It's been a long time since I've been really excited about a frame pump or mini-pump, but the Road Morph from Topeak has been among my favorite products as of late.
At around 14 inches long, the Road Morph is sized somewhere between a pocket pump and a full frame pump. It includes a mountain bracket that can either be bolted to your water bottle eyelets, or zip-tied to just about anywhere on your frame. It also fits nicely in a pannier or trailer.
The cool thing about this pump is that it transforms into a small frame pump when you need to use it. While it still doesn't match the easy handling and air power of a dedicated floor pump, it feels a lot more natural than most other on-the-road pump options, and can hit high pressures with relative ease. Another handy feature is that the pump has a built-in pressure gauge, which is surprisingly accurate, although the small numbering is a little hard to read. The pump is purported to have a max psi of 160, although the gauge only reads to 140 psi. (Unless you tour on performance road tubulars, this shouldn't be an issue.)
Overall construction is pretty solid, with an aluminum barrel that helps fight against flex or bending when you're trying to pump up a tire. The plastic handle, while small, doesn't seem fragile, so you don't feel as though you need to hold back when pumping. The only weak point might be the foot pedal that folds out, allowing you to stabilize the pump in an upright position. The plastic pedal doesn't seem super durable, although it has been holding up for me so far.
The pump retails for around $40, which is right in line with most other quality frame pumps. The pump head accepts both Presta and Schrader valves, and is one of six models in the Topeak Morph Pump series.
Photo by Josh Tack
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TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's member services department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/08/topeak-road-morph-pump.html
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