BikeHut Travelling Track pump - Halfords part no. 128283-0. £19.99
I purchased this pump from Halfords in Sept 2010. I wanted a small lightweight pump (with a hose) to mount to the frame of my bike and this was the smallest they had on the shelf. It wasn't ideal, but the store had limited stocks. It's intended for road bikes as it goes up to 120psi, so it should have no problem with normal MTB pressures.
It's a mini track pump and for it's tiny size, it has some good features, like the large folding foot support. At the end of the hose is a universal adaptor which after unscrewing and reversing the internal rubber parts can go onto either presta or schrader valves. This arrangement is quite common on pumps, but a little fiddly and not ideal.
I get a punctures fairly frequently, so soon after purchasing it, I was using the pump when out on the tracks. It worked fine, but being a high pressure/low volume pump, it did take a while to pump up my MTB tyre.
Then a week later on my next ride, I got another puncture. Then went to use the pump and it didn't work. It seemed the seals had gone. It was only 5 weeks old and had only been used the once! I could have been really caught out and had a long walk home, but luckily I was with someone who had a pump - a Lezyne pump. So guess what I brought next?
Being only 5 weeks old, I could take it back to Halfords for a refund or replacement, but it wasn't worth the trip. Instead it went in the bin and I wont buy BikeHut branded stuff again.
Overall then, nice design but quality isn't there.
My rating: 2/10
After my previous BikeHut hand pump only lasted about a month and failed on second use, I decided to buy the best small pump I could find. All the reviews led me to Lezyne.
I purchased the Lezyne Alloy Drive high-volume pump in Medium size. See http://www.lezyne.com/alloy-drive for all the details.
The pump is extremely light at only 128 grams and is small enough to carry in your Camelbak, although probably better with the small size if you're going to carry it - 166mm vs 214mm long. I mounted mine on the frame with the supplied cradle. The cradle is designed to fit under a bottle holder, so it sticks out to one side.
This pump is pure class and oozes quality - it's 100% aluminium. The flexible hose is double ended for either presta or schrader valves, yet cleverly also screws into the pump either way. As this is the high-volume version, which is ideal for mountain bikes, it inflates a standard 26x2.1" tube in less than a minute.
At both ends of the pump are rubber caps protecting the pump from dirt and water. I found that these aren't quite secure enough and don't offer enough protection if the pump is mounted on the lower section of the frame where it gets covered in crud. So I've resorted to wrapping the pump in a plastic bag, which spoils the look a little, but at least is stops grit getting into the threads.
At £23.88 delivered (of an eBay retailer), this pump is well worth the money, considering that my previous pump cost £20 and only lasted a month before the seals failed. I normally get a puncture on every weekend ride and I find this pump a pleasure to use. I'd go so far as to say it is perfect and unbeatable. I just wish there was a little protective jacket for it, as it's too nice to get dirty!
My rating: 10/10
