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I saw this http://www.premiumbikegear.com/biologic/convenience/postpump-seatpost.html and thought it seemed like a cool idea. But if it was really such a great idea, I would have expected to see more people using something like this?

Are there any major shortcomings from integrating a tire pump into the seat post?

enter image description here

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  • Well, from the picture, at least, it appears to be nearly as functional as a floor pump, so it is potentially superior to even a "full-sized" frame pump, and (potentially) far superior to a "mini" pump. But one wonders what kind of pump you can get for $25.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Jun 3, 2013 at 22:10
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    There is also the problem that it likely won't fit in many seat tubes. Or will not be stiff enough if extended as far out as is needed on frames with an abbreviated seat tube.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Jun 3, 2013 at 23:56
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    Notice that they don't specify the weight. My guess is it's pretty heavy.
    – Carey Gregory
    Jun 4, 2013 at 18:43
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    I like that in the picture, it is nice and shiny, instead of covered in grease as a metal seatpost should be.
    – whatsisname
    Jun 5, 2013 at 2:19

2 Answers 2

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A seat post pump would offer a type of convenience that may not be applicable to a wide range of riders.

  • High-end seat posts are made out of carbon fiber. Even many mid-range aluminum bikes have carbon-fiber seat posts. Using an aluminum seat post pump would negate the benefits of carbon seat posts.

  • CO2 canister pumps offer more convenience than a seat post pump. People who are looking to spend the most money on gadgets seem to gravitate more towards CO2 canisters than hand pumps.

In the end, a seat post pump probably has the most appeal for commuters, but they might be more interested in buying a cheaper pump than one that saves a bit of weight by being combined with a seat post. There's probably not a fatal flaw with this type of design, but there are reasons that it isn't as common as the basic frame pump.

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    commuters woudl also be afraid of theft. Touring bikes may be a good market.
    – sixtyfootersdude
    Jun 4, 2013 at 16:49
  • @sixtyfootersdude On the web site they point out that the pump is hidden from thieves. Also, a $25 pump wouldn't exactly be a high-value target. A carbon seat post would easily be worth twice as much or more.
    – Carey Gregory
    Jun 4, 2013 at 18:41
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I think the photo is a bit misleading - even the 33.9mm diameter post-pump is only 580mm long. The smaller diameter ones are only 350mm long. So it's more of a compact high pressure pump than a proper floor pump.

At $25 I expect it to be cheap and awful. A decent aluminium seatpost costs that much without the pump. I would be concerned that it would wear out, and parts would not be available. I have seen other types of seatpost pumps and the only one that seemed to work was a $100+ one built into the very long seatpost of a folding bike. The one I saw in a mountain bike combined the irritation of having a bike seat attached to one end of a bike pump with the poor build quality of a gimmick. From memory that one broke - and having your seatpost break is not a fun experience.

They don't mention the weight - it's quite probably heavier than most combinations of seatpost plus pump.

One problem with having the pump inside the seatpost is that you don't see it. So you're unlikely to maintain it, or even check it on a regular basis. One attached to the frame or in your toolkit is more visible. And unless there's a scale engraved into it, every time you pull it out you're going to have to readjust the height of your seat.

I suggest looking at other sub-$25 bike pumps and thinking carefully about how cheap the pump part has to be for them to add a seatpost to the mechanism.

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  • +1 for mentioning a bunch of interesting issues (though the answer seems to put a lot of emphasis on this specific model where the question is about this type of pump design in general).
    – amcnabb
    Jun 5, 2013 at 1:49
  • You mean the first paragraph? I thought a specific response might be helpful. The price comments I meant more generally - any time you see an "X+Y" product that costs less than a decent example of either I think you should be very cautious.
    – Móż
    Jun 5, 2013 at 2:25
  • I was referring more to the $25 references throughout, since the price and quality of build are a separate issue from the pros and cons of the general design. Anyway, I still think it's a good answer.
    – amcnabb
    Jun 5, 2013 at 3:57

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