General Cycling Discussion - screwed by Microflate - saved by Walmart! [long]

foolish me... i did my vegetable market shopping on my singlespeed this morning... loaded up with all kinds of good deals (pineapple $1 each, four big bakers for $1, several pounds of tomatoes for $1, quart of hot peppers, etc.)...

so i leave the market, get about a block and this a55bag in a large truck with a cellphone in his ear blocks my path while waiting for traffic...

i trackstand while lugging 40 lbs of market goods in my mess bag, and you guessed it: a pinch flat on the front tire... (i'm beef-a-roni too, which doesn't help)

well, this just happens to be the only bike that i don't equip with those great Hurricane Air Sceptre (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=17002&subcategory_ID=4361) pumps (scored for $9 each when shopping for deals at Performance meant something)...

however, i did have one of these in the mini seat bag:

http://www.genuineinnovations.com/prodimages/1097_lg.jpg

a Microflate Nano (http://www.genuineinnovations.com/bikeprods.aspx?prodid=1097), along with the required screw-thread 16-gram CO2 cartridge... without thinking, i had also thrown in an old spare cartridge rolling around in the junk drawer...

so i patch the tire, and push the Nano's head onto the valve - turn the cartridge, and...

nothing, nada, zip - the Genuine Innovations 'brand new' cartridge was devoid of CO2!

"No problem," i thought, reaching for the spare cartridge... until i looked at it... "Rats!" was my next thought...

it was one of those cheap $8-a-dozen 12-gram BB gun CO2s from Wally World!

so there i was, flat tire, no pump, empty 'new' cartridge, and a non-compatible cartridge...

so i thought, "The heck with this," took the cartridge, and pushed it into the Nano head while holding it onto the tube's valve...

it worked - inflated the tire, and got me home.

so, thanks Wally World - and boo to Genuine Innovations (even though i was able to use the Nano head)...

i'm ditching CO2 and putting a pump on the bike...

http://www.topeak.com/products/Mini-Pumps/TurboMorphG

Been using one of these for awhile now. Could also replace a floor pump. The Mini model is even smaller,but doesn't have a gauge.

http://www.topeak.com/products/Mini-Pumps/TurboMorphG

Been using one of these for awhile now. Could also replace a floor pump. The Mini model is even smaller,but doesn't have a gauge.

+1 - that is an *excellent* pump...

i keep one in the bike toolbox in the truck as it works as well as a floor pump but takes little space... though one thing i never liked about the pump was the Topeak-designed frame attachment...

Ummm, you turn the cartridge all the way in, the back off a half turn to get the CO2 to discharge.

Ummm, you turn the cartridge all the way in, the back off a half turn to get the CO2 to discharge.

Umm, my guess is that he would have realized that mistake when he unscrewed the cartridge to use the second one. Would have made for a kodak moment! :thumb:

Ummm, you turn the cartridge all the way in, the back off a half turn to get the CO2 to discharge.

i know that - the cartridge was empty - no 'phhhhttt,' etc. at all - it was a bummer!

:-)

I have a couple pumps that are designed for CO2, but you can pump them by hand if needed, although it sucks.

Someone needs to invent a frame pump with some type of shunt where one can affix a screwed CO2 cylinder, let 'er rip, but without affecting the ergonomics of being able to pump up a tire by hand.

I've been shkrewt by the inoovations before. Totally empty dead cartridge. I switched to the good ol frame pump (Zefal). SInce I'v lent it to several CO2 believers!:D..If I had a nickle for every one of them, I'd have anew carbon bike!:p

I've helped a dude that had the Morph whatever. I wasn't impressed. If you've got good technique with a frame punmp, it's much easier!:D


http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/albumnumbertwo/pump.jpg

Even though I work at a bike shop, I still buy my CO2 cartridges from Wal-Mart. It's cheaper than our cost on them.