The Schwinn Air Driver 1100 with its "innovative" five way nozzle seems like a great idea, and it is - but why didn't they include some instructions on how to properly use the nozzle? The Schwinn Air Driver 1100 pump has it all. It's a floor tire pump that works with Schrader and Presta valve stems (what else would you expect from Schwinn?), a needle type inflation tool for athletic balls, and an inflation nozzle for inflatable toys and air mattresses. The Air Drive 1100 also has a built-in dial pressure gauge that registers up to 160 PSI or 11 bars.

There's only one problem, and it's a problem that would have been so easy to avoid. The instructions are almost entirely missing. You'd think, "How difficult could it be to use a bicycle pump?" Well, the "innovative" five way head's use looks obvious. It looks like most tire pump heads, but it has two differences. There's an athletic ball inflation needle that swings out from the head for use with basketballs, footballs, and such, and the levers on the inflation head also hold adapters for Presta valve stems and inflatable toys. It looks simple and obvious. I thought the action of swinging out the ball inflation needle operated a valve to determine which part of the head the air comes out, but I was wrong. There's a switching valve inside the head that responds to positive pressure from the side being inflated. That is, if you are inflating a tire, the head will sense the pressure from the tire, and the internal check valve will shut off the ball inflation needle. If you are inflating a ball, the internal valve will shut off the tire chuck. The position the ball inflation needle has nothing to do with where the air comes out! It works most of the time - but not always. There are situations in which the internal switching valve hangs, and the air doesn't come out the side of head you would expect.  If the object you want to pump up is completely flat, the switching valve won't move.  You may have to provide the positive pressure yourself by blowing into the nozzle with your mouth to switch the valve!  You just have to understand that the internal valve determines which side of the nozzle the air comes out of, but that vital bit of information is missing from the hang tag.

** Update ** The www.switchbladenozzles.com URL is no longer valid as of 4/7/2011. 

The hang tag on the pump is only about 3"x6" and printed in English, Spanish and French. Only if you take the time to carefully read the tag, do you find the information on how to learn how to use the pump nozzle at www.switchbladenozzles.com. French and Spanish speakers are out of luck; it's only noted in English. The web site for Schwinn doesn't have the information either. Only if you look at the "Troubleshooting" tab on the switchbladenozzles.com site so you learn how the head's internal check valve actually works, and the ways to correct problems with it.

Two paragraphs (well, six with English, Spanish and French) added to the hang tag would have been so helpful to explain the features of the Schwinn Air Driver 1100 pump. I recommend the Schwinn Air Driver 1100 pump but think it needs MUCH better instructions.

Recommended: Yes