blakcloud

If was unfindable, how do you know it was a wire?

On a serious note I believe I have one of those wires in my tire but can't seem to find it. Replaced a tube last night to find the new one flat this morning. Lucky this happened at home where I can use a floor pump.

As for CO2 I am not a complete convert yet. My first one didn't go well with the inflator head that I had. I filled up the tube and the head froze to valve when I unscrewed the head the valve core came with it, hence losing all my air. Lucky I had my pump with me. User error on my part. Since then I have just used my pump even though I carry the cartridges.

With my Domane, I won't be carrying a pump so it will be cartridge time only.

Litespud

i imagine about 1. I get a 700x25 tire to rideable pressure with one 12g gas cartridge.
on an unrelated note, I wonder why they use CO2 rather than plain compressed air? Regardless of what gas they’re using, the cartridge pressure is going to be the same. Anyone know?

TakingMyTime

A 16g cartridge will fill it to about 95psi. 60psi is very doable for one, although I don't think it's common practice to keep a 1/3rd full cartridge around. I had a short blast left in mine when I got home. The next day I checked my tires and it was at 90psi.

Oneder

If someone patents a tire pump built into the seat post that's pedal powered he will be a millionaire and deserving of the nobel peace prize.

wolfchild

My Lezyne mini pump has a connect hose which screws on to a valve, the hose has two sides, one for presta valve and the other for schrader valve...Topeak Road Morph also comes with a hose.

FatRap64

Just make sure you chuck them out in the Humboldt (a county) in California. I don't want them around here – I had nothing to do with that whiny rant.

Metieval

I use both.....

I have also had dead co2 cartridges...

Road bike has co2,

but all my other bikes travel with a Topeak Morph pump. My last flat was after dark 700x38, Pulled the tube, insert tube
, add some air for shape,, put the bead back in rim, finish pumping to 60 psi and done. I mean no arguments that co2 is nice, but pumps that actually work are worth it too.

JustinOldPhart

Carbon Dioxide can be compressed into a liquid form at room temperature. Thus, there is a large volume of C02 available when it converts from a liquid into a gaseous form. It converts from a liquid at 800ish psi to a constrained gas at 100ish psi. One could use the ideal gas law to calculate the volume of free gas at atmospheric pressure; suffice it to say it is a rather large volume.

Air cannot be compressed into a liquid at room temperature (because it is mostly nitrogen; nitrogen cannot be compressed into a liquid at room temperature). If it were simply compressed air you would have only a small amount of air volume available as it expands from a dense gas at 800psi to a less dense gas at atmospheric. At atmospheric pressure the volume would be about 60 times the volume of the metal cylinder. That would be ~0psig in a bike tire. ;^)

To paraphrase Curly, "I've farted bigger than that, kid".

_ForceD_

Right. That's why I said there are some that do have the hose. I have one with a dual head also. But many frame pumps don't have a hose and those are the ones that can be difficult to keep steady on the valve.

Dan

JayKay3000

Humm - Ebikes have electricity... you saw the idea here first - Tire inflation systems for ebikes with the pump run from the bikes battery.

scott967

Used a frame pump back in the 80s then some time around 90 CO2 was available. The only inflator was screw it onto the valve, screw the cart onto the inflator and dump the entire contents into the tire. Which on a 23 gave you quite the pressure. But, I found I just could not get replacement carts. No bike shop carried them and Nashbar/Performance mail order wouldn't ship them. So I went with a mini-pump and stayed with this ever since. Nothing against using carts, just satisfied with the mini pump. Then, I also lift in the gym (pre-'rona anyway) so arm strength isn't an issue like it seems for some posters.

scott s.
.

Sy Reene

That sounds a bit optimistic

MAK

Your sarcasm is noted. I carry a Road Morph and CO2. My primary reason for using CO2 is because my flats only seem to occur when it's 90° with 80% humidity and I'm nowhere near shade. Last summer I flatted at the apex of a bridge and even with CO2 I was drained. With the Road Morph I would have probably had heat stroke. With a true mini-pump I can't imagine the outcome.

Metieval

the other reason to finish the tire pressure off with co2..... that Ice cold co2 cartridge feels like a million bucks!

RGMN

I have a drawer of CO2 inflators but only 1 working mini-pump. Took me a while to find the ones I like (PDW Shiny Object, Lezyne Control Drive CO2, Planet Bike Red Zeppelin.) The food grade/air gun CO2 cartridges are cheaper but most are threadless. As soon as you go to the threaded versions the cost goes up.

Doesn't have to be an e-bike to have an air compressor. If you are okay with a 190 gram pump then get a miniFumpa and you can have a battery powered pump.

DrIsotope

The very first inflator I bought was a Shiny Object. I now have three, including a Shiny Object II.

Threaded food-grade 16g CO2 chargers, 30 for $34 ($1.13 each)

My most recent purchase was for just a dozen, for which I paid $18. But a dozen lasts at least 2 years (spread between 5 bikes.)

TakingMyTime

Thanks for that chart. I did fill my 700x28 with a 16g cartridge to what I considered was an acceptable amount while fixing the flat. The next morning I removed the cart with the head still attached from my bag, I opened it up and got a final brief spurt. At that point I connected my floor pump to the tire and checked the built in gauge. If it wasn't exactly 90 psi, it was really close. I'm more than happy, and confident that a 16g cart will do the trick on these tires.

For the record I was using a PDW Shiney Object. For never using one before, even to test it out, it was very straight forward and worked flawlessly.

Drew Eckhardt 

Some of us also still ride traditional frames with level top tubes, leaking plenty of room for a 750ml water bottle on the seat tube and frame pump along the top tube above it.

Unfortunately, that requires manufacturers to make a few more sizes with the extra SKUs reducing profit.

TakingMyTime

I have to deal with about 6 bikes with everything from 23mm to 32mm tires. I think I'm going to have to buy a handful of 12g and 20g and keep them with the respective bikes/tires.

Sy Reene

Ok, but I didn't see how you got 95psi as the answer to someone asking what a 16g cart would inflate a 32mm tire to?
PDW Shiny Object is great.

TakingMyTime

The 2 old friends I was riding with that day we're really in awe of how efficient a Co2 solution can be. These 2 guys are what I would consider experienced cyclists. They have ridden their bikes across the US. They regularly tour for 700 miles (unsupported) at a time. One of them religiously carries extra cables even while on local "day rides" But, they are (were) like me and had remained pretty old school throughout the years (we're all in our mid 60's). There had never been a reason to experiment with Co2. They were content with a mini-pump. But as they stood there helping me get the tire back on the rim and and watching me give that tire its first blast of Co2 and having it up to pressure in an instant... One of the 2 guys has already asked me where I got it and has one ordered and on its way to him.

There are a handful of solutions and none of them are wrong. I own a full sized frame pump, a mini pump and the Co2 unit. The Co2 unit is now my "go-to" solution. I really can't express how happy I am that I finally give this a try.

TakingMyTime

My math and thought processing skills weren't at their peak that day. Thanks for the clarification.