Bicycle tyres do two things: they provide grip and propulsion, and they go flat. Mountain bike tyres do both of those better than any other kind of bike tyres, so you need a means of inflating them on the trail and to that end, here’s a few.
Birzman Velocity Apogee MTB Hand Pump
RRP R450 | www.birzman.com
At 18cm by 3cm the Birzman Velocity Apogee MTB Hand Pump will fit comfortably on the frame of your bike and see to your trail inflation needs with ease. It features a retractable hose which makes manoeuvring the pump into a comfortable position and actually pumping up your tyre a lot easier than with a fixed head pump. The hose also has the nifty Snap-It Apogee valve adaptor, as featured on the Birzman Maha-Apogee which we tested in the November 2015 issue of Full Sus. It features a sturdy aluminium construction and can inflate to 90psi.
Crank Brother Sterling Short Pump
RRP R410 | www.omnico.co.za
Weighing in at just 116g and measuring up at just 171mm in length the Crank Brother Sterling Short Pump is small enough to be hardly noticeable on your bike, except of course when the sunlight glints off that sterling aluminium tube. It may be small but it’s high volume and can pump up to a higher than you’ll need for a mountain bike 100psi. It also boasts a five year warranty and an ergonomic design to make the task of trail side inflation that little bit more comfortable.
Lezyne Trigger Drive CO2
R310 | www.lezyne.com
We’ve gone through a few CO2 regulators and the one that’s lasted best so far is the Lezyne Trigger Drive CO2. It’s sturdily constructed with a CNC machined aluminium dispenser and brass internals, it’s small, simple to use and because of its twin chuck dispenser system you won’t be releasing precious inflating CO2 into the atmosphere rather than your tyre by accident. It treads securely onto both Presta and Schrader valves, and when the CO2 bomb is screwed into place and the head is firmly secured onto the valve of your tyre you simply press the head towards the valve releasing the compressed air into your tyre and resealing it in one simple operation.
Sportsmans Warehouse CO2 Inflation Cartridges
R40 for 2 Pack, R85 for 5 Pack | www.sportsmanswarehouse.co.za
CO2 Inflation Cartridges are a must for any mountain biker’s arsenal of on the bike tools. In the case of a tubeless tyre puncture they’re pretty much the only way to get your tyre to seal again, because a hand pump simply cannot deliver enough volume at a high enough pressure. But at R20 a pop we’re understandably loathed to use them if all our tyre needs is a little air to top up the pressure, so a mini-pump is still a must for minor leaks or if you have to insert a tube because of a complete tubeless system failure. Just keep in mind that though threadless CO2 Inflation Cartridges are cheaper than the threaded variety, if you have a mini, head only, CO2 adaptor like the Lezyne Trigger Drive CO2 you’ll need to use the threaded cartridges.
SahmuraiSword
RRP R350 | www.stagen9ne.co.za
In the event of a sidewall puncture that your tyre sealant just won’t seal you’ll need to plug the hole, and there’s no simpler plugging tool to carry on the bike than a SahmuraiSword. Named after its creator, long time Team Bulls rider, Stefan ‘Sahmurai’ Sahm the SahmuraiSword works just like any other plug. But the genius is in the storage, rather than taping it to your seatpost and allowing the plug to cake with dirt and grit the SahmuraiSword fits neatly into your handle bars, just replace your normal bar-ends with the SahmuraiSword units and you’re ready to roll. The other added bonus is with the SahmuraiSword you can now carry the oft neglected reamer tool which you use to get the hole to the right size to accept the plug. If you’re not sure how it’s done find the SahmuraiSword on Facebook and watch Stefan’s instructional video.
Tyre Nurse
RRP R550 | www.tyrenurse.co.za
The Tyre Nurse is a cylinder with a removable cap at one end and valves at both. When you get a puncture you fill the cylinder with tyre sealant, screw the cylinder to your tyre and then inflate your tyre through the Tyre Nurse cylinder which then forces the sealant into your tyre along with the air thereby sealing the puncture. There are a few tricks to getting it exactly right but that’s best left to the instructional video to explain. It’s made from aluminium so it’ll last for years and the only manufacturer stipulations to follow are that you wash it out after use and take care to not let dirt get into the valves, a task which is made easier by the Tyre Nurse valve caps. To watch a video of how it works scan this QR Code.
Floor Pumps
If you missed out Floor Pump review in the November 2015 issue of Full Sus you can scan this QR Code to read it on www.fullsus.co.za.
