pump or gas

kenniff
kenniff Posts: 207
edited September 2010 in Road beginners
From anyone whos had first hand experience I need to know from anyone if the cheep gas (C02) inflators work.
Its all a bit hit n miss for a newby,some say the tiny pumps dont inflate the tyre enough.
Others say the gas doesnt work,and how many inflations do you get per bottle.
Does a petrol station inflator work on pretsel
thanks all.
ken
Easy life

Comments

  • Pretre
    Pretre Posts: 355
    Gas works perfectly - although on a REALLY cold day there may be a chance of freezing the valve stem & it then snapping as the CO2 is VERY cold.
    No you can't use a garage pump on Presta & I wouldn't use one on road tyres on Schraeder either
    You get one onflation per bottle - take 2 out if you're going for a long ride.

    Gas is vastly better than a pum IMHO - practically impossible to get a decent pressure with a pump you can carry on a bike & way too easy to snap off the valve stem
  • kettrinboy
    kettrinboy Posts: 613
    i thought pretsels were food, you mean presta valves, and no i think garage air pumps are just for car type schraeder valves, as far as mini pumps go the few times ive used mine its managed to get about 50-60 psi in which is enough to get you home on, i always take that in my jersey back pocket, and for the last two and a half years ive carried a CO2 inflator with a couple of bulbs in my tailpack but have not had a puncture in that time so ive not used it yet, but ive no reason to think it wont do the job.but just in case the CO2 fcuks up ive got the mini pump as a back up.
  • owenlars
    owenlars Posts: 719
    I carry both but I've only ever used CO2
  • tofu21
    tofu21 Posts: 359
    For long rides I'll always take both, but for shorter rides I tend just to take gas.
  • bilirubin
    bilirubin Posts: 225
    I carry a spare tube, CO2 nozzle and 2 x CO2 cartridges on every ride I go on.

    No wonder I cannot get up hills :lol::lol:
  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    pump. Don't be a lazy sod! :D
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • tofu21
    tofu21 Posts: 359
    Used to only have a pump until I snapped a valve!!!
  • sheffsimon
    sheffsimon Posts: 1,282
    Take a pump, piece of p1ss to use, and stem will be fine if used correctly, can be used as many times as you want, and no waste. :)
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Pump - its bollox to say that you cant get the pressures on a minipump. Get a Lezyne.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,414
    pump every time, the only good thing about co2 is speed if you are in a race without support

    but co2 runs out when you run out of cartridges, a pump doesn't

    using a pump with a hose makes it unlikely you'll damage the valve, you're more likely to do it with a co2 inflator

    there are loads of crap pumps, but a few good ones, i use...

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Lezyn ... 360040908/

    ...120psi is no problem, it's light, i just pop it in a jersey pocket, don't even notice it's there, lovely build quality, has a decent hose with a pressure gauge, and with the flip out foot you can use it like a mini track pump so it's easy to get the pressure
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    I bought a Topeak Road Morph a few months ago and it's fantastic, hardly any effort to get up to 120psi in about 20 seconds. It's like a mini track pump so there's a flexi tube that attaches to the valve which means there's no chance of snapping the valve off. It's also got a mini pressure gauge so you know when you hit the pressure you want. Pumping is so effortless you can almost use it as a day to day track pump at home too. It weighs about 240 grammes.
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    +1 for the Topeak Road Morph. 2 years on and I still haven't felt the need to buy a track pump.
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    CO2 works but it's kinda scary to use, if the tube isn't in right it will come out the side of the tyre and explode instantly. The cylinders can also burn your skin off if you touch them and co2 seeps out through the tube much quicker than air. I prefer a pump now. Lezyne road is the best mini, lightweight one.
    Smarter than the average bear.
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    That Lezyne pump looks good. about 40 grammes lighter than the Topeak and looks v well made but doesn't appear to have a pressure guage?
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    The gauge is built in.
    Smarter than the average bear.
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Oh I see, you can but it with or without the guage. Quite expensive with the guage - nearly £40, although some places seem to have it at around £35. The Topeak is about £25...
    Do not write below this line. Office use only.
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    tried a co2 inflator many years ago when i had a cromo mountainbike, i i thought it was very flash at the time. sadly when it came to trying it, all the gas pis5ed out round the side of the valve with no way to shut it off. after using all a my canisters i didnt buy any more.
    a pump cant fail whilst you,ve got two arms.
    now, ignore sense and buy the ridiculous gadget.
  • SteK
    SteK Posts: 148
    sungod wrote:
    there are loads of crap pumps, but a few good ones, i use...

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Lezyn ... 360040908/

    ...120psi is no problem, it's light, i just pop it in a jersey pocket, don't even notice it's there,

    Do you honestly manage to ride with that in your jersey pocket? Genuine question - I fancied one then looked at it in my LBS today and it's just short of 12 inches long. I'm sure it does the trick better than most but it's a fair sized unit...
  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    SteK wrote:
    sungod wrote:
    there are loads of crap pumps, but a few good ones, i use...

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Lezyn ... 360040908/

    ...120psi is no problem, it's light, i just pop it in a jersey pocket, don't even notice it's there,

    Do you honestly manage to ride with that in your jersey pocket? Genuine question - I fancied one then looked at it in my LBS today and it's just short of 12 inches long. I'm sure it does the trick better than most but it's a fair sized unit...

    oooooo matron! :wink:
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,414
    SteK wrote:
    Do you honestly manage to ride with that in your jersey pocket? Genuine question - I fancied one then looked at it in my LBS today and it's just short of 12 inches long. I'm sure it does the trick better than most but it's a fair sized unit...

    yep, every ride that's where it goes, middle pocket, it might seem unwieldy but i really don't notice it, sometimes i find myself reaching back to check it is still there

    one thing i found is that the corners of the base can get sharp bits from being held aganst the ground, these'll snag lycra, so i use a little cloth bag (from a pair of sony earbuds) over the end to protect things
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • sam_m
    sam_m Posts: 61
    I got some CO2 the other day, mainly as my mini pump doesn't have a flexi hose (can you buy these separately anywhere?) so tends to pull at the valve no matter how careful I am with it.

    Not so much of a problem with short valves, but the bike shop only had the tubes I wanted with a really long one, so I no carry both just in case.

    I'm told it's wise to use a glove when using the CO2 bottles to prevent burns, though I've not got round to using mine yet.
  • 1_reaper
    1_reaper Posts: 322
    I tried gas canister type but could never get on with them. These days i use a Topeak road morph strapped to the bike. May be a bit on the long side but has never let me down and unlike gas canister type pumps can be used over and over again :D
  • SteK
    SteK Posts: 148
    sungod wrote:
    yep, every ride that's where it goes, middle pocket, it might seem unwieldy but i really don't notice it, sometimes i find myself reaching back to check it is still there

    I think I'm just paranoid about losing things!

    Also, I genuinely laughed out loud at Father Jack's 'oooh matron'. Nice work ;)

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