Specialized CPro2 | CO2 Inflation, Is It Supposed To Suck?...
 

After much hassle with my frame pump, I decided to pick up a CO2 kit from the LBS... I chose the Specialized CPro2 as pictured for a whopping $20 (on "sale" too).

http://www.bicimania.com/images/m_09_bomba_sp_cpro2.jpg

I brought it home, screwed in the canister. Everything looks great, no leaks. So to test it out, I deflate my rear tire, which was at 110PSI, and proceed to refill it with the CO2. I got about 80PSI out of it, until it ran out of steam. There was a slight leak around the presta valve, but there was nothing I could do about it as the adapter has no adjustments. Kind of lame; it's enough PSI to get you home / to your car (where I keep my compressor), but if you're touring, you still need to get to a real pump.

What's the deal with these things? Am I using it right? :notamused:

yep, that's it. sometimes more, sometimes less, but that's the idea.

you can get to 110 PSI, but you'll have to use more than one cartridge.

Are you sure about that? I think the actual canister can only provide ~80PSI.

CO2 inflators are not designed to be pump replacements. They're designed to give you enough air to get home, and that's that.

A tire inflated with CO2 will deflate faster than one filled with air, too - if I filled up a tire with CO2 on the road, I'd deflate it and reinflate with air before my next ride.

Many people who've reviewed these things claimed to get <90 PSI out of the 16 gram cartridges on 23c tires. I don't know; I feel like I should have spent my money on a better frame pump instead *sigh*. Can I ***** to Specialized?

Hey guys, I was wondering if this would work better on a Mountain Bike ?

It works as intended. If you're looking for something to help you get in another 100 miles and are willing to pump 150 times or so, buy a frame pump. If you're looking for something to give you a quick solution to get back to your car/the start line/home that weighs about as much as a couple of quarters, get a co2 inflator. Don't blame Specialized because you bought the wrong product for your use.

I use the bigger cartridge and have no problem getting to 110 psi

if i remember correctly, liquid CO2 at room temp sits around 700psi. with enough carts, I bet you could easily blow the tire clear off the rim and explode the tube to boot.

correction, the one an only wikipedia indicates that its more like 1000psi

You bought an expensive lemon.

Your inflator can only accept the expensive threaded CO2 cartridges.

Better inflators will accept non-threaded "paintball/BB gun" cartridges which cost about 1/4 of what you pay for threaded cartridges.

That said, CO2 cartridges typically inflate to 85-90 psi. Good enough to finish your ride, but if you want full pressure you'll need some sort of pump. I've never found the need for a frame/mini pump, however - the difference between 90 and 110 psi is negligible, and CO2 gets me back on the road much quicker than a frame or mini pump.