Originally Posted by Palomar01

After joining a few group rides I noticed there are still quite a few riders out there who carry the old fashion hand pump—albeit the pumps are much more compact and lightweight. I have to admit, I have one of those pumps that I bought “just in case”. However, I have never brought it with me except on the mountain bike. This past weekend, my floor pump failed on me while trying to inflate my tires to pressure (and sucked out most of the air from the front tire of my road bike). I was at home so I attempted to use the mini hand pump. I got to about 70 psi and my arms were wasted! I guess that’s enough to get you home but only after you are now much weaker than when you first got a flat.

Yesterday, I got a flat far from home. So like before, I used my CO2 inflator that I always carry on my road bike. My inflator allows me to load a CO2 cartridge but still be in control of how much air I put into the tire. I can put a little bit of air into the inner tube to give it some shape, then inflate it to full pressure once the tire is properly seated. The CO2 was simply effortless! In a mere 3 seconds I had a fully inflated tire using only one CO2 cartridge (I carry two). If you’re still carrying that hand pump, consider the CO2 inflator with the compact inflator head that simply screws directly onto the CO2 cartridge. Simple, extremely compact, fast, and efficient!