Hand Pumps
Browse used hand pumps for sale from riders across the UK. These are the pumps carried on the bike or in a jersey pocket, typically 100g to 250g, split between narrow high-pressure barrels that will reach 80 to 100 psi for road tyres and fatter high-volume barrels that move far more air per stroke for 2.4in mountain bike tyres. They suit anyone who wants a repair that can be repeated at the roadside rather than a single shot of gas.
High-pressure or high-volume mini pump?
A high-pressure pump has a narrow bore, so each stroke compresses a small amount of air very hard, which is what a 25mm road tyre needs and what makes 200 strokes for a full tyre normal. A high-volume pump has a wider bore that shifts more air per stroke and runs out of puff at 40 or 50 psi, which is fine for a mountain bike tyre that only wants 22 psi. Gravel riders often take a dual-mode pump that switches between the two, as a 45mm tyre at 35 psi sits awkwardly between them.
Does a mini pump need a hose?
A hose matters more than most people expect. Pumping directly onto the valve puts every stroke's leverage into the valve stem, and a Presta stem that has been levered sideways for 200 strokes can shear at the base, turning a puncture into a walk. Pumps like the Lezyne Road Drive and Silca Tattico store a short hose in the handle for this reason; if a pump has no hose, brace the rim and hold the valve with your other hand.
Should I carry a hand pump or a CO2 inflator?
A pump is heavier, slower and unlimited; a cartridge is faster, lighter to carry two of, and gone once used. Riders on long rides in remote areas or in winter tend to carry the pump, since a second puncture, a slow leak or a badly seated tube all need more air than one shot of gas provides. Plenty of people carry both, using the inflator for speed and keeping the pump as the fallback.
What wears out on a used hand pump?
Test it by holding a thumb over the outlet and pumping: a worn piston seal offers no resistance at all. The other common faults are a stripped plastic thread on the Presta chuck, so it will not screw on far enough to open the valve, a perished o-ring where the hose stows into the body, and a missing frame bracket and bolts, which are often unavailable separately. Telescoping shafts collect grit and start to bind, and a bent shaft never comes true.
What should I pay for a used mini pump?
Plastic-bodied pumps supplied with bikes are worth almost nothing second-hand and are usually the ones that have failed. Machined alloy pumps with an integrated hose and a serviceable head hold their value and are worth around half of new when the seal is good and the bracket is included. Buy new if you cannot test it first, because a mini pump that fails only reveals it when you are stood at the roadside; browse the wider pumps and inflation listings if you want a track pump to go with it.