So how easy or difficult is to repair a roadbike tire with those Co2 thingies?
08-04-20, 01:41 AM
#76
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Hi
There is always a lot of broken glass on my 16km commute. The first time I used a CO2 inflator was on the side of the 4-lane road in rush hour, in the rain and in the dark. I didn't feel the cartridge touching my finger, and now I have a deep cold burn. I had 3 punctures that day. I had to get picked up.
I now check my tyres each day. I have just super-glued five non-puncturing cuts in my front tyre.
I now carry two CO2 canisters and a hand pump.
Dazz
There is always a lot of broken glass on my 16km commute. The first time I used a CO2 inflator was on the side of the 4-lane road in rush hour, in the rain and in the dark. I didn't feel the cartridge touching my finger, and now I have a deep cold burn. I had 3 punctures that day. I had to get picked up.
I now check my tyres each day. I have just super-glued five non-puncturing cuts in my front tyre.
I now carry two CO2 canisters and a hand pump.
Dazz
Last edited by dazz100; 08-04-20 at 01:46 AM.
08-04-20, 09:05 AM
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I went for literally years, and thousands of miles with no flats. Then, I re-named myself Flatsalot....holy bejeebus, I've been forced to become quite familiar with all of my road-side flat kit, lol. On the bike I choose to tour on, along with it's all-around duties, I've always had a Topeak Road Master Blaster mounted as a frame pump. Love it. Carry a couple of other mini pumps on my other road bikes. The Rema Tour patch kit seems to work much better for me that the Park Tools. I have a couple of Park Tools patch kits in my various bags, have tried them, thought they would be the bomb, but they were not definitely not in the same league as the Rema in my experience. I've only got the fatty setup tubeless so far, and I can't imagine flatting on one of my -15 f or worse rides...thankfully, I've not ever had to find out. I'd be calling for a ride, and donning my oh ***** emergency wear I keep on the bike and walking otherwise. I can't imagine how if I had a failure at that time of year, that it would be resolved with anything other than a tube....and that would be brutal.
08-04-20, 10:59 AM
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IMO using a frame pump is miserable.
I agree with all the recommendations for a CO2 inflator that has a control mechanism for the flow of air and is threaded so you screw it into the inflator head. That's exactly what I use and the pro tools ones that get sold on Amazon are pretty good.
I would recommend doing a rehearsal or 2 at home, and I would also advise that CO2 is only used for the purpose of getting home. On any ride where I use a CO2 canister to finish because I get a flat, the first thing that I do when I get home is I but all of the CO2 out of the tire that inflated with regular air again because CO2 is meant to sit in your bicycle tires like regular air is.
The total of what I take with me is two tubes to CO2 canisters and my inflator head in my inflator sleeve with tire levers and a multi-tool.
I agree with all the recommendations for a CO2 inflator that has a control mechanism for the flow of air and is threaded so you screw it into the inflator head. That's exactly what I use and the pro tools ones that get sold on Amazon are pretty good.
I would recommend doing a rehearsal or 2 at home, and I would also advise that CO2 is only used for the purpose of getting home. On any ride where I use a CO2 canister to finish because I get a flat, the first thing that I do when I get home is I but all of the CO2 out of the tire that inflated with regular air again because CO2 is meant to sit in your bicycle tires like regular air is.
The total of what I take with me is two tubes to CO2 canisters and my inflator head in my inflator sleeve with tire levers and a multi-tool.
Using a 6" mini pump, such as I carry, is miserable.
A frame pump is hardly more work than a track pump- all I used for years at one time.
CO2 is at it's best for fast group rides, to minimize the collective impatience of a waiting group.
08-04-20, 11:17 AM
#80
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Another rider had a flat today during my ride, it was the worst I’ve ever seen I rode back to my car and gave him a spare tire I had
Handed him my mini frumpa and he and his buddy ordered one in the parking lot after the ride. I’m done with co2
Handed him my mini frumpa and he and his buddy ordered one in the parking lot after the ride. I’m done with co2
08-04-20, 01:03 PM
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Had a few times there was no practical way to fix things...
Had a 70's steel frame rust out (or the weld went back) at the bottom bracket...
Had a ulock refuse to unlock...
There's just a few things that a cell phone and uber/lyft/friends/family are the only decent options if you don't want to walk for miles looking for help.
What I do carry I want to be brain-dead simply and work, so I keep a minipump on each of my bikes - can't forget it, it doesn't run out air if I mess up using it, don't have to try to remember to replace spent cartridges at the end of the ride, it's as reliable as you can get. With a road morph mini I don't wear out my arms either as the end sits on the ground and I just push down. It's drawback is that it only gets the tire up to about 60psi but that's plenty to finish the ride and get home.
If I was one of those super fast guys trying to save 20 grams perhaps I'd use CO2, but I lean more towards things that are easy and reliable to use in my backup kit.
Had a 70's steel frame rust out (or the weld went back) at the bottom bracket...
Had a ulock refuse to unlock...
There's just a few things that a cell phone and uber/lyft/friends/family are the only decent options if you don't want to walk for miles looking for help.
What I do carry I want to be brain-dead simply and work, so I keep a minipump on each of my bikes - can't forget it, it doesn't run out air if I mess up using it, don't have to try to remember to replace spent cartridges at the end of the ride, it's as reliable as you can get. With a road morph mini I don't wear out my arms either as the end sits on the ground and I just push down. It's drawback is that it only gets the tire up to about 60psi but that's plenty to finish the ride and get home.
If I was one of those super fast guys trying to save 20 grams perhaps I'd use CO2, but I lean more towards things that are easy and reliable to use in my backup kit.
08-04-20, 01:18 PM
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After reading some of these posts, I'm interested in knowing if those of you that carry multiple tubes and a mini or frame pump also carry a patch kit with you? And if so, which type of patches do you carry? I'm asking because the peel and stick patches I've used (multiple brands) don't seem to hold well unless I use a hair dryer to heat them after they're applied. The glued patches I've used leak if I don't let the glue dry completely. So what do you guys do if you have a third flat because in that situation, neither a C02 system or pump won't do you any good if you don't carry patches with you as well. I carry one spare tube, two cartridges and several peel and stick patches. Luckily I hardly ever get a flat on my Gatorskins but it's good to know what other people are doing.
I gave up on the glue patches as the kit tended to be single use...the glue tube often glues itself shut after it's first use.
08-04-20, 06:59 PM
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That makes sense now. I did a gravel ride back in February and got a flat on my rear tire. I used a CO2 cartridge for the first time and was able to fill the tire enough to finish the ride. A few days later, I noticed my back tire was completely flat again. I pumped it back up with air and it's been fine since. Now I know why. Thanks for sharing that.
08-04-20, 07:11 PM
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"Be aware that a CO2 filled tire will be flat in 12 to 24 hours. The CO2 dissolves through the rubber and the tire will need to be filled with air."
Not sure "dissolves" is the best term. The CO2 molecules and smaller and will pass through the rubber inner tube. It's like putting helium in a latex balloon, it will deflate faster than if you blow it up with your mouth,
Not sure "dissolves" is the best term. The CO2 molecules and smaller and will pass through the rubber inner tube. It's like putting helium in a latex balloon, it will deflate faster than if you blow it up with your mouth,
08-04-20, 09:00 PM
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Just to be clear: A CO2 cartridge does not repair a flat tire. All that it does is to inflate an already repaired or replaced inner tube. A pump will do the same job, albeit more slowly. The ease of flat repair does not solely depend on the method of inflation
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08-05-20, 09:17 AM
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"Be aware that a CO2 filled tire will be flat in 12 to 24 hours. The CO2 dissolves through the rubber and the tire will need to be filled with air."
Not sure "dissolves" is the best term. The CO2 molecules and smaller and will pass through the rubber inner tube. It's like putting helium in a latex balloon, it will deflate faster than if you blow it up with your mouth,
Not sure "dissolves" is the best term. The CO2 molecules and smaller and will pass through the rubber inner tube. It's like putting helium in a latex balloon, it will deflate faster than if you blow it up with your mouth,
However, carbon dioxide isn’t just “diffusing” through the rubber. This article explains the physical changes nicely, specifically this quote:
...absorbed CO2 may act on the molecular level as a lubricant (or plasticizer), reducing molecular interactions between polymer chain and allowing the molecules to move past each other more easily. This allows easier deformation on the macroscale (and so a reduction in stiffness). Secondly, the accumulation of CO2 can swell the volume of the structure, meaning that less polymer is present per macroscopic unit volume. Therefore, as there is less polymer material per unit volume to resist deformation, the structure is inherently less stiff and also more permeable to gases or liquids.
This is a really weird phenomena because we aren’t used to gases dissolving into solids. Most people can grasp liquid/liquid solutions because they use them all the time...sugar in coffee, salt in pasta water, etc. But we really don’t think of the other solutions that can happen like solids in solids (metal alloys are the best example) and gases in both liquids and solids.
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Days of Wineless Roads. Bed and Breakfasting along the KATY
Twisting Down the Alley. Misadventures in tornado alley.
Last edited by cyccommute; 08-05-20 at 09:20 AM.
08-05-20, 09:29 AM
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Yes, “dissolves” is the perfect term. Carbon dioxide molecules are not small. Nitrogen gas is slightly larger molecule but only just and it doesn’t pass through the rubber. Oxygen is a significantly smaller molecule than both and it doesn’t pass through rubber. Both diffuse thorough the rubber but they do so at a slower rate. Helium is a very small molecule so diffusion is faster.
However, carbon dioxide isn’t just “diffusing” through the rubber. This article explains the physical changes nicely, specifically this quote:
In a nut shell, the CO2 softens and swells the rubber by dissolving into the rubber, making it easier for the gas to pass through.
This is a really weird phenomena because we aren’t used to gases dissolving into solids. Most people can grasp liquid/liquid solutions because they use them all the time...sugar in coffee, salt in pasta water, etc. But we really don’t think of the other solutions that can happen like solids in solids (metal alloys are the best example) and gases in both liquids and solids.
However, carbon dioxide isn’t just “diffusing” through the rubber. This article explains the physical changes nicely, specifically this quote:
In a nut shell, the CO2 softens and swells the rubber by dissolving into the rubber, making it easier for the gas to pass through.
This is a really weird phenomena because we aren’t used to gases dissolving into solids. Most people can grasp liquid/liquid solutions because they use them all the time...sugar in coffee, salt in pasta water, etc. But we really don’t think of the other solutions that can happen like solids in solids (metal alloys are the best example) and gases in both liquids and solids.
08-05-20, 09:34 AM
#88
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Nope. I’m a chemist and like teaching people about chemistry. I also like bikes and like to teach people about them as well. The Bike Forums is a great vehicle for teaching about both.
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Twisting Down the Alley. Misadventures in tornado alley.
Stuart Black
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Days of Wineless Roads. Bed and Breakfasting along the KATY
Twisting Down the Alley. Misadventures in tornado alley.
08-05-20, 09:42 AM
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The club I used to ride with had a pair of older Italian guys. Once I flatted on a group ride and before I knew it, these two were acting as pit crew. Fastest tube change I've ever seen
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08-05-20, 11:01 AM
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I got my first flat in a while. I was riding on Sunday and went to accelerate and squishy feeling in front. I have never used a CO2 thingy but now I am considering it. Changing tubes or patching is no big deal but pumping the tire with a frame pump in hot weather was not fun. I got so sweaty I had to ride fast to cool down!
