A bicycle pump is a key piece of equipment for your tour.
Buy a good one and flat tires will be a breeze to fix. A bad pump will turn what should be a five minute job into a half hour trial full of sweat and stress.
When we bought our first pump, we were so focused on buying the lightest and most compact gear that we looked for those features in a pump too. Big mistake.
Our flat tires over the next two years were frustrating experiences (thankfully there weren’t many of them). Every time we got a puncture we spent 5 minutes fixing the tube, followed by 25 minutes of gruelling work to pump the tire. We never got the pressure up to a satisfactory level and that left us hunting for a gas station or mechanic shop to finish the job.
It wasn’t until we picked up a Topeak Mountain Morph pump (£22.99 on Wiggle) in Bangkok – two years into our journey – that we realised what we were missing.
We’d ignored this pump before because we thought that at 12.7 inches long and weighing 250 grams, it was just too big. But despite its size you can still easily mount the Mountain Morph pump on your bike frame and the ease of use is amazing.
With our old pumps, we had to share the job of pumping up the tire with 50 strokes each and we’d both be worn out before the tire was reasonably firm. With the Mountain Morph pump, one of us can inflate a tube in seconds without breaking a sweat. Only the last few strokes can be a bit difficult as the pressure mounts in the tube. Otherwise, it’s incredibly easy.
We don’t even need to use the foot brace that comes with the pump to add stability. The extended hose that runs between the valve and the pump means you can vary your pumping position easily and the handle at the top of the pump also swivels out to give you plenty of options for finding a comfortable way of holding the pump.
The only word of caution we’d apply to this pump is that ours didn’t come with a cover to protect the valve attachment. If it’s mounted on your bike, the dirt and mud could easily get inside. Consider covering it with a bit of tape or plastic wrap.
All in all we couldn’t be more pleased with our Topeak Mountain Morph pump. We only wish we’d discovered it sooner!
Other Pumps in the Morph Range: