Morphology: Topeak Morph hand pumps

An essential tool for your folding bike...

A Topeak Mini-Morph pump on my Dahon Speed P8

Unless your bike is equipped with a seatpost pump, you might want to consider carrying a good hand pump on your rides.

Taken for granted...

Almost 80% of the folding bike owners I met in rides and social meets do not own a hand pump.
Why? Its considered "bulky" and takes up precious space in their pack and bike frame.
So, more than often, they wind up pushing their bikes after experiencing a flat.
What's even more disturbing is the fact that 70% of the bike owners do not know how to fix a flat.
Their attitude: "Leave it to the more experienced guy to do the job".
I can attest to that through many social rides I've participated in.. 

Indispensable.. 

Gone places: My Mini-Morph

I've had a Topeak Mini-Morph which is permanently attached to my handlebar bottle cage since I had my 2008 Dahon Speed P8.
This little pump which yields 160psi of pressure to inflate tires.
And it has the characteristics of a floor pump with a folding T-bar plunger and a foot stand.
So, in short, the Mini-Morph had saved my ass many times. 
And on the Samo-Scale, I would give it an 8 out of 10!

The Turbo Morph...

I must say that I have been planning to get a Topeak Turbo Morph for quite some time.
So, at long-last, I found one and the deal was so good, it was hard to walk away from it.
Like the Mini, the Turbo Morph packs plenty of power!
I am going to use this with my Dahon Jetstream EX which are now fitted with a pair of Maxxis DTH tires. 
These high-pressure wheels can use some "Turbo" power during downtime..

The Topeak Turbo Morph

Big is beautiful

Among the Morphs, one particular hand pump stands out. 
Its large enough for expeditions and I used it as an emergency pump. 
I stashed it in my car for use during trips and such.
The Mega Morph comes with its own carrying case and what drew me to getting one was a flip-out gauge on the pump.
But still, its a handpump and it has done a lot of service since I've acquired it..

The Morphs in my keepsake

So, on your next ride.. 

Be sure to pack a hand pump, don't be an ass by expecting others to do things for you.
Take an effort to learn on how to recover your bike from a puncture, valve blow-out and all the issues that would slow your bike down during a ride.. Be kind! Get a hand pump!

Topeak two timer

Best of both worlds: Manual pump with C02 inflator 

Better safe than sorry.
That is my motto when it comes to building up a recovery kit for my rides.
In times when you least expect a tube or valve blowout, there's always that fear of being caught off-guard.
This happened last Sunday when my wife's bike tire had a blowout.
I pack a Topeak One-timer and Two-timer on my Dahon Curve SL and this proved to be useful when we changed the inner tube and inflated it.
The C02 inflator's 'smart' valve had proven to be an asset when it comes to inflating a presta valve on the spare tube.
It sped up recovery time and inflating the tube was effortless with the C02 cartridge.
But the downside to the canned air is that you can't keep the cartridge in the inflator.
Once the C02 cartridge is punctured, air will escape.

A very unlikely place to score a digital gauge..

The Topeak Smartgauge D2

One of the benefits of social cycling is the fact that you actually meet knowledgeable folks.

Some riders told me that the correct tire pressure would give a smooth ride and the only way to measure it is with a gauge.

There are many of these gadgets around, some with an analog display which is also mechanical where no batteries are needed.

Another notch higher is a digital tire pressure gauge and since I purchased my Dahon Speed P8, this has been my quest.

I nearly bought it off the internet via Ebay, but shipping would cost a bomb.

Then, the unlikeliest thing happened. I was at a Rodalink outlet in Desa Sri Hartamas and during a conversation with one of the senior mechanics, I mentioned about the gauge and how fucked-up it was trying to get one here.

"Eh, we have what!," he said. 

The mechanic asked his apprentice to bring it down from the display shelves and wallah! There it was! The one thing and almost holy-grail like item that I have been searching all this while.

In short, my visit to Rodalink was worth every minute and second because with the gauge, I would be able to accurately adjust the tire pressure on my Schwalbe Big Apple tires for a smoother ride.