Originally Posted by
mconlonx
On any bike, weight is weight and volume is volume, and while a pump would be a very small percentage of my commuter bike + gear, it's still something. Since a CO2 inflator has been successfully fulfilling my needs for going on 6 years straight, why carry a pump?
Pump is clunkier to carry, and/or messes up the aesthetics of my bike, adds another theft prone thing to take off the bike if I'm locking it up outside, and as easy as inflation might be with the right pump, it is guaranteed not as easy or as fast as a CO2 inflator.
All this having been said, I do occasionally carry the Bontrager equivalent of the TopPeak Road Morph when the tires of my lockup bike at the other end of a bike-bus-bike commute needs air...
It all depends on your bike and what you feel comfortable carrying. For me, the Road Morph carries easily. It is attached to the rear of the seat tube between it and the rear tire. It is a no brainer on this bike and it has seen a lot of use. I don't have to put it in my bag. Co2 inflators work, but I am more comfortable with a pump since it doesn't need to be replenished. If I got two flats, no problem. Thankfully I haven't had many flats. I just went over 2,000 miles with no flats, then had two in a month. The nice think about the pump was that I could put in a little air, ride a short distance, then change it where it was safer. I then still had a way to pump up the tire.
C02 is a great little option for those who don't want, or cannot carry a pump for some reason. I consider them a second choice for me though.