CO2 inflators

mickcee

I have recently taking the plunge a joined a club, 2 rides in and had the odd conversation while training on a Tuesday night.

Anyway last night the lads had a big conversation about punctures and the topic of Co2 inflators came up, they were all in agreement about having them and some don't bother with pumps any more. I was trying to listen in for advice but the subject soon changed and as I am yet to get to know them i didn't ask later.

So anyone got any advice, what anyone else uses etc?

chrisgal

I've stopped carrying a pump and take C02 inflators with me for no other reason other than I prefer not to have a pump attached to the frame.

mickcee

Pretty much exactly what they were saying, I just have no idea bout them. But now I NEED them, the Mrs wont agree but I do!

slowbike

The only time I'll go without a pump is if someone else I'm riding with has one or I'm doing a TT.

A pump on the frame is fine - the advantage is that you can use the pump to inflate the punctured tube to find where the hole is - this helps find the culprit. It's also reusable unlimited times.
The advantage of the CO2 inflate is speed - I've only used it once in anger when I got a slash flat on a TT - it was obvious what the problem was so I didn't waste time looking for the hole - just whacked in the new tube and mostly inflated the tube then finished the race having taken under 5 minutes to fix.
I can see that being very useful in a group/club ride so riders aren't hanging around for the ~10 minutes it'll take with a normal pump ... but then the CO2 will be supplemental rather than replacement.

drlodge

I carry a pump + CO2. Not having a pump is asking for trouble especially on a long ride, but CO2 is very convenient especially to get your tyres up to pressure.

jordan_217

Don't buy cycle related/branded cartridges, they are silly money. Lot's of places to buy a job lot of cartridges, e.g,

http://www.co2cartridges.co.uk/index.ph ... &catId=280

Agree with drlodge, I carry a pump too and only use co2 in the Winter when I don't want to be stood around for ages, in the cold or need to get back on the road ASAP.

In terms of the co2 inflators themselves, Genuine Innovations stuff is pretty good but as mentioned don't spend £3 on a single cartridge!

drlodge

As above - good place to buy

I bought:
Mosa - Co2 16g Threaded (Box of 30)
Mosa - CO2 12g Mini Tyre Inflator/pump (Inc 2 x 12gT CO2)



Works a treat. I use the pump to inflate to 60 psi or so, then 1/2 CO2 canister to do the rest. Also as metioned above, a pump is essentialto blow up the old inner tube a bit to see where the hole is, only that way can you really inspect the tyre for the cause of the puncture.

The Mechanic

+1 for a pumpand CO2. I carry a mini pump as I like to put some air in the tube before putting it inside the tyre. It seems to help get it in there and avoid pinching the tube when fitting the tyre. I used my CO2 inflator for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it worked a treat. A work of caution; when you get home, deflate the tyre and re-inflate it with air. CO2 leaches out of tube quite quickly so the next morning you will have a soft tyre.

lostboysaint

Bontrager Air Rush - decent mini-pump and CO2 inflator all in one!

wannabecyclist

I brought unbranded cartridges and it blew part of the inflator out. Considering you won't use them much I would stick with the cheapest branded set on Wiggle. Couple of pound more for a pack of 10 but at least they will work.

goonz

Carry pump and CO2 inflator too just for security.

The CO2 is pretty much instant so if very useful. No more waiting around trying to get the correct psi. Just whack on the cartridge and boom 110 psi in seconds. Off you go.

CiB

wannabecyclist wrote:

I brought unbranded cartridges and it blew part of the inflator out. Considering you won't use them much I would stick with the cheapest branded set on Wiggle. Couple of pound more for a pack of 10 but at least they will work.

They're all the same though. A lifetime's supply from an on-line supplier was about £22 incl p&p for 32 of the blighters. That must beat blister packs of 3 for £8 for bike Co2 cannisters any day of the week.

drlodge

They are all the same, or at least the threaded ones are that I use. You can get non-threaded or push-fit canisters too, which might differ in tolerance perhaps?

wannabecyclist

I brought a bulk on Ebay which were unbranded and they were bordering on lethal. It is a relatively new industry and I think there are a lot of bad apples out there. I stick with 7 for £9.80 for lifeline ones on Wiggle. Like I say, just my opinion but when the unbranded ones destroyed 2 separate lifeline inflators i would stay away. Would you put cheap batteries in your lights.

drlodge

wannabecyclist wrote:

I brought a bulk on Ebay which were unbranded and they were bordering on lethal. It is a relatively new industry and I think there are a lot of bad apples out there. I stick with 7 for £9.80 for lifeline ones on Wiggle. Like I say, just my opinion but when the unbranded ones destroyed 2 separate lifeline inflators i would stay away. Would you put cheap batteries in your lights.

What was the issue with them, and how did they destroy the inflators? Its just compressed gas in a canister which screws onto the inflator.

slowbike

drlodge wrote:

wannabecyclist wrote:

I brought a bulk on Ebay which were unbranded and they were bordering on lethal. It is a relatively new industry and I think there are a lot of bad apples out there. I stick with 7 for £9.80 for lifeline ones on Wiggle. Like I say, just my opinion but when the unbranded ones destroyed 2 separate lifeline inflators i would stay away. Would you put cheap batteries in your lights.

What was the issue with them, and how did they destroy the inflators? Its just compressed gas in a canister which screws onto the inflator.

A number of things could be wrong - but I suspect the screw thread would be the most likely culprit. It's got to be a snug fit to work properly.

ai_1

wannabecyclist wrote:

I brought a bulk on Ebay which were unbranded and they were bordering on lethal. It is a relatively new industry and I think there are a lot of bad apples out there. I stick with 7 for £9.80 for lifeline ones on Wiggle. Like I say, just my opinion but when the unbranded ones destroyed 2 separate lifeline inflators i would stay away. Would you put cheap batteries in your lights.

There's nothing remotely new about pressurised CO2 canisters!
In what way were they bordering on lethal?

Problem with the threads?
Did a canister rupture?
Was the gas inside not CO2 and somehow dangerous?
Was the pressure too high?

These are the only potential dangers I can think of. Which did you experience or did I miss one?
I'm guessing, but not certain, that the manufacture of pressurised canisters is regulated, in which case it shouldn't matter where you buy them.

NewTTer

wannabecyclist wrote:

I brought a bulk on Ebay which were unbranded and they were bordering on lethal. It is a relatively new industry and I think there are a lot of bad apples out there. I stick with 7 for £9.80 for lifeline ones on Wiggle. Like I say, just my opinion but when the unbranded ones destroyed 2 separate lifeline inflators i would stay away. Would you put cheap batteries in your lights.

Really, have you never heard of Sodastream, home made fizzy drinks, very big in the 1970's (and probably earlier), how do you think the gas got in the drinks???

clickrumble

I recently had two punctures and sucessfully used the C02 inflator without using the pump at all, so I've taken the plunge and now go out with only a couple of C02 cartidges and no pump.
Agree with the above, CO2 cartridges have been around for years.

wannabecyclist

Thanks for the usual pathetic attempts at humour people try to dish out on here when they simply don't agree with a point. Clearly I meant CO2 inflators for cyclists is relatively new as common usage, so please grow up. How many cyclists have you seen doing the JOGLE with a sodastream strapped under their saddle?

I was purely saying, from my experience and from other cyclists I know, many unbranded cartridges have been poorly made and cause damage to inflators. Hence why many inflators state only use similarly branded ones with them. Cynics will say this is a marketing ploy to get you to buy their own branded ones and buy cheap crud on ebay to save 50p. You choose, was just giving my opinion based on my, and many others experience.

Enjoy your sodastreams.

drlodge

wannabecyclist wrote:

I was purely saying, from my experience and from other cyclists I know, many unbranded cartridges have been poorly made and cause damage to inflators.

You still haven't elaborated on the type of damage and how it was caused.

A cansiter screws in, gets punctured and releases the CO2, what is there to go wrong? The thread? A clean puncture? Crap in the gas?

wannabecyclist

In my previous post I mentioned the insides of the inflator that house the tube valve(Lezyne) came out and you can't put them back in. This happened twice with unbranded cartridges I used as their thread were irregular and cause a poor fit. To have rubber components flying out of the inflator at god knows what speed and almost hitting me in the eye is not a nice experience, I didn't realise I would be hounded by others on this forum for simply stating that. Same happened with others at my bike club. Checked the reviews of the seller, and others like this, and many people had also mentioned this happened. My bad for assuming as long as I had a threaded cartridge they would all be alike so didn't check his, and others selling similar items, feedback history for that particular product.

Just my opinion, seems to have caused uproar so to the OP, buy whatever you want but I would always take a pump with me as it helps to have a bit of air in the tube to fit it correctly on the bike and avoid pinching.

NewTTer

It wasn't clear what you meant go back and re read your post! And from your comments it's sounds as if you had either a faulty inflator, or it was operator error, judging by your outburst probably the latter.
This isn't even new tech for inflating tyres us motorcyclists have been using them for years, thus dampening your attempt at covering your earlier faux pas

Hinzy9

A few years ago I had a threaded canister blow the insides of the initiator out as I unscrewed it. I think the key is to make sure that 100% of the CO2 has been dispensed before unscrewing. Never had a problem since using various types of canisters.

wannabecyclist

NewTTer wrote:

It wasn't clear what you meant go back and re read your post! And from your comments it's sounds as if you had either a faulty inflator, or it was operator error, judging by your outburst probably the latter.
This isn't even new tech for inflating tyres us motorcyclists have been using them for years, thus dampening your attempt at covering your earlier faux pas

Sorry for not realising a bicycle is the same as a motorbike.

Outburst? I think it was you up in arms and hounding me. Grow up.

NewTTer

wannabecyclist wrote:

NewTTer wrote:

It wasn't clear what you meant go back and re read your post! And from your comments it's sounds as if you had either a faulty inflator, or it was operator error, judging by your outburst probably the latter.
This isn't even new tech for inflating tyres us motorcyclists have been using them for years, thus dampening your attempt at covering your earlier faux pas

Sorry for not realising a bicycle is the same as a motorbike.

Outburst? I think it was you up in arms and hounding me. Grow up.

Yawn

The Mechanic

Hinzy9 wrote:

A few years ago I had a threaded canister blow the insides of the initiator out as I unscrewed it. I think the key is to make sure that 100% of the CO2 has been dispensed before unscrewing. Never had a problem since using various types of canisters.

That is a valid caution. You should never unscrew a canister when it still has pressure in it.

wannabecyclist

NewTTer wrote:

wannabecyclist wrote:

NewTTer wrote:

It wasn't clear what you meant go back and re read your post! And from your comments it's sounds as if you had either a faulty inflator, or it was operator error, judging by your outburst probably the latter.
This isn't even new tech for inflating tyres us motorcyclists have been using them for years, thus dampening your attempt at covering your earlier faux pas

Sorry for not realising a bicycle is the same as a motorbike.

Outburst? I think it was you up in arms and hounding me. Grow up.

Yawn

I love responses like this, a sure fire way of proving I am right, thanks. I guess he finally got round to all my posts on the thread and realised how wrong he was.

ai_1

wannabecyclist wrote:

NewTTer wrote:

wannabecyclist wrote:

NewTTer wrote:

It wasn't clear what you meant go back and re read your post! And from your comments it's sounds as if you had either a faulty inflator, or it was operator error, judging by your outburst probably the latter.
This isn't even new tech for inflating tyres us motorcyclists have been using them for years, thus dampening your attempt at covering your earlier faux pas

Sorry for not realising a bicycle is the same as a motorbike.

Outburst? I think it was you up in arms and hounding me. Grow up.

Yawn

I love responses like this, a sure fire way of proving I am right, thanks. I guess he finally got round to all my posts on the thread and realised how wrong he was.

Proves nothing except he couldn't be bothered arguing with you further. I understand how he feels......Yawn

veterangaz

I would be wary of cheaper canisters. Brought a batch on Ebay and they destroyed mine and my brother in laws inflator. We know how to use them, have been for a couple of years. I think it was just poor threading at a guess as I looked at them closely next to other types, though looking at them briefly beforehand the only difference at first glance is they don't have a branded sticker on them. Tried returning them to the seller but he had closed his account and checking his feedback history in more detail we were not the only ones to get his dodgey batch.

That is Ebay for you though, plenty of people set up as sellers on there pretending to be a genuine bicycle company and sell so many items that it is hard to check how good a particular product they sell is as the poor reviews are hidden by the hundreds of good ones for selling other cheap items.

lostboysaint

Why buy cheap stuff on fleabay when it's easy to find the proper canisters from businesses that specialise in exactly that product that are as cheap?

http://www.co2cartridges.co.uk/index.php?