Canker

My last flat stranded me. Brand new out of the plastic tube had a split in the seam and I had no way to figure that out to patch it without wasting my 2nd and last c02 can. I started carrying a pump after that. It weighs nothing and doesn't slow me down any so I see no downside to carrying one as back up. Even if I never need to use it it makes me feel better.

taco2ewsday

I carry a mini pump and 2 CO2 cartridges, getting road tires up to 80+ PSI with a pump is a challenge CO2 is your friend there but I've seen people mess up/waste a CO2 cartridge so having a back-up plan is good too.

cyccommute 

If I am touring, I carry at least 2 tubes of the same size as my tire. I've had at least one occasion where I used both extra tubes and the two tubes already in my tires. None of them were repairable as they all blew off the rim...bad tires. I had to ask someone to give me a ride into town (40 miles away) so that I could pick up my truck and abandon the ride (see Twisting Down the Alley for details). After that fiasco, I ended up carrying 4 spares and, of course, never needed them. I needed my pump for those 4 blowouts (in a single day and over only about 30 miles of riding).

When commuting, I carry two different sizes because I often don't ride the same bike all the time and need different sizes. I don't want to remember to change to the other size tube because I know I'll forget and need one. I only carry CO2 on local rides.

Yes, I do carry patches because I live in the epicenter of goatheads and it would be foolish to depend on only getting one flat. I usually carry about 12 patches and have been on rides where I went through all 12 patches and even had to loan the person who was getting flats my pump so that she could get back to the trailhead. She eventually ended up with 20 of 27 punctures that day...I had none, my wife one and her boyfriend with tubeless tires the other 6. The next time I did the ride, I ended up with 63 on one tire. I have no idea how many punctures I really had because I stopped counting. (The lesson here is to never boast about goathead flats)

My patch kit of choice is Rema Tiptop. There is no other patch that uses the same two part cold vulcanizing system that I know of. The patch has the chemicals to form the new rubber bonds and the vulcanizing fluid accelerates the process. Most just use rubber contact cement which bonds but it doesn't actually form new rubber bonds.

As I said above, if you aren't going to go prepared how far do you want to walk?

cyccommute 

I don't know anyone who ever thought that pumping with a frame pump is a wonderful experience. But carrying a bike and hiking is even a less enjoyable experience. The tale of woe about the 63+ punctures was on a route that involves about 1/4 of a mile of steep uphill that is barely walkable in shoes, let alone bike shoe, let alone pushing a bike, let alone carrying a bike because the tires have fallen off because they are so flat.

I'd rather pump a tire than walk.

cyccommute 

Vehicles

2015-05-20 14.55.33 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr

Support and secondary transportation

bikebikebike

I have lost most of my CO2 cartridges to the TSA, fortunately, never lost a pump.
Pumps are bigger but their weight comes in close, and this ain't a pit stop, so speed isn't a big deal.
CO2 gives you one shot for $3. Pump can "top off" a tire and put some air in to avoid pinching the tube.
I have had few enough sidewall injuries, blow outs and torn tubes that the only thing that keeps me carrying a tube rather than just patches , is fear of a flat in the dark. or rain.
Without the bad joke about the support sag wagon, the real issue is not what you carry but
how much do environmental issues like distance and threat/support play in your repair,
things that are not part of the bike or tools you carry.

rydabent

I use CO2 as primary, but also carry a mini pump.

John_V 

Luckily, we don't have goatheads in Florida. I've heard a lot of nightmare stories about them so not having them is one less thing to worry about. Depending on where you ride, we do have a lot of debris on the roads. So far I have only experienced three puncture flats since 2012, using Gatorskins. One of those flats was on a 230 mile, cross state ride that I do on an annual basis. I've done six of those rides so I've been fairly lucky there. Since we self SAG, we have access to our riding bags so I keep extra tubes and tires in the SAG vehicle. While I do a lot of distance rides locally, I've never tried a touring ride, although I've been asked to join a few.

Miele Man

My Co2 infltor has a red foam insulated sleeve that goes over the cartridge to prevent freezing skin. The inflator head has a trigger. It's quite easy to use. I carry a few cartridges with me on long rides but I also carry a pump - just in case.

When putting a new or repaired tube into the tire, mounting the tire and then inflating the tube, I give the trigger a quick squeeze so as to inflate the tube just round. I then squeeze the sides of the tire together and check to be sure that the tube is not siting under the tire bead anywhere. Coloured or white rim tape makes that much easier to see. I also check at that time to make sure that the tire is properly seated on the rim and that there are no high or low spots. On;y then do I fully inflate the tube.

Oh, before you remount the tire don't forget to inspect it for whatever punctured the tube. A cotton ball saves your finger or thumb from cuts or scratches if the item is still in the tire.

Cheers

RGMN

These folks sell 16 g cartridges in quantities of 20 for $1.25 each, $1.85 in quantities of 10.


That's what I've been doing, but I have a miniFrumpa Pump on order that may change that.

genejockey 

My experience is that it's really easy to FAIL TO inflate your tires with CO2. I practiced at home, and it worked great! By the time I needed it, though, I must have forgotten something, because 2 cartridges blew uselessly into the atmosphere, and I ended up calling home.

So I got a different inflator. This time I ended up walking a mile in cleats after blowing 2 cartridges.

So, now I carry a minipump and don't bother with CO2. This may have some kind of talismanic effect - I haven't flatted since I stopped carrying CO2 only!

Sy Reene

The important thing to know, is to not inflate the tube before you've installed it on the wheel and under the tire.

Cyclist0108

Dimeric cobalt?

mightymax

Interesting thread. I have always had a frame pump but considered getting a Co2 inflator. I just never knew how many cartridges it takes to fill a tube. Some on this thread have had bad experience and stay with a frame pump. I am old school and always stay with the tried and true but last time I had a flat, the Arthritis in my hands made it somewhat uncomfortable to use the pump. So I think maybe I should try the C02 but still keep a frame pump as a last resort backup just in case.
Max Bryant

y2zipper

I hope that the minifumpa technology gets better.

John_V 

I would have to have at least one or two flats a ride to be able to justify the cost of that pump. Hope it works out for you.

Sy Reene

The minifumpa's battery is evidently good for 2x 25mm tires.. how this translates to if say you have other sized (ie. larger) tires, I'm not sure. It's also appears to be a bit larger than 2 CO2s.. so to me it would beg the question, why not just carry 4 CO2s ?

Danhedonia

Fearing that I'm being terribly annoying, I'll post this one last time: There are actual, real differences in CO2 inflators. In order to make the CO2 approach work optimally, you want one that screws on to the valve stem thread and has a control mechanism for gas release.

They are not all the same.

On a site where you can get a 100+ post thread on spoke configuration, it is curious that many seem to think all CO2 inflators are the same. They are not.

GlennR

Odd because the one i use is a simple push on and i've never had a problem with it.

RGMN

It doesn't matter if it screws on or not, it has to be comfortable for you to use. Every inflator I've used (I have about a dozen, and have given away about that many) has some type of gas release mechanism, so that shouldn't be a concern.

I prefer the push on because they are faster and you don't lose any pressure removing them. When it is -15F, and you just burped the tire on your fatty, your fingers will be too frozen to unscrew that inflator after filling the tire. Besides the fact that CO2 doesn't work too well when it is that cold. And that's the primary reason I want the miniFrumpa - I can carry the same 18-20g CO2 cartridges I use on the road bike instead of the expensive 38g cartridges and get it back to riding pressure with the miniFumpa.

RGMN

I basically do that now - I carry 2 CO2 cartridges and a Lezyne Pocket Drive pump. I just wanted to try something new, and I want it for riding the fat bike in the winter.

RGMN

I had to do a double take on that picture of your kit - I was wondering how you got a picture of my kit.

wphamilton

I do -I finally got a really small one, same size as a CO2 cartridge and pump head, and now have peace of mind about it.

Using CO2 is a piece of cake. Until you mess up, then it's impossible.

cyccommute 

So it takes all the inconvenience of a CO2 canister and adds a battery to it? All for nearly 5 times the cost of a Topeak Morph. What a deal!

njkayaker

From watching other people use CO2, the failure rate is very high.

Make sure you practice at home.