Co2 pumps

allthegearnoidea

Does nayone use one?? are they worth keeping in the back pack?
have been nosing at them on the net ladt coupl eof weeks after my hand pump seemed to take me forever to get up to pressure,
as i understand it its basically one 16g cartridge of air per tyre, (guessing the 24g ones give you a little more pressure??) and seems cartridge's are quite resonably priced too,

are they useful to keep or do youreally need to have a normal pump with you as well?? (not worried about the weight saving as that happens when i drink the water in the back pack!)
umming and Arring at the mo!
price wise thay are the same as some of the other decent hand pumps, would i be better ditching my what i thought was half decent COUGHtescoCOUGH pump and getting a genuine decent hand pump instead??

any pointers or idea's greatfully received!

BorisSpencer

I wouldn't carry CO2 instead of a decent mini pump. What happens when you get your second puncture?
Get a good pump first, my personal favourite is a Blackburn Mountain Air.

cjw

I use CO2 only as a last resort for puttiing on UST tyres. When out I don't take the CO2, only a mini pump for the same reason as above.

If my gunk doesn't seal the tyre automatically then I pop in a tube (one CO2 canister gone)... Of course in all my excitement (and the rain) I will have missed the thorn still stuck in the wall of the tyre, and the inner tube has now punctured as well... fortunately I've brought along a second CO2 canister... unfortunately this one didn't quite seal properly on the valve and I've just emptied it.... you see how this goes...how many CO2s do you take.

Whereas one minipump is fine

ride_whenever

I carry CO2 for when it is really cold, usually with about 3 canisters. But I always take my mini-pump too. CO2 is great for topping off tyres or when you don't want to be hanging about. But a mini-pump is cheaper on per use basis!!!!!

I use a topeak mountain morph, really good pump, basically a collapsable track pump, very quick to get up to pressure.

BorisSpencer

...and whichever pump you buy, use it to pump a tyre up in the comfort of your garage/shed. Don't wait until it's cold and wet on a muddy trail to try and work out which way the locking lever goes, or how to change from presta to shraeder.

Same goes really for all your tools/spares. No point in having a puncture repair kit in your bag, if you've no idea what to do with it.

allthegearnoidea

thats great guys, thank you!
being a bit of a gadget guy i think the love of shiny things had stared to overtake!
a decent bike pump it is then!!

cjw, the thought of a cross thread or ill seating cartridge had crossed my mind, and half a dozen tubes with a normal pump and its paid for itself in what crtridges would cost! (use similar in my sailing life jacket)

Stephen-Hawking

I carry both, the gas canisters are quick and easy and not that expensive, saves being hunched over at the side of the trail with your right arm pumping like crazy and a red face. Well you wouldn't want to give the wrong impression would you :oops:

jairaj

I carry a CO2 inflater + 1 spare cartridge but always take a pump too. I only use it as a last resort eg near the end of a hard ride where you just can't be bothered to pump up the tire again but need to get home.

Its a total luxury thing that is not value for money at all. I took the plunge when I was fixing my 3rd puncture due to a torn in the same day and as I struggled to fill the tire with my tiring arms I thought to my self "if magic man appeared offering to fill my tire for £5 I would SO pay that"

got home bought a CO2 pump online then thought "doh maybe I shoulda just got some DH inner tubes? " - you live and learn :oops:

Bmjboy

Ive got one (purely for having one!) from TyreInflators.co.uk - well cheap and a solid pump, it does both types of valve and has a trigger. It was about £4-£5 roughly!

We're doing an enduro this summer so will carry it then, otherwise, for recreation and trail use, I will always take my normal pump.

CO2 is great for a "get me home" fix, but for epic rides and exploring, I would take a regular pump as time isnt usually critical.

The 16g cartridge pumped my 2.35 26" tyre up reasonable well, but not rock hard.

cougie

V sensible answers here. Its fine in a race (if you can use it) but a decent pump is far better.

If you're too weak to pump a tyre up - should you really be out MTBing anyway ! ;-)

(roadies seem v keen on these canisters I've noticed !)

djvagabon

I carry both when on a training ride, but only use C 0 2 cannisters for racing, for obvious reasons.

allthegearnoidea

great, thanks for the link info, some good prices on there!
have seen a weldtite one on ebay for similar coin, and a couple of other similar types on there for around a tenner,
i think if a cartridge did more than one inflate then it would be a cool thing to have but think if i go the good pump route first then see if i still fancy one! (most likely will as its Shiny and new!! hahaha!)

cjw

cougie wrote:

(roadies seem v keen on these canisters I've noticed !)

He he ... that's because they only have spindly little arms with just enough strength to stop their noses hitting the bars.

jairaj

cougie wrote:

If you're too weak to pump a tyre up - should you really be out MTBing anyway ! ;-)

It was near the end of a long and hard ride and at time when I had poor fitness.

Plus I was doing it one handed which made it harder :roll: honest!

Bmjboy

djvagabon wrote:

I carry both when on a training ride, but only use C 0 2 cannisters for racing, for obvious reasons.

Why do you carry both when you're not going to use the CO2?

When training, Ive technically got lots of time, so dont mind putting the effort in, but to be honest, these 16g carts are dead cheap, and I might just be lazy from now on!

Worth checking when you buy a CO2 inflator what types of cart it takes, some can only take their own brand cartridge (Innovations for example) - The Tyreinflators one takes unbranded 16g threadless, which Im learning is more commonplace and easier to get.