First Impressions – Cyclaire Pump

[This is a follow up on A Very Unusual Pump]

Getting ready for Spring Cycling is a great time to check out a new pump, lots of tires to pump up.

The Cyclaire Pump is a very neat small and light package. The mechanical design is impressive and mounts nicely on a recumbent. I really wanted this pump to be a winner.

The attachment to the tube stem is very neat and works well, one of the best I’ve seen. I’d like a little longer tube length but the trade off is package size and the tube length is adequate.

The pump sits firmly on the ground under my foot and does not move while pumping. Unlike most pumps there is no danger of damaging the tube stem while pumping. This is a must for all pumps.

The first issue I ran into was that my size 12 sandal completely covered the pump and made it hard to see the pressure gage. However, this is just a marginal issue.

The pumping motion is very different than any other pump I have ever used. You pull a long cord that turns a ratching gear. The ratch mechanism generates a lot of vibration and you feel like your are stripping a plastic gear.

The pump is capable of reaching fairly high pressures and I never got it to its uper pressure limit.

I found the pumping motion very tiring and the vibration hurt my hands. The pump can reach pressure but it doesn’t do so quickly you need patience and great endurance to use this pump on road bike tires.

I really disliked using this pump. The ratching noise and feel made me think I was breaking the pump every-time I pulled the cord. The pumping motion seemed inefficient and my arms tired quickly, long before my partially inflated tire reached pressure. After using the pump my hands hurt.

I think this pump is capable of doing the job, but I would not recommend the Cyclaire pump for any application. I do not plan to continue use of this pump and do not expect to write any follow ups.