If you look at the products on the shelves in a typical bike shop you might be led to believe that most manufacturers of cycling products have a fairly small product line. Actually, this is seldom the case. Most bike shops just don’t have the shelf space available to stock everything, so they usually only carry what they think will sell quickly. This is a shame because there are so many great products out there that a lot of cyclists will never see unless the visit the Website of the various manufacturers. A few weeks ago I was looking at the  Genuine Innovations Website and when I saw their Mountain Pipe CO2 Inflator I knew I had to have one immediately. The good folks at Genuine Innovations sent one to me for review and I have to tell you this pump is fantastic!

Genuine Innovations Mountain Pipe CO2 Inflator

The Mountain Pipe CO2 Inflator is designed for mountain bikes and will inflate a MTB tire to standard pressure using a CO2 cartridge or by manually inflating it by using the Mountain Pipe as a regular hand pump. You can store a CO2 cartridge by screwing it into the end of the handle. This pump will work with both Presta and Schrader valves (a Schrader valve adapter is inside the handle). A small storage compartment inside the handle not only holds the Schrader valve adapter, but also a few tire patches (two are included). This pump also comes with a plastic cartridge cover to keep your hands from freezing when you use the CO2 cartridge. The pump barrel and handle stay securely closed due to a magnet lock built into the pump.

The Mountain Pipe Has A Hidden Compartment To Hold Tire Patches

I have found the best way to inflate a tire after a repair is to use a manual pump to get some air in the tube and help get the valve in the right position, then use a CO2 cartridge to finish the job. I always carry two CO2 cartridges with me, but one time last year I had a flat and after I thought it had been fixed I inflated the tire and found out the tube had a second puncture, so I used my second (and last) CO2 cartridge to inflate the tire. I spent the rest of the ride worrying about what would happen if I got another puncture since I was now out of CO2 cartridges. Now that I have the Mountain Pipe I no longer worry about such things—this is truly the best of both worlds!

The Mountain Pipe has an all alloy construction and brass valve internals. It weighs a mere 115 grams, is about 8.75 inches long, and is about the same diameter as a quarter. The pump can be used with 12, 16 and 25 gram threaded CO2 cartridges. While testing this pump I didn’t have a puncture so I could test it on the road, so I deflated a tire while my bike was in my garage and was easily able to inflate the tire up to 55 pounds of pressure (though the last few pounds did take some effort).

Mountain Pipe Attached To Seat Tube

Now, let me tell you something that Genuine Innovations forgot to mention on their Website. Some portable bicycle pumps attach to the top tube of your bike where they constantly get in your way. Other pumps attach to the bottle cage holder on either the seat tube or down tube and force you to give up a water bottle. The Mountain Pipe has a well designed offset holder that attaches between your seat tube and the bottle cage holder. Once stored in the holder the Mountain Pipe is actually sitting in the corner of your water bottle and the seat tube—it is “out of sight, out of mind.” You could easily forget that you even had the Mountain Pipe with you—it doesn’t even come close to your shoes or pedals. The photo at the left really doesn’t do justice to how well the Mountain Pipe hides in this corner.

While riding with this pump attached to my mountain bike I hit a lot of big bumps on the trails and the pump stayed securely in place.

A 16 gram CO2 cartridge is included with this pump, but if you are not sure what size cartridge you need for your bike Genuine Innovations as an inflation chart available on their Website.

The Mountain Pipe is available in either black or white and retails for $40, but is available on Amazon.com for around $28. This pump comes with a limited lifetime warranty and is made in the USA.

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