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SKS Piccolo Micro Pump
by askmeanything
Portable pumps for bikes tend to be a bit on the rubbish side. Despite this I still wanted one. Who wants to go heavy if you can travel lightweight? I have been stubbornly determined to find the one!
It was love at first virtual site. The description for the SKS Piccolo Micro Pump claimed to be so light and small that not only ... would it go into your backpack but into your pocket too. It has a bottle cage clip so it can also be attached to the bike. The weight is only seventy-two grams and the length a mere one hundred and sixty-five millimetres. It only cost me around six pounds to buy and now the price has dropped by about a pound so it's lightweight to the pocket in more than one sense.
So I made my order back in 2012 and can confirm that virtual love continues into reality. It looks smart with a black ribbed handle and black valve area with silver in between the two ends. So small and light, is the SKS Pump that I had little qualms that this was up for the job. But it is not just first impressions that count. This mini lovely is fairly easy to use and pumps up my tyres perfectly. I don't get too hot and sweaty with small inflations and it even pumps up to eighty-seven PSI.
Pump them up:
This is not a replacement for the main cycle pump. Tyres need to be at the correct pressure to try to prevent punctures. Poorly pumped tyres will get worn more quickly if not correctly inflated. This pump has been tested at home and has been used whilst out an about. This is the main purpose to have a lightweight pump when away from home. It has done the job in difficult and in potential emergency situations.
The Flaws:
It is, plastic, so I don't suppose it will endure for always but I would absolutely buy this again. Though, I will admit it does take me a while to pump and it would be like an exercise regime to use it every time that I am at home. It's more for, out there, situations. It does hiss a little with escaping air, but the tyres still pump up, it just means a bit more effort. It seems to fit all valves though you might want to check this when ordering. It does feel a little cheap but remember the price and it is cheap. If you are going on a seriously long cycling holiday get something that is weightier and easy to grip when pumping as it won't feel like it could fall apart on you. I highly recommend for a cheap bit on the side.
Overall:
The tyres inflate up high and firm. It is efficient and but not a strong pump and so reasonable things can come in small packages. I ought to add that I do use a bigger pump for when greater inflation is required and for more frequent use but for travel this is the best and most trusted mini pump I've ever tried. The main reason to buy this is price and size. It will make you pump hard and I wonder if it can take the work, over time, due to the plastic cheapness of material. However, it fits the bill for my circumstances.
This won't be a short-lived fling unless it falls apart first. It also slips into a saddlebag, basket and jacket pocket. I believe this is the best of the portable pumps in this range and budget. If you want something more solid, and likely to last longer, look to pumps that cost at least double. For my needs it is suitable and not a waste of money. However, if I was to travel longer distances I definitely would look into a finer quality of pump but if this pump can hold itself together, you can be my spare pump forever, darling!
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Slime Smart Tubes Presta Valve
by mcfcdave12
Even after fitting puncture resistant tyres to my bike I was still having the odd problem with punctures here and there. Sometimes the main problem would be a puncture halfway to work meaning I would have to push my bike the rest of the way and then run the gauntlet of dirty looks when I got to work. I needed a backup something else to ... help give me peace of mind.
Somebody suggested to me "an inner tube that has glue in it and seals whenever you get a puncture". I didn't even know they existed if I'm honest so as soon as I got home from work that night I set about finding some.
I came across the smart tube, self healing inner tube. I ordered two. I cannot remember how much I paid for them but can be found on amazon with prices ranging from £4.99 to £24.99.
You have to make sure you buy the right size and a tube with the right valve for your wheel rim. For my bike I needed an inner tube to fit a 26" wheel rim with a presta valve.
They are called a self healing tube because they are semi filled with slime (www.slime.com) tyre sealant. The basic principle of the sealant is that is you have a puncture the pressure of the air leaving the tyre pulls the sealant through the hole and it will instantly seal.
Slime sealant uses a technology fibro-seal. It is described as an advanced sealant technology that utilises a unique blend of fibres and clotting agents that prevents and repairs most punctures. The slime sealant is non-flammable, non-toxic and water soluble. So it is a safe product and nowhere on the packaging does it tell you to avoid contact with your skin. There is however a warning to wear safety glasses when fitting the tubes to your wheels.
As I described in my panaracer crosstown tyre review I was having a problem with thorns puncturing my tyres. Principally it is these kind of punctures these inner tubes are aimed at. There is a note on the packaging that tells you the tube will seal most punctures up to 3mm wide. Anything wider like cuts from glass and screws and nails it isn't going to work which is understandable.
There is also a handy tip on the packaging. One that I ignored. When you inflate your tyre you dhould have the valve at a two or ten o'clock position. This way the sealant flows away from the valve preventing it from clogging your valve and thus preventing leaking valves. When I first inflated my tyre, I pulled the pump away and some of the slime came out through the valve. I thought I had ruined my inner tube and lost the slime out of it rendering it useless but I was lucky, that wasn't the case.
==RIDING TO WORK.= =
My inner tubes were fitted and it was time to test them out. For a few days I got to work incident free but it wasn't long before I spotted something stuck in my wheel. Stopping I looked and there was a small branch stuck in my tyre being held on by three separate thorns through my tyre. I wasn't confident about pulling them out but held my breath and went for it.
After removing the thorns there was an initial hiss of air leaving the tyre but it stopped almost instantly. You could actually see where the sealant had come out of sealed the holes. I was absolutely chuffed to bits. Unfortunately I had forgotten my bag that had my travel pump in it. I was worried that my tyre would be too flat to ride on. Not the case. The sealant had worked that quickly there was more than enough air to ride on.
I even had the thought that as I finished my journey they sealant wouldn't hold and the tyre would deflate the more I rode on it. Again I was very pleased that I managed to get to work without further incident. I inflated the tyre and again it held its pressure.
I cannot be sure just how many punctures the inner tubes will be effective for but they are described as working continuously but they must run out of slime eventually.
Having said that I bought a spare tube just in case the worst came to the worst and I had to change the inner tube at the side of the road but that has never been the case I am happy to say and I have now had these tubes for over two years.
==WOULD I RECOMMEND THEM.==
Without a shadow of a doubt yes. I often see cyclists at the side of the road repairing punctures and I have to wonder if they know about the smart tubes or have they just chose to ignore them. I honestly couldn't think of anything worse than repairing a wheel with the wind and rain lashing at you, when you could just remove the object and go on your way.
I realise that once you start buying additional items after purchasing a bike it can get very expensive but this is an item I would implore you to buy. It will save you so much time and effort in the future you will definitely get more than your moneys worth.
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Slime Smart Tubes Presta Valve
by amyboosimpson
THE PRODUCT
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Today Im reviewing Slime smart tubes, for those of you that havent seen these there are a genius quick fix for bike punctures. These are bike tyre inner tubes for the wheel. They are filled with green 'slime' which when you get a puncture , the slime fills the gap and mends the ... hole.
They are avaliable at most bike specialists and online. They are avaliable at very mixed and varied prices dependant on the size you get and where you get them from. I buy mine from my local specialist shop for £12.99 for a pack of 2.
MY EXPERIENCE
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So, Im not a big bike rider but I am a big spin fan, and one of my friends does a lot of road bike riding and it all started because of him! I started going out once a month then twice then thrice and then that was it I was hooked. Its a great way to keep fit and see the country side, however the roads are full of things that can puncture the tyres very easily, like broken glass and rusty nails. I kept getting punctures which take ages to mend on the side of the road and which can be very dangerous. So when I found these I was a bit wary but they are very quick. When you get a punture while riding , normally you would notice when the tyre is flat and its too late, but with these slime ones, if you get a puncture you can see the luminous green slime spitting out of the tyre. You can then stop before the tyre is flat, but you have to keep the tyre spinning as thats how the slime goes into the hole and dries filling it. It takes around 5 mins for it to work and then a few more minutes to dry. Thn all you neeed to do is pump it up so its fully inflated and ride off into the sunset.
MY OPINION
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Well these have been a life saver to me on many occasion, they arent that much more expensive than normal inner tubes and are very simpy to use. They are a very quick way of repairing you tyres and make it much safer on the side of the road as it doesnt take very long. They are avaliable in different sizes so will fit any bike. I like that it saves time and money as you have to buy less of them and they last a long time, around 2 years.
Now the bad thing is they do only work on small holes and punctures anything bigger than an 8th of an inch and it takes longer and can come apart, but its ok for road riding. Its just if your mountain biking they might not last very long. Also the valve can get a build up of slime around it and when it dries it can be hard to unblock, and can be messy, but 9 times out of 10 they work and are brilliant.
I would reccomend them and I do think they are worth the extra money. I have used them time and time again and will carry on buying them :)
Thanks for reading and rating.
AmyBoo
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