A bike pump is a piece of equipment which resembles a positive-displacement type pump. As their name indicates, they are specifically crafted for the purpose of inflating the tires of bikes and bicycles. They can be fitted on the bracket of the bike frame by using either a braze-on peg or a clamp-on peg. They can also be carried around with the rider in a backpack, rucksack and various other containers.

How does a bike pump work? An explanation of its mode of function

A bicycle pump has a special adopter technically embedded in them. This can be used for one or both of the two most common and widely available types of valves that are generally used on bicycles-Schrader and Presta. Recently, a third type of valve, Woods, has also been manufactured in bulk quantities. However, tubes containing a Wood valve can solely be fitted by using a Presta pump.
Types of bike pumps

Bicycle pumps are generally classified into three different types of categories: track pump, hand pump and foot pump.

Track Pump

The mode of operation the stand pump or track pump requires the user to rest the base of the pump on the floor. The operator or user must then rest his or her feet at the base and by implementing the pull-and-push mechanism on the handles, create full strokes. In order to create dead volume, the connection of additional tube with the pump may be required in order to fill up the valve.

Pros and cons of Track Pumps

Pros:
• Generally, they are the cheapest types of bicycle pumps available
Cons:
• Compared to the other types of bike pumps, they have a relatively low level of efficiency
• A lot of manual and physical labor needs to be exerted; can be physically exhausting

Hand Pump

There is two basic types of hand pumps available. They are tube type and integral type, with each having their own sets of pros and cons.
The tube type requires the connection to the pump by attaching a separate tube to the valve.

Pros and cons of tube type hand pumps

Pros:
• Cheaper than other pumps such as track pumps
Cons:
• Inefficient in comparison to its counterpart i.e. integral pump
• They have numerous joints from which air may be expelled into the external environment and therefore rendering the pump useless

On the other hand, integral pumps have a singular hole implemented in the side to enable a rubber washer to fit accurately round the valve. Using an additional lever, it is frequently compressed to the valve.

Pros and cons of integral pumps
Pros:
• Due to the fact that they are properly sealed off from the external environment, possess a rigid nature and creates a minimalistic amount of dead volume, they are much efficient
Cons:
• More costly

1. Foot Pumps- They are not compatible for bicycle use as they fail to exert the high level of pressures. They are well suited for larger low-pressure tires which are commonly found on mountain bikes.