Originally Posted by slvoid
If I'm on a ride with 2 cartridges and I end up with an underinflated tire with 1 cartridge and I stop it off with the 2nd, will the remaining air in the 2nd cartridge still hold? And how long will that hold?
Instead of using two cartridges, take a mini pump with you and use it to inflate the tire up to about 30-40 psi. Once the pumping gets tough, use the cartridge to finish off the job.
There are several benefits to this. You cut your cartridge cost in half. You reduce the risk of blowing a tire off the rim and causing a blowout with the sudden inrush of high pressure CO2. And when you pump up the tire first, you can check to see that the tube is holding air and the tire bead is correctly seated.
The downside is you have to a carry a pump, but since you are not trying to inflate a tire up to 100 psi, you can get by with a real small one. Of course, having a pump is a good idea in case you run out of cartridges!