Overview
A while ago I learned that cheaper is rarely better. Yes, most of the things I/we utilize on a daily basis are all manufactured in Chinese factories, but thankfully a great deal are engineered elsewhere. That means the mind and might of a few smart individuals have their hand in the creation and design of a certain category of products that I find trustworthy and can truly rely on. To that end, I tend to spend top-dollar on things that provide a high degree of safety, peace of mind and sustainability. High quality car and bike tires, dress shoes, tents, and portable bike pumps are a few of the items that I will pay top dollar for. And let’s face it, who want’s to be in an auto accident due to a sidewall blowout because the higher priced tire just wasn’t worth the extra $80 at the time?? I personally don’t like to play the coulda’, and shoulda’ game...$80 is well worth the freakin peace of mind for me.
So while some people may question the addition of portable bike pumps to my list above, I would be happy to tell them my story of having to walk my bike back home...for 12 miles...in the rain due to a failed “cheap” portable bike pump. Some would ask, “why do you use a manual pump instead of a CO2 pump?” Call me ole’ fashioned, but I liken it to taking a lighter instead of matches on a camping trip. I know the matches have a lower failure rate than the lighter (less things to go south). Yes, CO2 inflators are nice...and have their place, but as with the lighter, things can more easily go wrong with the base technology.
Enter the Blackburn AirStik 2 Stage portable bike pump. For the past two years, I have...
