yes actually he did it wasn’t snug in the chuck head and no air transferred when I tried I didn’t want to push hard like I do w schrader tubes anyway he couldn’t get it to work either and it was his tube personally I stay away from presta tubes

I use a Genuine Innovations head with threaded cartridges. The head is plastic (the treads are metal) and it's pretty much the cheapest one they sell. I get my cartridges from <CO2 Cartridges - Page 1 - Redrock Minnesota> and I've never had a problem. You can get whatever size corresponds to your tire needs and the bulk prices are great. The cartridges have no brand or other markings on them so they are truly as generic as they can be. Again, never had a problem.

I have heard that buying the bulk cartridges from Walmart or other gun shops or departments can be a problem because they have oil at the spot where the head punctures the cartridge and the oil can be bad for the tube. That said, I ride with some pretty experienced and intelligent riders who swear by the Walmart bulk cartridges so they must be fine.

That's been an argument for years for buying the higher priced ones but air guns are full of rubber seals and if the oil was bad for your tubes, I would think it would be hard on those seals.Then again the o-rings in airguns may be oil resistant, who knows.

Regardless, I've been using the cheap ones for years with no problems.

Used my first cartridge a few weeks ago. All went well. My spare cartridge was 25g so I bought another 25g. Got home and found out it was too large for the dispenser. The spent cartridge was 20g and the LBS had initially given me two different sizes. Nice to find this at home.
appreciate the info on economical cartridges. Going to buy a box.

Thanks, I just put that on my list. I got a Planet Bike Red Zeppelin awhile back, then discovered it will barely fit in my Lezyne Road Caddy mini-bag. The plastic valve knob is too bulky. So I'll move the Red Zeppelin to my other bike with a larger saddle bag and get a smaller one for the Lezyne bag.

I wouldn't expect any problems from the light oil used in CO2 cartridges for airguns and similar tools. I've never experienced or heard of it causing problems with neoprene or rubber seals, clogging up air nozzles or hardening and leaving any film or residue.

But it would require a special device to use on bike tires and would be bulky compared with threaded cartridges and minimalist chucks. And would probably require a couple of standard size CO2 cartridges for some tires.

It could be useful for folks who already use larger saddle bags and mostly need CO2 due to disabilities, arthritis or limited hand/arm strength. When my shoulder was broken last year (hit by a car) it was about two months before I could use a manual pump, and I just didn't ride outdoors during that time. I used an indoor trainer and had to use only my one good arm with a floor pump.

The one time mine failed was when I was using it on a friend's flat! Luckily, I carry 3 cartridges (maybe overkill?) That was a non-threaded cartridge. May have been a fluke (likely from what others have said), but now I use threaded cartridges. The inflator is a Genuine Innovations Ultraflate Plus, so don't think it was the inflators fault, leaving only user error or the cartridge. Luckily, it doesn't see much use, so the extra $ for threaded cartridges isn't a biggie.

That must get pretty complicated. Even in the U.S., they've become quite popular since 1979 or so. How do you find rims that accept Schrader? Do you drill them out? Custom order?

no biggie, I think only 2 bikes in our family’s stable of 7 bikes needed a quick reaming w a bit. The amount of material removed is insignificant

Reading this thread has convinced me to, after all these years, give these CO2 inflaters a try. I'm ordering the XLAB one posted above. And I'm also ordering a case of CO2 cartridges. But I have a question about the CO2. I read one review that says CO2 is a temporary "get home" inflation because it seeps from the tube/tire more quickly than just plane air does. So, my question is...can you get just plane compressed air (threaded) cartridges? And also...how many CO2 and/or compressed air cartridges are needed to inflat a single road tire?

Dan

That would be a little scuba tank and no haven’t seen that anywhere so just add more air at home or bleed the tire and refill at home

A compressed air cartridge the same size as a CO₂ cartridge would not hold much compressed air. I estimate a 12-gram CO₂ cartridge would hold less than a gram of air at the same pressure. Practically worthless.

A single CO₂ cartridge is enough to inflate one road tire.

This is a complete system with hose and valve that, according to the seller, "can fill up 1 tire (700x25) from total flat to 100 PSI and will be left with little more air in"

So, that's a little more than an equivalent 16 gram cartridge in the size of a water bottle.

I'm not sure you really want that.

Many of the ideas about CO2 cartridges and refillability have already been addressed ad nauseum in the paintball world: refillable 12gr cartridges, larger bulk fill tanks (and necessary burst discs), etc.

re: how many cartridges? It really depends on the tire and cartridge. Look up "CO2 inflation chart" to get a rough idea. For example, a single 12gr co2 cartridge should get my 700x28c tires up to 60psi. Not my usual 70 psi but still more than I often let my tires drop to.

OK, so I got my inflator (XLAB) and a 12-pack of 16g threaded CO2 cartridges. This is my first foray into "pump-less" inflators so I have a few questions. 1) I'm strictly a road cyclist, and my bikes all have 700c x 25 tires. How many CO2 cartridges are recommended to take along? 2) My hope is to NOT have to carry a pump with me on rides. Are these systems reliable enough for that? And 3) Is it recommended to keep the cartridge and inflator separated until needed, or should I go ahead and keep a cartridge screwed into the inflator? (I'm thinking it's probably better to do the former.)

Dan

1. Take at least 2 cartridges. I've been using CO2 for at least 20 years and I've used 2 cartridges on a single ride twice. One time I took out both front and rear on the same object, the second time I didn't get the object that caused the puncture out of the tire.
2. If you have a good system AND know how to use it they are plenty reliable. Try it at least once at home, more if you feel you need to too be comfortable using it on the road.
3. Keep the inflator and cartridge separate until you need to use them, unless it is designed to hold the cartridge with so it can't be punctured by the inflator like this GI unit. I can't fit the cartridge with the inflator attached in my cycling bag so that solves that problem.

Another hint - if you use threaded cartridges put a short piece of tape around the threads. I've had cartridges and tubes it the bag so long that the threads on the cartridge wore a hole in the spare tube. Not fun to find when you go to fix a flat.

So I've made the switch to CO2 inflation. I spent a cartridge to make sure I know how to work the thing properly. With the inflator, I take two cartridges (that I keep in a seperate bag together so the abrasive threads destroy anything), a spare tube, and some patch "Scabs." But...I'm still taking the pump. My question is...are you guys brave enough to leave the pump at home? I want to but just feel a little scared to.

Dan