SORRY FOR SHOUTING BUT..............

Jay_Forme

I purchased a set of new summer tyres for my bike the weekend and one of these fancy CO2 kits.

I decided to fit them last night and compare the CO2 pump to the track stand pump, turns out in my excitement I forgot to open the inner tube valve and the 6" tube that fits between the CO2 pump and the valve exploded in my shed.

My Mrs thought I had killed myself and my daughter was in tears because daddy swore.

Lesson learnt!

Bobbinogs

Yepp, one of the problems with CO2 canisters is that a lot happens very quickly and, if it all goes wrong, there is not usually a lot that can be done to save the situation. I have seen chaps have valve issues and/or tube probs and then lose most of the CO2...and then have to look around with sad puppy eyes for someone with a pump who can help.

Always a good reminder than CO2 is a nice luxury for speed but a pump is always required as a backup plan.

Anonymous

Co2 also slowly deflates. If you need to use co2 on a ride, then deflate and use your pump to refill as it will go squishy over a couple of nights.

fenix

Bring back frame pumps I say !

Jay_Forme

Its safe to say that the Track pump will be used the most and I shall be sticking to my Lezyne hand pump on the frame.

can anyone hear that ringing btw??

drlodge

I've had a few different pumps mounted on the frame, but now have a tiny pump that fits into my rear jersey pocket. Less weight and a less cluttered bike. I figure its going to be used very rarely in an emergency, if you're riding with others then someone else may have a better (frame) pump and I have a CO2 canister too.

veronese68

I saw the thread title, rolled my eyes and thought there's no need to shout. Now my eyes are watering slightly from trying to stifle laughter in the office.
Another reason to carry on being a stubborn old git and not use CO2.

andrewjoseph

i'd love to have a good frame pump, but since i broke my arm in several places, co2 is the only way i can get the tyres up to pressure.

When touring i take the lezeyne mini track pump.

ugo.santalucia

CO2 is sign of the times... on the one hand we are all concerned about climate change, on the other hand we use one of the most energy wasting source of gas because we can't be bothered to do a bit of exercise, while we are out doing exercise...

It's no different from those Americans driving two blocks to the gym... shame on you all

jgsi

We all ride different.. I would never insult the CaaD10 with anything that besmirches its fabulous cheap looks.. if all you old, before your time men like to wear the bike with track pumps and the kitchen sink, fair enough... I dont even stuff my race spare tub under the saddle, it goes in the back pocket.. oh yes with Co2.

964cup

ugo.santalucia wrote:

CO2 is sign of the times... on the one hand we are all concerned about climate change, on the other hand we use one of the most energy wasting source of gas because we can't be bothered to do a bit of exercise, while we are out doing exercise...

It's no different from those Americans driving two blocks to the gym... shame on you all

That's not why. It's Strava. It's changed group rides into eyeballs-out chases after PRs, KOMs and high average speeds; nobody wants to stand around for 15 minutes while you change a tube (or worse, in my case, a tub) and then pump away for ever with your weight-weenie mini pump to get 130psi back in the tyre. We've forgotten how to be patient and just enjoy the countryside. It's part of the way cycling now seems to be all about pretending we're racers all the time and that everything is "training". Yet the two nicest rides I've had this year were a 200 at a 26kph average where the distance forced us to take it easy, and a solo return to the Cotswolds section of that ride, where I took the time to enjoy the views - which were utterly, utterly stunning - and so posted another 26kph average. Ride the same kind of hilly territory at 30k+ average and all you see is the rear wheel in front of you or the power number on your Garmin.

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ayjaycee

Out of interest, what tyre pressure do you guys who use the little 'pocket pumps' manage to get up to when you have to repair a puncture or change a tube when on a ride? It might be that I'm either not strong enough or have only ever used c4rp pumps (or not patient enough!) but I can never get up to a decent pressure when relying on one of them and I therefore use CO2 as a matter of course and re-inflate with a track pump when I get home

briantrumpet

ayjaycee wrote:

Out of interest, what tyre pressure do you guys who use the little 'pocket pumps' manage to get up to when you have to repair a puncture or change a tube when on a ride? It might be that I'm either not strong enough or have only ever used c4rp pumps (or not patient enough!) but I can never get up to a decent pressure when relying on one of them and I therefore use CO2 as a matter of course and re-inflate with a track pump when I get home

Pretty easily to a good 80psi in a couple of minutes at most. Certainly plenty enough to get home any distance on 23mm tyres. I've no wish to try Co2 cannisters, not least as I'm a tightwad, who'd prefer to spend money on cake in an emergency.

darkhairedlord

ayjaycee wrote:

Out of interest, what tyre pressure do you guys who use the little 'pocket pumps' manage to get up to when you have to repair a puncture or change a tube when on a ride? It might be that I'm either not strong enough or have only ever used c4rp pumps (or not patient enough!) but I can never get up to a decent pressure when relying on one of them and I therefore use CO2 as a matter of course and re-inflate with a track pump when I get home

Just get the Jazz-mag collection out and get some wrist practice in.

ayjaycee

With the availability of Internet porn, your jazz mags are so yesterday.

darkhairedlord

ayjaycee wrote:

With the availability of Internet porn, your jazz mags are so yesterday.

All those computer thingies just give you rsi....

briantrumpet

ayjaycee wrote:

With the availability of Internet porn, your jazz mags are so yesterday.

During a concert, I once mistakenly drew attention to the forthcoming "Teignmouth Jizz Festival". I thought I'd got away with it till I heard the guffawing on the back row...

Big Geordie

Getting back onto the original subject...

You can buy a mini pump that will last for years for about the same price as a couple of C02 cartridges and the adaptor thingy that goes on the valve. Since it takes a lot longer to take the old tube out, check that whatever put a hole in it isn't still in the tyre and put the new tube in than it does to inflate it- how much time do you actually save using C02 cartridges? I can get 90psi in a 23mm tyre with a mini pump in about 2 minutes so I reckon the saving is about 1 minute to 1min 30 secs. Is anybody outside a race really in that much of a rush?

ugo.santalucia

Big Geordie wrote:

Getting back onto the original subject...

You can buy a mini pump that will last for years for about the same price as a couple of C02 cartridges and the adaptor thingy that goes on the valve. Since it takes a lot longer to take the old tube out, check that whatever put a hole in it isn't still in the tyre and put the new tube in than it does to inflate it- how much time do you actually save using C02 cartridges? I can get 90psi in a 23mm tyre with a mini pump in about 2 minutes so I reckon the saving is about 1 minute to 1min 30 secs. Is anybody outside a race really in that much of a rush?

It's not rush, it's lazyness... people are too lazy to do a bit of pumping and they'd rather use the most environmentally unfriendly tool ever designed to save themselves a bit of work (that is before going to the gym and doing the same exercise pointlessy).
It goes in the same league as driving to the gym to run a treadmill... it's the life of the caged hamster, really...

They should be banned on the grounds that they use too much energy to produce and create un-necessary waste

specialized_nick

briantrumpet wrote:

ayjaycee wrote:

With the availability of Internet porn, your jazz mags are so yesterday.

During a concert, I once mistakenly drew attention to the forthcoming "Teignmouth Jizz Festival". I thought I'd got away with it till I heard the guffawing on the back row...

Wouldn't surprise me down that way

IanRCarter

ayjaycee wrote:

Out of interest, what tyre pressure do you guys who use the little 'pocket pumps' manage to get up to when you have to repair a puncture or change a tube when on a ride? It might be that I'm either not strong enough or have only ever used c4rp pumps (or not patient enough!) but I can never get up to a decent pressure when relying on one of them and I therefore use CO2 as a matter of course and re-inflate with a track pump when I get home

With those cheap things which clamp straight onto the valve instead of using a flexible hose: probably about 60PSI. Above that and the force required to pump means that the pump twists and turns on the valve, leaking as much air as I put in.
On the other hand, I use a Lezyne Road Drive pump which does have a hose and I can get the tyre up to the 90PSI which I ride at within a couple of minutes without much effort. I don't understand the science, but I remember reading that if the pump has a narrower barrel, it will make pumping at higher pressures easier.

Big Geordie

A narrower barrel makes it easier to get higher pressures but you need more strokes for a given volume of air.

It's the physics, innit?

de_sisti

Fenix wrote:

Bring back frame pumps I say !

They never went away!

ayjaycee

IanRCarter wrote:

With those cheap things which clamp straight onto the valve instead of using a flexible hose: probably about 60PSI.

That could be where I have been going wrong - I will have to do a bit more research into mini pumps and give them another chance. That said, I have never had any issues at all with using CO2 pumps and my favourite is a real cheapie from Aldi - very small and light and has never failed to do the job first time. As to their lack of green credentials and the resources wasted in producing and disposing of the cylinders, I suspect that you have got to use a hell of a lot of them before you get anywhere near the impact of producing carbon or metal frames and components in the Far East and flying them across the globe for western consumers (particularly as some of the manufacturers probably couldn't give a monkeys about environmental damage caused by their plants).

ugo.santalucia

ayjaycee wrote:

I suspect that you have got to use a hell of a lot of them before you get anywhere near the impact of producing carbon or metal frames and components in the Far East and flying them across the globe for western consumers (particularly as some of the manufacturers probably couldn't give a monkeys about environmental damage caused by their plants).

If that clears your conscience... the fact is that you need a frame to ride a bicycle, but you do not need a CO2 canister at all

ForumNewbie

964Cup wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

CO2 is sign of the times... on the one hand we are all concerned about climate change, on the other hand we use one of the most energy wasting source of gas because we can't be bothered to do a bit of exercise, while we are out doing exercise...

It's no different from those Americans driving two blocks to the gym... shame on you all

That's not why. It's Strava. It's changed group rides into eyeballs-out chases after PRs, KOMs and high average speeds; nobody wants to stand around for 15 minutes while you change a tube (or worse, in my case, a tub) and then pump away for ever with your weight-weenie mini pump to get 130psi back in the tyre. We've forgotten how to be patient and just enjoy the countryside. It's part of the way cycling now seems to be all about pretending we're racers all the time and that everything is "training". Yet the two nicest rides I've had this year were a 200 at a 26kph average where the distance forced us to take it easy, and a solo return to the Cotswolds section of that ride, where I took the time to enjoy the views - which were utterly, utterly stunning - and so posted another 26kph average. Ride the same kind of hilly territory at 30k+ average and all you see is the rear wheel in front of you or the power number on your Garmin.

[/threadhijack]

200 miles at an average speed of over 16 mph on hilly terrain is not exactly taking it easy - not for me anyway.

On the mini-pump issue - no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get my tyre up to near 90psi with my mini pump.

drlodge

80psi is my limit on a mini pump, then use (half) a CO2 cannister to finish the job.

svetty

ugo.santalucia wrote:

CO2 is sign of the times... on the one hand we are all concerned about climate change, on the other hand we use one of the most energy wasting source of gas because we can't be bothered to do a bit of exercise, while we are out doing exercise...

It's no different from those Americans driving two blocks to the gym... shame on you all

Hair shirt on again I see

964cup

ForumNewbie wrote:

200 miles at an average speed of over 16 mph on hilly terrain is not exactly taking it easy - not for me anyway.

Kilometers. I'm doing a 220-miler (354k) in September; we'll see if I can get close to 26kph for that...I doubt it.

ben@31

I stopped using CO2 cartridge inflators when I unscrewed one from the wheel then "BANG"! 100psi to 0psi in 1 second.The inner core of the valve had got stuck inside the pump and had unscrewed the inner core out of the valve, as I removed the pump.
I was thinking in bewilderment how do I re-inflate the tyre a second time with a one shot cartridge? Not a problem with a hand pump, just screw the inner core back in and re-inflate.

ayjaycee

I once had a valve core in a Continental inner tube come out with the dust cap when I unscrewed it (the latter) to check the pressure. However, it only ever happened once as now I make sure that they are always in tight as / when I use a new tube. I would suggest that your 'incident' was probably more a case of the valve core not being tight enough in the first place than a problem with the CO2 pump.