icedmocha 

*I know this has been covered a few times*

My question is simple though:
On Nashbar I noticed many different sizes of pumps (16ga, 21 etc). Is one better than the other? Can someone recommend a pump from the site?
https://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?c...it=y&pagename=

Thank you for any help.

fsor

I do not own a combination pump and CO2 and cannot comment on that . I do have a red zep on one bike and an innovations (these are CO2 only) on another as well as bikes with frame pumps. The thing to think about is this....12g CO2 only will give 90-95 or so psi on a 700X23 tire. That is not enough for me to avoid pinch flatting. Some people use the combination pump and CO2 injector that allows them to hand pump a few psi and then fire the 12g CO2. they can then get over 100psi and use the unthreaded 12g CO2 cartridges available VERY cheap at Walmart and so on. For CO2 only, I use 16gm and get well over 120psi in a 700X23 tire. A combination pump/CO2 or at least a CO2 only that has a valve (red zep or innovations) is useful because you can partly fill the tube and make sure the tire is properly seating on the rim before firing the whole cartridge. If you buy CO2 only keep in mind that you can screw up and blow off the cartridge without getting the CO2 into the tire....you either have another CO2 cartridge or you walk. And threaded CO2 cartridges are expensive. sorry for the long-winded answer.

icedmocha 

Thank you for the answer. Good info!

oboeguy

I have the combo pump / inflator from Genuine Innovations or whatever they are called. Handy little guy but you will get quite a workout if you're forced to rely on the mini-pump; it's more of a micro-pump. Anyhow, I find it quite useful to have the combo for three reasons:

1) ultimate backup (though not great as mentioned above)
2) give the tube some shape before putting on the rim
3) ensuring a good seal before "blowing" a cartridge.