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Feeling low? Get some air from one of Bristol’s five new municipal bike pumps

Sturdy municipal bike pumps are rolling out across the country - is there one near you?

Five free municipal bike pumps are to be installed across Bristol to make cycling in the city less stressful.

The locations for the pumps, installed by Better by Bike, a joint project between Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council, will be announced later this month.

They will be the responsibility of local businesses to maintain, and will act as advertising for the pursuit as well as handy top-up stations.

A spokesman told the Bristol Evening Post that the pumps should cement Bristol’s reputation as a leading city across the country for cycling provision.

The pumps have been paid for by the West of England Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

The pumps in Bristol are similar to two that were installed in the City of London in 2011, located in car parks in Queen Victoria Street and London Wall.

They’re designed by Cycle Hoop, manufacturer of innovative locking systems for urban spaces, and are engineered to neatly integrate into a row of street bollards.

Housed inside a robust stainless steel body with a solid steel pump handle and an armoured air hose, the hand powered pump is designed to withstand constant public use and vandalism.

Also this year, the scheme has been extended to Clapham, Tower Hamlets, Paddington, Brixton and Waterloo, along with Sheffield and Lincolnshire.

To see if there is a pump on your commute or regular ride, click here.

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20 comments

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tomilett | 10 years ago
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Lazy bu**gers with your CO2 canisters. They are *only* for XC racing, at no other time are you in that much of a rush that you can't use a pump.

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kie7077 replied to tomilett | 10 years ago
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tomilett wrote:

Lazy bu**gers with your CO2 canisters. They are *only* for XC racing, at no other time are you in that much of a rush that you can't use a pump.

If I'm late for work too many times, I'm sacked, those 2-3 minutes saved can make all the difference.

I also like to commute light, just a drink bottle with tools+pocket jacket in it, pump would not fit in it easily, / would take hundreds of pumps to inflate tyre.

When it's freezing cold, and the winds blowing rain in your face and the only thing keeping you warm was cycling and minimal gear, that little CO2 canister is a godsend.

We don't all poodle along at 12mph on our commute.

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kie7077 | 10 years ago
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Hackney has one of these  1

It doesn't work  2

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mtm_01 | 10 years ago
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Mini track pump is the way to go  3

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therevokid | 10 years ago
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or carry a pump that can do co2 as well as manual ... lezyne
springs to mind ..  4

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Bigfoz | 10 years ago
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Why carry pump as well as cartridges? Might as well just carry pump!

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mtm_01 | 10 years ago
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The Evans shop in the middle of Birmingham always has a track pump outside which I've used a few times without eyelids being batted...only downside is that it's only available when the shop is open but as it's a big chain it has decent opening hours.

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usedtobefaster | 10 years ago
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Came out a of a shop to spot I'd got a flat, swapped the tube out, used my whizzy CO2 jobber to inflate it, and it went down. Used the second cartridge to have another go, and then realised the valve in the replacement tube was borked.

I'm now out of gas.

and the moral of this story. Always carry a mini pump in case you run out of gas cannisters  4

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chokofingrz | 10 years ago
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Only 2 miles? Sagan would have ridden a wheelie all the way home and then done the repair!

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Sherlock Ohms | 10 years ago
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I live in Bristol.

A week ago this would've been *so* useful

Came out a of a shop to spot I'd got a flat, swapped the tube out, used my whizzy CO2 jobber to inflate it, and it went down. Used the second cartridge to have another go, and then realised the valve in the replacement tube was borked.

I'm now out of gas.

Proceeded to walk 2 miles home in cycling shoes.

If I'd have had one of these nearby, I'd have been able to patch the original and would've saved myself 45 minutes walking back in uncomfortable shoes (or at least reduced the walking until I found a pump ...)

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GazHove | 10 years ago
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Not sure why people comment half the time on here, just seems to generally a lot of moaning on so many of the stories.  1 cheer up everyone you're alive!

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giff77 replied to GazHove | 10 years ago
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GazHove wrote:

Not sure why people comment half the time on here, just seems to generally a lot of moaning on so many of the stories.  1 cheer up everyone you're alive!

Nah, the daily hate's site is down for some reason or other and they've nowhere else to go to  19  19  19

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Rob Simmonds | 10 years ago
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There's one in Exeter, just outside Central Station, along with a load of new bike parking.  16

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Yorky-M | 10 years ago
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fantastic stuff, love to see councils pro cycling.

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rogermerriman | 10 years ago
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There has been one in kingston nr the bike stands next to the church for some months now, yet to see anyone use it mind!

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n8udd | 10 years ago
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"cement Bristol’s reputation as a leading city across the country for cycling provision"

Are you kidding me?! I spent yesterday driving about Bristol visiting my partners family, and all I could think was how uninviting the roads looked to cycle on!

The ring road is awful, and the parts of Gloucester Road that do have a cycle path are usually parked in by cars with hazards on!

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paulrbarnard replied to n8udd | 10 years ago
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n8udd wrote:

"cement Bristol’s reputation as a leading city across the country for cycling provision"

Are you kidding me?! I spent yesterday driving about Bristol visiting my partners family, and all I could think was how uninviting the roads looked to cycle on!

The ring road is awful, and the parts of Gloucester Road that do have a cycle path are usually parked in by cars with hazards on!

There is an off road cycle path around a lot of the ring road. Also a number of great cross town routes and of course the Bristol 2 Bath cycle track that can take you from Templemeads to Bath Spa without going on a road.

I agree a lot of Bristol is a bear pit but it does have a few good bits, unlike many other cites. From my point of view if you can't see the cycle infrastructure from the main roads thats a real bonus!

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Critchio | 10 years ago
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They'll be vandalised, graffiti'd up and covered in dog piss (and probably shit too) in less than a week.

Call me cynical....

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JAndrewHill | 10 years ago
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Is it April 1st? Handy if you get a puncture in the right place.

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JAndrewHill | 10 years ago
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Is it April 1st? Handy if you get a puncture in the right place.

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