I can't answer the question about the CO2.

But will mention that I use a regular hand pump that I keep mounted to the downtube. The advantage is that it is always there and always "loaded" -- meaning all you have to do is pump it.

The disadvantage is that MOST of them attach directly to the valve rather than with a rubber tube like the floor pumps and, because of that, they can (frequently) rip the valve off of the tube.

But, in either case you will probably need a floor pump with a gauge as well. I fill my tires before (almost) everybody ride.

Topeal road morph uses a flexible tube.

+1
...and I've used mine. The Road Morph also has a little foot that folds out for you to place your foot onto which aids in leverage and stability(It also has a fold out handle.).

One of the favourites on here and amongst experienced users. Works like a MINI floor pump and will get you to 120psi with ease. I use The Mini Morph which does not have a gauge and I get the tyre hard enough by feel and last time I checked- I got it to 130psi without getting fatigued in any way. The mini morph does fit on the downtubes of smaller frames which the Road Morph does not always fit and the only disadvantage is shorter stroke so more pumps to get up to pressure.

And Road crashes--6 years of road and by regarding every one else is out to get me- I have not yet fallen or been hit-----or hit for that matter. Had a few very near misses but as I am always alert- I am ready for the few incidents that have occurred.

+2
... But haven't had to use mine. But then I've only had it since September (about 1200 miles). Hope my luck holds up.

If the thing happens to someone for the first time, and to another person has happened several times.

Me too love my Road Morph

Road Morph with gauge is great. I like the flexible tube because if it is possible to rip out a valve stem I will do it. This reduces my chances of doing so.
The gauge on the pump is hard for me to see unless I get my bifocals aimed correctly but it sure beats the "attach the pump, pump. Remove pump. Attach gauge. Remove gauge. Reattach pump. pump" dance.

Most of these small pumps can inflate either Schrader (car tire) or Presta (weird looking) valves. I prefer Presta since I find them easier to attach and remove the pump to.

I've ripped out more Schrader valves than Presta since I struggle to get the pump on and off the stem. If you have Schrader stems and a Road Morph pump, it is often easier to get the pump head on and off the valve if you loosen the collar at the business end of the pump head.

We have lots of goatheads here also. I switched to kevlar lined tires in spring and have had no thorn flats this year. My trike has Three, count 'em Three tracks so I have extra puncture chances.

I'm going to switch over to Presta stems as I change out my existing tubes.

All bike shops in my area of Ohio offer many different type classes from fixing flats to deralier adjustment. Most of the classes are very cheap and very informative. As far as falling goes, it will happen, it's just when will it happen. Please don't let that stop you from riding. If you get the opportunity take a Traffic Skills course 101 from the League of American Bicyclists. It will help you with controlling your bike and teach you how to ride with confidence in traffic. Keep riding it is great for the body and mind.

[QUOTE What kind of PSI can you reach with the CO2 devices?

[/QUOTE]
i carry 16gram threaded co2 tire inflators for flats. when i fill 700 X 25C tire the pressure goes to 115 lbs in 60* weather.

Thanks for the update...

Good luck with the new tires. I've been running the 700x28 version of the all-weather hardcase on my road bike (that I use on rail-to-trails) and have not had any problems with them. But, if you do, Trek will back them up.

... And I agree with you about falling down. My priorities riding are: Don't run into anything, Don't let anything run into me, Don't fall down, and finally: Have Fun! I figure that if me & the bike come back in one piece with no scratches or missing pieces, it was a good ride.

These flat threads always make me wonder why, when motor vehicles can go thousands of miles, maybe the entire life of the tires, with no flats why bicycles have so many. To my mind it says that modern technology hasn't been applied to bike tires. Maybe it is time to insist that manufacturers give cyclists as good tires and on motor vehicles. Oh, they will weigh a bit more you say? Eat a little less, carry one less candy bar. For most take a bit off the gut or but, or both. Seems to me the trade off is well worth it for all but the topmost competition rider, and maybe even there.

Or, maybe, the people posting here have most of the flats, leaving the rest of the cycling population in peace?

Pick up a car tire, then a bike tire. Most cyclists are not willing to put with a 10 pound tire to have that degree of flat resistance, nor are tey willing to tolerate that much rolling resistance. My one or two flats a year are not that big of deal.

The guys at my LBS have generally discouraged me from getting tires with flat protection (Bontrager calls them "hardcase"). I can't say that there is any one particular reason, just things like "Their harder to change" and other sort of nebulous type negativity towards them.

But most of them are serious performance cyclsts... The manager only uses one type of tire on his mountain bike because he knows what it will do in mud and leaves and such...

So, I guess, some people will sacrifice the performance to avoid flats. Others won't.

For myself, I'm just a masher. I would probably like a lighter more performance oriented tire. But I really don't want to have to worry about flats -- and I probably don't lose much (if any) performance by running the hardcase tires (or tire liners) since I'm just mashing along anyway. So I tend to go with flat protection.

But, if I was trying to keep up with the pack, I would probably go with the performance tires.

I think we have a lot of performance oriented riders on this forum. I ain't one 'em. Maybe someday, but not yet.

ps My main ride is equipeed with fenders and a kick stand. Does that tell you something about how highly I value performance?

@ Tex,

If there is an REI near you they regularly have free basic bike maintenance classes. Repairing a flat is something they cover fully.

Thanks tunavic. There is an REI not too far. I didn't know they have bike equipment or classes, but thanks for the tip. I will definitely check them out. Cheers.

Bontrager T2 Road Clincher for me, with the anti puncture tube liner, Sporting 110 psi,,

Thorns are no threat to me,,,come to think of it I don't do flats,,they're just no fun.

My most recent flat was on the Horrible Hundred back in November. It was a front flat at about mile 65. I hate front flats because the bike handling gets squirrely. I was not able to find the cause of the flat. It might have been a piece of glass that punctured the tire and then flipped out of the tire. I always try to figure out what caused the flat. Doing so is important. If the offending material that caused the flat is still in the tire, well putting in a new tube is just inserting a new sacrificial victim to the flat tire gods. The tire has been fine since then even though it is getting rather the worse for wear.

I carry 2 tubes and a topeak pump. I like the pump because it is a sort of miniture version of the floor pump. I can get a fair bit of pressure into the tire with it. Also, since it uses air, I am not likely to run out of inflating material.

I figure I get a flat about every 1,500 miles.

Also, as far as fixing a flat goes, it isn't hard. If you haven't done it, see if you can find a more experienced cyclist and have them talk you through it. It is one thing to "watch" someone else do something. It is a whole other thing to do it yourself.

There seems to be a "cool factor" in having the latest, lightest, high performance item even if it isn't the most durable and the rider is definitely not a top notch competitor. When I made the switch on one of my road bikes to kevlar tires it was amazing how many people counseled against it because they "would hurt performance". When actually, withiin my performance envelope, a pound or two difference in tire weight makes no significant difference. I suspect that is the case for others as well.

It seems to me tike tires could be easily made and sold that would be as flat resistance as motor vehicle tires. To say they can't is, to me, nonsense.

If someone enjoys thin, puncture prone tires and developing flat tire repair skills they can still have their fun. The rest of us can have more ride enjoyment time.

I don't know anything about manufacturing tires -- but that statement does make logical sense: Aramid and Kevlar are essentially impenetrable -- but fairly light weight. It seems like the puncture resistant tires are made by ADDING a belt around a regular tire which makes it stiffer and heavier. I have to wonder why they don't simply make the whole casing out of Kevlar and skip the added belt --that would eliminate a lot of the arguments against puncture protection.

Excellent point. If I were that worried about performance, I would have eaten 1/3 of my December food consumption.

As I mentioned, my Marathon Plus tires have about 1600 miles on them and barely look broken in.

If I get faster tires, I'll put them on a lighter wheel set. Swapping out the Marathons is too tough on the hands. I'd rather swap out the whole wheel set.

Having recently rejoined the cycling fraternity when I did get a puncture I wasn't looking forward to dealing with it. But half an hour later it was done and just like back in my teens I had oil and grease on me and my clothes, nothing changes. Good tyre levers and a spare tube helped and I was able to repair the old tube at my leisure.

I'm new to road cycling too and as I posted elsewhere, was lucky enough to have my first flat at home! Walked in to the garage to get ready to ride and there it was. Had never changed one before, but I had just watched several instructional videos on Youtube, and it only took me a half hour or so, and that included my essentially doing it twice (same new tube, but as I was nervous about it, I got it done and took it apart again to check it all out thoroughly). I also, after the suggestions of others here, carefully looked for the cause and indeed found a teeny piece of glass in the tire that clearly would have eventually caused another flat--sooner than later I expect. This was a front tire though---the back does look trickier.....I think I will check out my LBS or REI and see if they have some maintenance classes---I like to be self-sufficient.

(As for falling over, I'm afraid of that too--if I injure a hand or wrist I literally can't work. I've elected to ride platform pedals on my road bike for that very reason).

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who has a fear of falling. Seventy year old bones don't heal like those of younger folks. And I have yet to ride by bicycle since the roads have been icy, as has the bike/hike path I plan to practice on (I checked it today as I was driving back from lunch). But tomorrow is another day....

I have to go with you on that...

While I can't say that I am "afraid" of falling, it does seem counter-productive: I cycle partly for fun and largely for fitness. So, if I fall and break something, I am further behind than if I had never cycled.

I think we each need to know and respect the limits that we set for ourselves. The limits can't be too restrictive (or we would never get out of bed). But strict enough to reduce the chances of doing something that we don't want to do...