night mission

Based on what I've read here, CO2 is not considered a good option for inflating a flat on the road. Why is that? Weight and connivence would seem to make it a no brainer but most seasoned bikers (at least those who post an opinion) say otherwise. I'm looking at adding a pump or CO2 system and seeking more input from the field.

wolfchild

CO2 is for people who are lazy and don't have enough strength in their arms to use a pump to pump their tire to proper pressure.

OldTryGuy

YUP, I'm lazy AND don't have enough strength in my arms, medical problems, so I use NASHBAR's combo. Pump to get tube/tire seated then CO2 for completion. Comes with under the H2O bottle cage holder.

Not too lazy since I rode 105 miles yesterday, much in the rain.

combo pump and CO2....Nashbar CO2 Mini Pump

imi

Pumps don't run out of air.

Retro Grouch 

I carried only CO2, no back up pump, on my road bike for several years and it never let me down. It's more compact to carry and much, much faster. The only drawbacks are that it costs you money every time that you use it, and you have to have confidence in your tire changing technique. I only quit using it when I switched to riding bikes with bigger volume tires because I'm too cheap to use two cartridges to fix a flat.

I think that it's funny when people think that denigrating others who have a different opinion is a suitable substitute for simply stating the facts.

PepeM

Isn't inflating a flat on the road the only reason the little CO2 cans exist? How are they not a good option?

D1andonlyDman

CO2 is also for people who's time is too valuable to be wasting it spending 15 minutes breathing in auto exhaust on the side of the road while trying to pump up a flat tire to close to 100 PSI with a small pump, when they can do it in 15 seconds instead.

The downside of CO2 is that it leaks out of the tube pretty quickly, so when you do get home, you should re-inflate the tire with air, using a proper floor pump. Also, the cartridges cost money (typically $1-2 or more) and are only good for a single use. And until you master the technique, you can waste a cartridge by not getting all of the CO2 into the tube.


The cartridges have been around a long time - people used them for injecting CO2 into carbonated beverages long before anyone realized that you could inflate a bicycle tire with them.

chaadster

Yeah, CO2 is a fine option for getting reinflated and back on the road, with the caveats that you have the right number of cartridges to match your skill level and number of flats.

I don't personally use them, finding them silly and wasteful in most circumstances (though I have gotten my a** eaten by deer flies fixing flats on the trail!), and preferring the versatility of a pump, which allows me to not have to remember to buy cart's, pack cart's, allows me to pump however much I like however many times I like, on any number of bikes. I can lend aid to folks on the road without putting myself in jeopardy, and can top up a tire without worrying if I'll have what I need later.

If you don't have the dim view of cart's on principle that I do, carrying both them and a pump would be ideal coverage for any situation; speed when needed, economy otherwise.

bikepro

CO2 is fine for on the road repairs. I also carry a pump in case I have more than one flat .

bovine

I think strapping a pump to an expensive light bike defeats the purpose of hundreds or thousands of dollars the cyclist spent to reduce the weight of frame and components. For people who haven't spent such a premium on minimizing weight, I think a pump might be a better option. I like this guy because it acts as a floor pump and has a gauge. It's a pretty damn big travel pump though, so it would be silly to put that onto a nice carbon bike, but my bike weighs (seriously) 75 lbs so I'm not going to notice a pound here or there.

Fly2High

I like Topeak Road Morph and Mountain Morph and their cousins the Turbo Morph, etc. line of pumps. (Topeak® Cycling Accessories ? Products - Pumps > Morph Pumps) They have a good chamber and stroke length that you can pump them up like you would a floor pump. They even have a foot peg to help.

I ended up purchasing a Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HPG pump.(Lezyne - Engineered Design - Products - Hand Pumps) I think it is a little smaller than the Topeak and lighter and all metal. My only complaint about it is it takes longer to pump to full pressure than the Topeak and it has a screw adapter for the piston that loosened. With the long hose over the handle, I did not lose anything and it only happened the one time but it did displace the o-rings and I am not sure they are back in their proper places. then again, the pump is working.

I think many manufacturers make a micro floor pump but these I have tried out and can verify they will reach 120 psi. The Lezyne takes longer but doesn't get as stiff to pump as the Topeak but the Topeak does it in about half the time. Both get you to 120 psi by using body weight instead of arm strength since they are mini floor pumps.

I think Serfas also makes one in this style that is suppose to be good too.(https://www.serfas.com/products/view...pumps%7Cpage:1)

pdlamb

Depends how far you're riding, etc., but the reason I carry a pump is that I've run out of tubes before and had to patch them on the road. If I had a CO2 cartridge for each spare tube on that ride, I'd have been huffing and puffing -- or more realistically, thumbing a ride. The pump got a workout that day, but didn't care.

RR3

My pump weighs a lot less than one cartridge and adapter.

For those who say pumps do not run out of air, my pump body disassembled itself on a long ride this weekend. The barrel went clanging to the pavement and was bent and dinged up rendering it useless. I often carry both CO2 and a pump but not on this ride.

VegasTriker

+1 to RR3's comment "My pump weighs a lot less than one cartridge and adapter."

I have both but never took the CO2 inflator and spare cartridges out of the package. I got it as a Christmas gift about a decade ago. The pump and one cylinder weigh 112 grams and three (12g CO2) replacement cartridges weigh 140.2 grams (both still in the bubble package). The giver left the Sports Chalet stickers on the packages so I know he paid $20 for both. The pump I use came from a China seller. It costs $7.99 postpaid. It is 11 inches long, about 1" in diameter, and weighs 75 grams or 3 ounces (I just weighed it.). It will pump up a 700C tire rock hard in less than 3 minutes. I've been using it over two years now. I'd much rather use it than depend upon cartridges. I had a time or two when I pumped the tire a couple of times to get home rather than fix a flat at the side of the road. I would agree that CO2 cartridges are very convenient but the sure are expensive.

spdracr39

I would much rather inflate with CO2 in 5 seconds over having the entire group wait on me for 15 minutes while I'm pumping.

sam_cyclist

Absolutely: just remove the tires and tubes from the bike to save as much rotating weight as possible. That way, you won't need to carry useless weight like a tire pump.

imi

Me thinks some roadies should do some upper body gym training!

Garfield Cat

Response #2 and #8

#2 Although its not mentioned, Topeak Road Morph is like a floor pump and it does not need arm power but rather leg power. I would imagine other frame pumps work the same way.

#8 A rider either rides solo or in a group. Or maybe both on the same ride? Sometimes I see a group of riders watching this one rider change the flat mostly by himself while others do very little or just make friendly conversation among themselves. Other times, the other group riders really pitch in and help a lot. What does this have to do with CO2? I think a rider would think twice before he gives up a cartridge to another rider as a gesture to help.

I was watching the TdF and seeing the domestiques carry all that water up to the front. That must be heavy. And they're in the race as paid professionals. OK, maybe you're not paid and maybe you're not a domestique, but a little but of frame pump weight isn't going to mess up your sprint against Andre Greipel either. Tell that to Cavendish!

Alias530

Really? Even a child could operate a bicycle pump. If you want to sit there and pump 200 times that's on you. I'll stick to c02.

Fly2High

HOw do you get 15 minutes to pump up a tire. 6 minutes - TOPS. I think taking the tire off , removing the tube and replacing it takes longer than pumping it up.

Besides, on most group rides, you have traffic lights and the 1/2 hour bagel/pastry/deli stop anyway.

SkyDog75

I go both ways ...when it comes to inflation methods.

On my road bike, I keep a Genuine Innovations Air Chuck Elite and 2-3 CO2 cartridges in my road bike's saddle bag for short-to-medium length rides, up to 50 miles or so. It's nice to have everything I need to fix a flat (and other minor mechanical issues) contained in that saddle bag. If I ride a different bike, just swap the bag. Quick and easy, and no worries about figuring out how to mount/carry a pump.

I do have a mount for a Topeak Mini Morph on some bikes, though. If I'm riding higher-volume tires, or if I'm riding long distances, or I'm out riding with my kids, my ability to fix flats isn't limited by the amount of CO2 I'm carrying.

GP

Your group sounds more fun than mine.

I carry one cartridge and pump. First flat gets the cartridge and if I get a second, I wave the group on and use the pump.

Even with pump you should be back on the road in 5-6 minutes. Having a group of people watching and making snide remarks makes you faster.

Little Darwin

I carry 2 cartridges with an inflater, and a pump... My thought is that I ride to enjoy the ride, and that is enhanced by using CO2 to quickly inflate my tire as needed... and not having to walk if the tire flats again after using the CO2.

prathmann

I've sometimes timed both myself and others when we've had flats on group rides. On average it takes a total of about 10 minutes and only the last 2 are used to reinflate the tire with a frame pump. The other 8 minutes are used to remove the wheel, take the tire off the rim, search for and remove the cause of the flat, install the new tube, mount the tire on the rim, and put the wheel back on the bike. Those who use CO2 only need about 30 seconds to mount the cartridge and get the tire inflated so their repair should take about 8.5 minutes instead of 10 - but there's enough individual variation that the difference is lost in the noise and many repairs with CO2 end up taking just as long as some of those done by people using pumps.

Neddog

I just don't like things which rely on a finite number of refills. Hell, I even carry a Lifestraw (suckable water filter) in my bike pouch, just in case my bottles all run dry (fill the bottle anywhere then drink out of the straw). XD