if your e-pump fails.

Dollar store pump. Internal pump seal fails after a couple psi...landfill material....

 

[Coyote Chris]

Did you try blowing into the tire valve???

Sorry...no, I'm not actually. Just couldn't resist it. Shame on me...

Chris
(from the wet side of the Cascades)

You know what the big guy upstairs does to people who mess with old people, dont you?

Remember the cone head movie? I bet that guy COULD just blow into the valve....

If it rains for 40 days and 40 nights, I would help that guy build that ark.....

 

[seagrass]

Thanks Coyote Chris, GREAT review.

I must admit that I have been following this fairly closely AND I have been checking out the Lezyne pumps since you mentioned them.

I carry a Slime pump and some CO2 cartridges, I have never needed to use either of them but one day I probably will need to use them for myself or another motorist. A Lezyne pump may just be a better option.

Seagrass

 

[Coyote Chris]

Thanks Coyote Chris, GREAT review.

I must admit that I have been following this fairly closely AND I have been checking out the Lezyne pumps since you mentioned them.

I carry a Slime pump and some CO2 cartridges, I have never needed to use either of them but one day I probably will need to use them for myself or another motorist. A Lezyne pump may just be a better option.

Seagrass

Glad someone liked it! One thing I have learned is that unless you personally use something, its hard to know its worth and how hard or easy it is to use. I found out that my old hands couldnt punch those rasps that
come in the tire repair kits through the new generations of tires, so now I carry a set of three graduated tapered rat tail files with handles to work on the holes....and I practice on an old tire. I made these very easily
and they take up about no room.
Some bicyclists say its worth the size and money saving to get the mini pump where as some folks like the bigger one. I dont have strong feelings either way now having used both since we use them only if two other
meathods dont work, but both are very high quality and you can read more on the web about them....

 

[junglejim]

Well Chris, I too, have followed your thread with interest. I WAS going to go out and try pumping up my NT front and count/time the storkes like you did. I have two pumps to try to add to your comparison. But I got lazy and didn't to it. I went for a motorcycle ride today instead. And it was a great one. I put on about 100 quality miles and met only 2 other bikes the whole time. But showers are forecast for tomorrow and then rain and snow for next week. That weather might inspire me to test my pumps for you.

 

[JQL]

I found I only needed 2 CO2 cartridges to take mine from flat to 40 psi. Maybe they come in different capacities?

 

[Coyote Chris]

I found I only needed 2 CO2 cartridges to take mine from flat to 40 psi. Maybe they come in different capacities?

I would be interested in your carts...ours are 16g, not 24. My experiments mimiced a guy inflating a PR4......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GZCs7jQ25c

 

[Macka]

From that video it seems that you would need to carry at least 8 or 9 cartridges to get a rear tyre up to 40ish psi.
At $1 each that is fairly expensive air (CO2).
That raises another point too.
Many believe (not me) that filling your tyres with Nitrogen is the way to go.
If that is to believed you should drain out your $9 worth of CO2 and replace it with Nitrogen ASAP.
For me, a hand pump that weights very little and will probably never be used is the way to go.
In the unfortunate case that I need it, I am not so lazy that I cannot pump it up myself.
It would not take any longer than mucking around with the cartridges and adaptor.
This is my opinion only.
BTW. The pump I carry is a $2 shop special but not like the Red one shown.
It is more like the smaller silver one but with a foot loop to stand on like the top one.
It has been used once by another rider and survived the ordeal. It did get a bit warm during use.

Macka

 

[junglejim]

As promised, I tried my bike pumps at your challenge to inflate an NT front tire from 15 psi to 30 psi.
First was my Bontrager floor pump and second was my TopPeak Mini
Bontrager took 40 storkes and 50 seconds
Mini took 250 strokes and 3:20 minutes to get to 36 (I over shot my goal)
So interpolating the Mini it should have been about
200 storkes in about 2:40 minutes.
I was impress with how well both pumps did. I think it would have taken my Slime electric pump longer.
I'm guessing the rear tire may be about double the volume of the front tire, but still perfectly within the capabilities of even the Mini pump. I may be leaving the electric pump at home from now on. This post also substantiates that I really AM retired.

 

[Phil Tarman]

The Slime pump may take longer, but:

• You can always go get a cup of coffee while it is working
• And you won't be lying on the ground with a heart attack when the tire is finally inflated.

Chris

Amen and Amen, Brother Chris!!

 

[Macka]

And just where do I get a cup of coffee when I'm 50km from the nearest town?
Heart attacks are good for you anyway, they build character!

Macka

 

[RedLdr1]

And just where do I get a cup of coffee when I'm 50km from the nearest town?

That is easy...out of one of the Stanley thermoses I always carry....:wink:

 

[tawilke46]

Phil always has a thermos full of coffee in his tank bag. So if you are riding with Phil there is always coffee available.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Phil always has a thermos full of coffee in his tank bag. So if you are riding with Phil there is always coffee available.

Absotutely!! There are some things that are totally essential. Coffee is #1 on that list. You guys can carry 3-4 pumping alternatives if you want to. I'll carry my Aerostitch electric pump and my coffee.

 

[Tonydtiger1971]

Is it made with stove fuel?

 

[Phil Tarman]

Oh, no! Absolutely not! Coffee made with stove fuel is spewed out immediately.

 

[junglejim]

Oh, no! Absolutely not! Coffee made with stove fuel is spewed out immediately.

And many of us present at the time saw it with our own eyes. That was funny!!!!!
It left us wondering why the cup of stove fuel he was heating on a camp stove did not ignite, but came to a boil quickly.