Is your Blackburn frame pump as sh*te as my two?

Is it just me, or are these things just utter crap?? I’ve got two of em – a “carbon” job on my Giant TCR and a metal job on my Trek 2200. Whenever I’ve punctured – and thankfully it’s not that often – these pumps are just, well, utter shite!!!!

In winter, try as I might, I simply could not get air into the brand new tube I’d fitted at all. Had to call for the broom wagon – argh!!!!

Yesterday, I punctured, changed the tube, used the “carbon” stick and simply could not get any real pressure into the tube whatsoever. And when I did, it simply deflated. Eventually, it (or I!) broke off knurled sealing nut rendering the tube useless. And this is not the first time that has happened with these crappy Blackburn sticks. They just don’t seem to get purchase on the valve and if you try too hard to do that, you end up breaking the sealing nut off. Grrrrrr

So I used the second tube I always carry. It was a pretty warm sunny day at 19C. Yet, I still could not get enough serious pressure into the tube to enable me to ride the 2 miles home. I tried and tried, but each time, the tube simple “deflated” itself. Try as I might, I could’t get the shitty stick to work. So, it was the broom wagon yet again. (Only the second time in 9 years though!!)

Btw, it wasn’t the tube – it inflated perfectly back home when I used my track pump on it.

Do you have these same problems too, or am I just useless???? Help very much appreciated!

I’m thinking of switching to a Lezyne CO2 pump and dumping Blackburn altogether. Thoughts?