I've got a bit of a pet peeve about these. It seems everytime I go for a ride, I'm finding them in the bike lanes. I know bicyclist don't like having trash or debris in the bike lanes so WHY THE HECK do they leave their CO2 cartridges there??? They have carried them that far, can't they just carry them back and dispose of them in a trash can somewhere. They are a hazard, just like anything else in the lane. Weight weenies or not, it's stupid to leave them there! If I stopped everytime I saw one in the bike lane and picked them up, I would be stopping quite often. Next time out (today) I might just start stopping and picking them up just to see how many I collect on one ride.

Perhaps Californians think the world is there to serve them - they might have gotten that idea from past democratic administrations. I have never yet seen a CO2 cartridge in a bike lane, bike path or any roadway for that matter. Everyone I know takes their empties with them. I ride a minimum of 6 days a week.

Empty CO2 cartridges are like empty energy gel packets and punctured tubes. They actually get heavier once they have been used. The get so heavy, few cyclists are capable of carrying them on the bike.

I hate seeing these too, but I rarely see them where I ride. I do see alot of tubes and empty gel packets though and hate that too.

It is not hard to clean up your mess but it seems alot of people just don't care

I never seen an empty C02 catridge, so don't judge the whole state by one location.

I think you're on to something. This is definitely linked to voting patterns, never has anything been so clear to me.

It was tongue in cheek. I grew up in good old CA, and love the place. BTW, in another comment the assumption is made that gel packs come from cyclists. Runners use them also, and are more apt to leave something on the road due to lack of pockets.

I live in Vermont and the only thing I ever see on the paths is busted beer bottles and it usually were the path is next to a road. I thing they are from the car. Not the bikers.

Well I just got back from my ride (only 21 miles) and found 10 cartridges all within 100 feet. I picked them all up, and I hope the cyclists that left them there appreciate it. Of course they had to be on an uphill. I must say, this many is unusual, usually I only see 3 or 4 a day. I certainly don't like doing "rock dodge" on a narrow bike lane that is up hill. It's bad enough trying to watch for glass in the bike lanes, this just adds to it. If everyone would just keep their own trash, that would help a lot.

I've never seen spent CO2 cartridges along the road, trail, or wherever.... Cigarette butts, yes.

I don't know... but it's a lot better than broken beer bottles, syringes and crack vials, which is what I often encounter.

I too have never seen CO2 cartridges around the trai. Maybe its your area i dont know. I dont like c02 anyways, too expensive

As a longtime CA resident I can state with absolute certainty that these are clearly not C02 cartridges cast off by cyclists, but in fact they are NO2 cartridges left by stoned colledge dropouts doing whippets at the trailside.....

...just dont ask me how I know....