DiabloScott

Cunningham's law of gases.

BTW, it's not compressed air, it's liquid CO2... expansion is like 1000 to 1.

MinnMan

To each their own, but I hate those. I find it too hard to control the inflation rate and timing. On the other hand, I love the Portland Design Works TIny Object. Works perfectly every time and the valve controls the flow really well.

big john

Have not seen that one before, looks pretty good.

Chuck M 

I'm just not going to mention that I carry an inflator, a mini pump, patches and a tube but never have used them because I don't have flats. I'm not mentioning it because when I mentioned that I don't break chains I got a karmatic bite in the tuchas.

downtube42

If reverse Karma existed, I'd talk endlessly about my 4-flat ride where I used all the things, my 3am flat in the middle of frickin' nowhere, my failed pump in Vancouver WA, the magical railroad track incident, and the numerous side of the country road in the cold rain flats. But Karma doesn't work that way. In fact I'll probably get a flat on my trainer tonight just for bringing this up.

donheff

I assume you mean tires inflated to 60 pounds? I have 700x32s that I inflate to 60 pounds. I have used CO2 cartridges a few times with no problems. I just shoot it till the tire feels hard. When I get home the gauge on the standing pump tells me whether I am high or low.

1979schwinn 

Learned a lesson: flat, had spare tube and pump, yea. A Schrader valve will not fit in a Presta hole. Call of Shame, 16 miles from home.

yannisg

Pumps need some maintenance too.
I once needed the pump (pre CO2 cartridge days) to repair a flat, and the springs in the pump head had corroded, and it wouldn't work.
I couldn't repair the flat!

79pmooney

Old school full frame pumps by Zephal here. 100 strokes to full riding pressure. Yes, big, heavy, reliable, a joy to use but - your bike must be able to handle a
"real" pump! (Or you have to improvise, perhaps a seatstay mount.) I went 10 years with my only pumps being the two or three Zephal HPs on my bikes of that number. Rode sewups on all my wheels and raced silk tires that went flat after every ride. Easy. And I always had/have a pump that will bail out other people.

79pmooney

A leather frostbite sleeve! (I wonder if that leather came through Oregon Leather? I made a sleeve for a small tube preamp out of very similar leather from them. Also my last few years of toestraps.)

MinnMan

They make good stuff, IMHO
https://ridepdw.com/products/tiny-object

and they sell the sleeves separately for $5, if that's the part you like
https://ridepdw.com/collections/infl...rtridge-sleeve

CliffordK

Two flats on a single ride? Three?

Multiple flats are often an indication of missing something like one of those pesky radial tire wires.

It may be that multiple flats during a local ride are relatively rare. The time I might get 2 or 3 or 4 flats would be 100+ mile rides, or multi-day rides. Often in places where it would be inconvenient to not be able to repair the bike and ride on my own.

I probably revised my sidewall boot a half dozen times before I was able to wobble to the nearest bike shop.



If I hadn't gotten a spare tire at a shop 20 miles down the road, it could have been a long ride on an improvised boot.

The biggest issue was very narrow chainstay clearance on that bike, so any bulging caused problems.

big john

I double flatted twice this year, (both tires flat at the same time). Once riding through a bunch of glass a few miles from home and the other time I was descending in the mountains and I hit a sharp rock that was hiding in a shadow.
Last year I ran over a long screw which went through the tire twice and damaged the brake track on the rim. After I fixed it I flatted again a few miles later, I think my previously patched tube leaked. I once ran over a screw which punched a hole in the spoke bed of the rim. I ran over a 1/8 inch drill that stuck in the tire and scratched the hell out of my frame before I could stop. I did a century with a lady who flatted 6 times, 3 on each wheel. A fiend hit a sharp rock on PCH and it cut the tire so bad it fell off the rim. Someone in a motorhome gave him a ride to a bike shop.
I'll stop now, I could go on all day.

GhostRider62

I double flatted on a ride this year, both tires at the same time due to garbage on the road.

I rarely get more than a flat every 3-4,000 miles usually in the rain and at night.

qcpmsame 

Topeak Mini-morph pump in a jersey pocket, inflation device that has a thumb control and is fully enclosed (no cold metal exposed) in the small under saddle bag with two additional cartridges. Tube for clincher and a tiny Park Tool patch kit JIK.

Spare tubular under the saddle, secured with a Binda leather strap from a long deceased set of toe clips. Have this for the vintage mounts. I truly hate walking a bike for miles or making the call of shame😒

Bill

John E

I was on a group ride several years ago, and after the CO2 cartridges failed, I saved the day with my trusty full-length frame-fit Zefal HP-X pump. I hate throwaway, single-use stuff, anyway.

CliffordK

I have, of course, worn out several mini-pumps. Generally developing leaks in the pump head. Often I can get one last tire inflated before they go kaput.

I do use the mini-pumps both at home as well as on the road, so I am often at home when I discover the problem (or get reminded of it).

"foo" Some butter in the barrel can also help as an emergency repair.

It might not hurt to have some kind of a micro emergency pump as a last resort spare.

davester

I just don't understand the desire for troublesome and wasteful CO2 inflators, and even the ultra tiny mini pumps seem of questionable utility. I only have full-size frame pumps (either Zefal HPX or vintage Silca with Campy metal head) on my bikes, except for my mountain bike, where I carry a largish mini-pump because I have no place to secure a full size pump, With a full-size pump I can get most tires up to pressure in less than a minute (and no, I don't use ultra skinny tires with their crazy 120 psi inflation pressures). Is there really any need to pump up a tire faster than this? There is a very small weight argument to be had, but I weighed one of my Silcas against a Topeak Road Morph G and there was only a couple of ounce difference, hardly worth thinking about. I can't count the number of times I've pulled over to rescue some hapless soul whose CO2 inflator has failed or who is wearing themselves out trying to inflate to high pressure with an ultra mini pump. I think that I use my pumps more on other people's flats than my own.

Iride01 

Because for many of us they work. It's probably like many things, we mainly just hear the gripes of those that can't and not as many of the praise from those that can.

Although I recommend that people practice a few times before depending on them at the roadside, I didn't. While mine didn't work exactly as I expected the first time I used it roadside, it nonetheless inflated my tire to more than the required PSI and I finished the remaining 55 miles that day.

Happy New Year y'all!

DiabloScott

That's because you've decided you're a pump person and you've now adopted the false problems with difficulty and wastefulness because doing so supports your position.

They take a little practice but they are not troublesome.
I don't like waste either but trashed fish hooks probably amount to a bigger problem.

downtube42

I love my Soma Fog Cutter rando build, but i made two compromises when selecting this frame: no pump peg, and no chain hanger. If ever i go for a repaint, those will be added. In the meantime, the bottle cage pump holder is an inelegant but effective solution.

easyupbug 

I usually have 6 to 8 bikes I rotate through all kitted with their own bag and CO2 inflater of various manufacturers and they all have always worked well. Some have covers like the Portland Design but I remove and cartridges are wrapped with a little tape for the cold and have used that tape to steady a tail light for a lady and I used it to boot a small side wall tear. My old duffers group rides would get nasty if we had to wait for mini pumps.

CliffordK

I don't use the micro sized pumps, but about half sized or third sized. It is reasonably quick to get a reasonable pressure.

One of my latest pumps has a dual pressure range. A nice feature. Put it on low pressure until the tire is half full, then bump it up to high pressure to top it off.

But, there is no dealing with disposable cartridges, or only having a single shot to inflate a tire.

A couple of years ago I saw a woman along a bike path struggling with reinflating her tire with a CO2 cartridge. I offered help, but she declined. I always wondered if she had forgotten to open the Presta valve. She was gone by the time I went past again an hour later.

JohnDThompson 

I'm not keen on using a CO2 inflator, but I started carrying one anyway, along with a frame pump. I have a history of injuries on both shoulders, and after a flat a couple years ago, I discovered I could not longer pump to full pressure with the frame pump. The CO2 gets my tires up to pressure pretty easily, but as others have noted, practice helps to do it with minimal waste.

IronM

That's an impressive field fix. I tore a sidewall of a tubless tire open on a closed fire service road this past fall; I had to boot it with a bunch of tire patches; a dollar bill and a couple pieces of trash I found on-hand. I only had the one spare tube (I should've had a 2nd but forgot to pack it) & had to get it right the 1st time. Even with the boot; the tube bulged disturbingly vulnerable for the gravel, but I got back to paved in short order, for a much longer route back to my car. Still, nothing like our patch!!!