Originally Posted by
chaadster
That's what I'm sayin'! Get a damn pump...air is free, and you don't have to go around generating waste with those spent cartridges.
I don't even want to get into the discussion about the costs of manufacturing CO2, the cartridges, and the fitting bits, but I will say that I take a pretty dim view of those who use them, particularly those who use them as their sole inflation mechanism.
Not that I want to be snob, but unless you've got some kind of physical handicap, it seems like you give up a lot just to save a few minutes of hand pumping, and I just don't get it.
I carry both - a mini pump on the frame and a CO2 with one cartridge as a backup. I have never used the CO2, as I have only had a hand pump fail once, and it was on a charity ride and there were pumps everywhere. You are much more likely to double-flat than have a hand pump fail. If you double flat (either flat both tires or have to have the same tire flat twice) and have CO2, you are out of luck.
edit: I just weighed my setup and my Blackburn airstick - 59 grams. This is one gram heavier than a CO2 cartridge - 58g. For the same weight of a second cartridge, I have a pump and a CO2. In my case, however, I have a backup for ~85g - CO2 cartridge and head.
I know that money is tight, but if you can only afford one and have no physical limitations, I would really go with the more reliable solution (pump) than a CO2 inflator. Of course, your OP never actually said that you did not have a pump, so this is all inference on our part.