Forgot how good CO2 is
06-24-13, 11:45 AM
#76
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I remember getting a flat on a group ride a while back... get the new tube and give it a few pumps with my mini pump to give it some shape before I put it in the tire. I could sense the anxiety in the rest of the group as they saw how pathetic my mini pump was; I'm sure they were trying to figure out how many thousands of strokes it would take.
Little did they know, it was one of those convertible pumps (probably why it's such a horrible pump), so after getting the tire mounted, I unscrew the handle, pop a CO2 cartridge in there and fill the tire in a couple of seconds while the group gasps, astounded at my mechanical skill. Or maybe the gasp was really a sigh of relief that they weren't going to have to sit around on a humid morning for ten minutes while I struggled with a dinky pump.
FWIW, I use the cheap 12g unthreaded cartridges and they are good enuf for me.
Little did they know, it was one of those convertible pumps (probably why it's such a horrible pump), so after getting the tire mounted, I unscrew the handle, pop a CO2 cartridge in there and fill the tire in a couple of seconds while the group gasps, astounded at my mechanical skill. Or maybe the gasp was really a sigh of relief that they weren't going to have to sit around on a humid morning for ten minutes while I struggled with a dinky pump.
FWIW, I use the cheap 12g unthreaded cartridges and they are good enuf for me.
06-24-13, 12:07 PM
#77
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Fify
this post is so "41". Trying to change minds that don't know how to change. Co2 is a sensible, compact, fast, convenient and reliable way to inflate tires when a fully functional floor pump is not available. If you agree, i congratulate you on your good common sense. If you disagree, no problem. I congratulate you on your fortitude and persistence. You're the one sweating out the alternatives. More power to you. Now, is everybody happy? I do wonder this, however: If you are committed to a manual pump for on-road tire changes, why not also be committed to a quality full size frame mountable pump that was really designed to do the job like a zefal? Pump the tire if you must, but at least do it right. As far as the environment is concerned...you have to be kidding. In what universe would a well managed, cradle-to-grave supply and recycle chain for co2 cartridges not compare favorably with human effort to pump up a tire? And if not, how significantly?
06-24-13, 12:16 PM
#78
I got 99 problems....
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I fill my CO2 cartridges with my mini-pump.
06-24-13, 12:32 PM
#79
Descends like a rock
If you really care about the environment, you should buy all the CO2 cartridges you can afford and then never use them. If someone else buys that cartridge and uses it, that CO2 will end up in the atmosphere.
06-24-13, 12:40 PM
#80
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Exactly my point. Failing that, if we all just buy a decent stash, and replinish them as we use them, we've got to be sequestering enough C02 to at least offset an SUV or two.
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06-24-13, 12:43 PM
#81
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So you're saying my dozen spares are inadequate and I should really go whole hog?
06-24-13, 12:54 PM
#82
Portland Fred
Best thing to do is ride less as we breathe out more CO2 when we ride. Then we statistically live longer which only makes things worse...
06-24-13, 12:56 PM
#83
You Know!? For Kids!
I have carried CO2 for years now and have yet to have the chance to use it. I keep threatening to try filling a flat at home with CO2 instead of my floor pump just to say I can do it. My big concern is how long do CO2 cartridges last, because I have had the same two in my seat bag since 2006 or so.
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06-24-13, 01:03 PM
#84
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I have carried CO2 for years now and have yet to have the chance to use it. I keep threatening to try filling a flat at home with CO2 instead of my floor pump just to say I can do it. My big concern is how long do CO2 cartridges last, because I have had the same two in my seat bag since 2006 or so.
As a teen, I had a Crossmen pallet-gun, that used CO2.
Those CO2 cartridges lasted years.
06-24-13, 01:10 PM
#85
Descends like a rock
Yep, if you're really committed to reducing green house gases, you have to stop breathing altogether. The amount of CO2 you produce in your lifetime makes a few CO2 cartridges look silly.
06-24-13, 01:14 PM
#86
Hi, folks
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No, I actually think he had it right to first time.
It's not hard to find a place to leave the cartridges, just ride down the road a little and drop them in the first pile of empty Gu packets and old tubes you find. A crew of DUIs will be by to pick it all up eventually.
It's not hard to find a place to leave the cartridges, just ride down the road a little and drop them in the first pile of empty Gu packets and old tubes you find. A crew of DUIs will be by to pick it all up eventually.
06-24-13, 01:17 PM
#87
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Guess, I'll just have to carry the empty with me home.
06-24-13, 02:16 PM
#88
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06-24-13, 03:04 PM
#89
Portland Fred
If your tire is not seated just right or the tube is in the wrong position, the balance test will let you know. It is sometimes possible to fully inflate a tire where that is not centered on the rim. When this happens, you may get a whumping effect while riding or even a blowout when the bead pops off if you're unlucky. This is uncommon, but it can happen. Rigid flat resistant tires seem more prone to this problem.
If it doesn't spin perfectly round and I'm only up to 20psi or so, I can usually correct things simply by squeezing all the way around the tire to reseat the tire on the rim -- this should take less than 30 seconds. If I have more than 20psi, I let out air until the tire is soft enough for me to work it.
06-24-13, 04:39 PM
#90
Senior Member
Yep. banerjek knows what he is talking about.
Some tyres are a loose fit on the rim, especially the wider tyres, and it is very easy for the bead to become unseated as you pump it up. You'll keep pumping to full pressure and be none the wiser, put the wheel back on the bike, and then wonder why there is a scraping sound. You'll look down and then you will see the tyre is unseated, and you'll have to fix it... or wait for the bit bang as the tube explodes.
I normally check the bead before pumping to ensure the tube isn't caught between it and the rim. Then a spin of the wheel holding it by the axle-quick release to check there are no bulges from unseated beads, and I am good to go.
Some tyres are a loose fit on the rim, especially the wider tyres, and it is very easy for the bead to become unseated as you pump it up. You'll keep pumping to full pressure and be none the wiser, put the wheel back on the bike, and then wonder why there is a scraping sound. You'll look down and then you will see the tyre is unseated, and you'll have to fix it... or wait for the bit bang as the tube explodes.
I normally check the bead before pumping to ensure the tube isn't caught between it and the rim. Then a spin of the wheel holding it by the axle-quick release to check there are no bulges from unseated beads, and I am good to go.
06-24-13, 04:41 PM
#91
Senior Member
06-24-13, 04:45 PM
#92
Senior Member
I think the issue is more the cartridges, and if you want to get pedantic about it, the footprint from producing and disposing of them is quite high compared with just using a pump.
But the swaggering displays of Western consumerism in this thread are wonderful.
06-24-13, 04:50 PM
#93
Senior Member
Having said that, it's happened to me once out of 15+ years of riding.
06-24-13, 04:53 PM
#94
Senior Member
I have carried CO2 for years now and have yet to have the chance to use it. I keep threatening to try filling a flat at home with CO2 instead of my floor pump just to say I can do it. My big concern is how long do CO2 cartridges last, because I have had the same two in my seat bag since 2006 or so.
06-24-13, 05:06 PM
#95
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06-24-13, 05:25 PM
#96
Senior Member
06-24-13, 08:33 PM
#98
Descends like a rock
I don't think the issue is the CO2. Despite assertions to the contrary, it's a naturally occurring gas that's required for life to exist. Trees for example take it it in, respire, and send out oxygen. Nitrogen actually is the major gaseous component in our atmosphere.
I think the issue is more the cartridges, and if you want to get pedantic about it, the footprint from producing and disposing of them is quite high compared with just using a pump.
But the swaggering displays of Western consumerism in this thread are wonderful.
I think the issue is more the cartridges, and if you want to get pedantic about it, the footprint from producing and disposing of them is quite high compared with just using a pump.
But the swaggering displays of Western consumerism in this thread are wonderful.
Using CO2 in your bike tubes us a non-issue, though. Seriously. Much bigger fish to fry...
06-24-13, 09:10 PM
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06-24-13, 09:20 PM
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