Blackburn - Air Stik 2Stage

I have needed a compact and reliable pump for some time now. I have been bumming pumps off of my riding buddies or carrying this old school hand pump that's about as long as the top tube on my bike but wasn't designed to be fastened to the frame. In short, carrying around a hand pump that I may not even need was a real hassle considering the amount of trouble it was to mount it to the bike. It was even too large to keep in my jersey pocket.

I used to have a CO2 pump that would fit in my jersey pocket (still do, actually), but I was always worried that when I would really need it the thing would malfunction or whatever. The few times I did use it, it would get frozen to my valve stem and more air would leak out. The other problem I had with the CO2 was that the pressure in my tire wasn't as high as I'd prefer if you have any considerable distance left to travel after changing a flat on the road.

Enter the Blackburn Air Stik 2Stage. I'm hoping this little beauty solves all my transportation and pressure needs.



Some details include:
- High Volume Mode and High Pressure Mode for faster inflation and with less effort
- Mode Switch on handle
- Aluminum barrel and shaft
- Rebuildable
- Presta-specific head
- 84 grams
- Cage mount included
- Max pressure 160psi
- Lifetime Warranty

Also, this pump comes with a handy mounting bracket that uses your water cage bolts for mounting. It is only about 6 inches in length and fits tightly to the frame. In fact, it is currently mounted on my seat post tube water bottle cage and hangs off the side but it's so compact that it doesn't even come close to hitting my ankle during the pedal stroke. That's one problem I had with my other pump (the big clunker that I tried to mount on my bike).

I give this thing two thumbs up!