101 of 103 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great design, easy to get to 100+ psi, September 1, 2006
This review is from: Topeak Road Morph G Bike Pump with Gauge (Sports)
The key feature of this pump is that the pump head is connected to the main pump by a short section of rubber tubing. This lets you put the end of the pump on the ground after locking the head onto the tube valve. Then, you can use your body weight to do the pumping as with a floor pump, which is nice if you've got skimpy arms like me and need road tire pressure (100+ psi). A short, plastic foot swings down so you can use your foot to keep the bottom end of the pump from slipping as you pump. I'm a bit worried that this foot or its hinge will break, so I try to be careful not to stress it when I'm pumping on pavement, but it's held up fine after over a dozen uses. Finally, while the gauge doesn't seem to be super precise, it's definitely good enough to be confident that you've got the right amount of pressure 'til you get home to your floor pump. As a year-round, carless commuter, I'm happy I found this reliable, well-designed pump and have recommended it enthusiastically to other cycle-commuters.
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181 of 190 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some extra documentation for newbies, December 26, 2007
This review is from: Topeak Road Morph G Bike Pump with Gauge (Sports)
I have found this pump very useful and portable. Attaches to the bike frame with the supplied flexible mounting. I like that you can screw on the mounting, if your bike frame has that capability - or you can "soft" mount it using the supplied other mounting hardware. They even gave a little instruction booklet for the mounting.
Also nice is the fold out foot rest and extension tube, which make for an easy pumping action. And of course, the handy little pressure gauge.
The only reason why I gave this 4 stars, not 5, is there was no manual for newbies like me to refer to. So here's an attempt at a how-to.
First - remove the usually black, plastic cover from your tire valve - so you should be looking at a metallic, threaded valve assembly.
Next, figure out if you have a presta (narrower) or schrader (wider) valve on your tires. To figure out which you have, google for images.
Then - adjust the pump head (or tip) to match your tire valve. My Topeak shipped with the pump head set for presta valve. I quickly discovered my tire valves were schrader, and not compatible with the pump. After some googling and head-scratching, I finally figured it out. You have to take apart the pump head assembly and put it back together the same way as given in the picture on the packaging. DOH. Gently unscrew and take off the little metal cap on top of the pump head (tip). Then gently pull out the black rubber piece inside, and the metal nozzle. For the Schrader valve, make sure the larger opening of this black piece is facing outward. The small opening of the rubber piece should be facing inwards, and should fit over the narrow end of the nozzle/metal piece. Having flipped the assembly, push it all back into the pump head, then screw the cap back on - and presto ;) you have a Schrader compatible pump head.
Next, loosen the cap on the pump head part-way, let it sit on the tire's metal valve. Press down a little bit so that the valve goes into the tube a little bit. Then, counter-intuitively, screw the cap back up into the head assembly.
Now push the black lever at the back of the pump head so that it snaps into place at a 90 degree angle to the plane of valve.
This procedure gets you a tight join/seal between the tire valve and pump head. You are ready to pump!
To disengage, I found it easier to first unscrew the cap on the pump head till it came off the pump head and dropped onto the valve. This way there was less leakage when I unlocked the lever, and pulled off the rubber piece from the tire valve. I am sure there are better ways - but this should get you started :) Also, for more expert bikers, please comment on this little how-to with improvements so we can benefit. Thanks!
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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like two pumps in one...or one pump that does two things..., January 3, 2007
This review is from: Topeak Road Morph G Bike Pump with Gauge (Sports)
I considered tossing out my floor pump once I started using this frame pump. The best things: a pressure gauge on the valve and a little flap that you can step on to keep the pump steady. You need this pump if you're into changing tires.
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