do those CO2 bike tire inflators work?

[vash]

mountian biking, i can pump up a tire with a tiny handpump with little fanfare. i am sure from a distance, i look like i am jacking off..

my cyclocross tire takes more PSI. do those CO2 cartridge things work? how many cartridges per flat tire?

[matthew-s]

They work very well. I get more than one tire per cartridge on my roadbike. Get one that has a valve - I understand some don't - once you puncture the cartridge, you better have it on the tire - those are definitely no more than 1 tire per cartridge.

The one I have is the "Red Zepplin"

[vash]

Originally Posted by matthew-s

They work very well. I get more than one tire per cartridge on my roadbike. Get one that has a valve - I understand some don't - once you puncture the cartridge, you better have it on the tire - those are definitely no more than 1 tire per cartridge.

The one I have is the "Red Zepplin"

oooofff! careful googling "red zepplin" from any work machine. i almost rang our IT porn police!!

thanks for the tip. cheaper than a handpump!

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by vash

oooofff! careful googling "red zepplin" from any work machine. i almost rang our IT porn police!!

thanks for the tip. cheaper than a handpump!

naughty boy!

[teenerted1]

12g road tire 90psi...mtn tire 30psi
16g road tire 130psi...mtn tire 40psi
25g 2 road tire 90psi...mtn tire 60psi...29er tire 30psi
40g 3 road tires 75psi...2mtn tires 40psi

pretty hard to get more than one use out of them. it can be done but, usually a full blast will get to correct pressure, the ability to regulate blast really just helps to make sure you partialy inflate make sure the bead is on the rim and then finish off to full pressure.

[matthew-s]

Originally Posted by vash

oooofff! careful googling "red zepplin" from any work machine. i almost rang our IT porn police!!

thanks for the tip. cheaper than a handpump!

Heh - funny. Nothing is sacred on the internet.

Anyway - I said you get more than one tire per cartridge. That is only partially true (literary) you get 1+ road tires. That to me is ok though, it makes up for mistakes, and gives you enough to do small pre-inflation of the tube before you mount it, etc.

Yes, you could over-inflate I suppose, but I haven't. Just don't open the valve full blast, just fill the tire slowly. The whole thing screws onto the tube nipple, so it's pretty hard to screw up - you have plenty of time.

[Noah930]

I've never used one of those, but keep a stash of 'em under the seat of the motorcycle (as well as a plug kit). I have no idea how many it would take to fill up a motorbike tire. But I figure just having a bunch of cartridges with me will keep me from running over any nails or screws.

[gtc]

Last time I tried to use one the CO2 just rushed out and didn't inflate the tube. So I had to walk back up the trail several miles to the car and call it a day. I'll never use one again. Even the crappiest of mini pumps are better than those things. I also gave up on glueless patches, though I've heard they've gotten better over the years.

[gtc]

I'm a little worried about turning into one of those old bearded guys that rides a 25 year old bicycle and insists that it's better than all the newfangled whatz-it-anium bikes.

[legion]

I've had one for about 15 years that I've used dozens of times. I used to bike several thousand miles a year. Now it's more like a couple hundred.

Anyway, I kept one, a few spare cartridges, and a few spare tubes in a small bag under my seat and it got me home several times. I have however noticed that the CO2 will leak out after a few days, so I'd generally purge and refill the tire with air once I got home.

[red-beard]

You want this one:

Topeak Road Morph G Bike Pump with Gauge

[cantdrv55]

Yes, they work! I carry two cartridges in my underseat bag all the time. Get a dispenser that can uses threaded and non-threaded cartridges. On a long ride, you might have two flats that's why I always carry two and a spare tube and patches.

[A930Rocket]

They work great. In fact if you use an entire cartridge in a road bike tire, your wife will call you shortly to pick her up, because the tire blew out due to overfill. BTDT.

[LakeCleElum]

Originally Posted by Noah930

I have no idea how many it would take to fill up a motorbike tire.

More than you want to carry.....Get a little 12 volt compressor. Takes less space if you get the right one......

[911Urge]

CO2 works for me. The cartridges are cheap enough. Buy a few extra and flatten your tire and go through the procedure to re-inflate. I found the CO2 valve I had was junk and bought a better valve.

[Laneco]

Always a carry a pump, patches and a good spare tube, plus a dollar bill as a tire liner. The CO2 works great when you're in a hurry, but I've found that it's best for me to alway the old school stuff.

For CO2, the most economical way to purchase them is a box of air-pellet gun cartridges from a sporting good store. It's a fraction of the price you pay per cartridge than at the bike shop. If your inflator takes an adaptor, make sure you have more than one adaptor. I keep one adaptor in each patch kit, one patch kit on each bike. Some CO2 fillers have the correct presta valve interface, but alot of them are still schrader. If you start swapping stuff around, one piece will wind up missing... Which will really upset you when you have to walk home in cycling shoes.

You cannot bring the cartridges in an airplane, even as packed luggage.

angela

[look 171]

One tube, one tire lever with the hook end sawed off (gotta to save weight, you know) and one CO2 for years. If I get a flat, the ride is over, The CO2s are design to get you home, so it doesn't have to pump the tire to race spec like 9 million psi. Before that, I had a pump like all the old farts. I still have one attach to one of my bike. Most of my rides (started riding again after over 10 years) are under 40 miles. so I really do not have to need to carry 2 water bottles. I jam a co2 and a tube in one of the bottle. no more crap under my seat getting in my way.

[85eurocarrera]

As of a couple days ago, I carry both pump and co2. Last ride me and a buddy had 3 flats between us, we ran out of co2's. Now if I just had something to keep the woodchuck's from taking me out

[gtc]

Originally Posted by 85eurocarrera

As of a couple days ago, I carry both pump and co2. Last ride me and a buddy had 3 flats between us, we ran out of co2's. Now if I just had something to keep the woodchuck's from taking me out

Another good use for a pump... fending off woodchucks!

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by 85eurocarrera

As of a couple days ago, I carry both pump and co2. Last ride me and a buddy had 3 flats between us, we ran out of co2's. Now if I just had something to keep the woodchuck's from taking me out

Buy Specialized Armadillo or Armadillo Elite tires. They have really helped for me on the issue of flats. I also have been recently riding 700x28c for training, since these stand up even better than the 700x23c in the bad roads around downtown Houston.