co2 tube fillers

watermelonman said:

How are those little co2 tube fillers? I would really like to get one and quit carrying a pump, which is big, heavy, tiring, and never gives enough pressure anyway.

I have a friend who has a particular co2 filler that I liked but then he admits that he has never needed it, and it got terrible reviews on Amazon. Is there one that is recommendable?

Innovations, the metal one. Measureable but remember, once you are out of CO2, you are out. Not true for a frame pump. Plus ya gotta have a really good arm to smack that crappy dog owner with a CO2 thing..easier to smack him with a frame pump.

The small metal Innovations filler is definitely the one to get. I have one in a seat bag on every bike. It's small enough that you can carry 2 cartridges as well. It's a good idea to waste a cartridge at home practicing before you take it out on the road as they can be tricky to use.

I have a Pedro CO2 filler and have used it once for a guy whose pump wasn't working. It worked very well but the only way to tell if the tire was filled to the right value was by the feel of the tire. There is no kind of guage on it.

Actually Topeak has a mini-pump/CO2 inflator combo that I am interested in looking at. My only complaint about a mini-pump is that it gets tiring to use it, but with a CO2 Inflator, once you have used the cartridges that you are carrying, you are not going to fill anymore tires. It is a good thing to have the mini-pump backup because walking back home is more tiring than pumping up a tire.

watermelonman said:

How are those little co2 tube fillers? I would really like to get one and quit carrying a pump, which is big, heavy, tiring, and never gives enough pressure anyway.

I have a friend who has a particular co2 filler that I liked but then he admits that he has never needed it, and it got terrible reviews on Amazon. Is there one that is recommendable?

I carry both: one CO2 cartridge and a topeak road pump. I've learned my lesson.

The mini pump worked great for me until I actually needed to use it. I was only about 10 miles away from home...but 40 psi is a killer...I guess taking my road bike on the motocross track was not a good idea. I found a 10 dollar C02 pump similar to that innovations one for 10 dollars

I use a Nashbar combo pump/inflator. Check the tube, repair the leaks, seat the bead, using the pump. Then put in the cartridge and finish inflating it. Best of both worlds.

I think this is the metal Innovations inflator several people are referring to here. I have a couple of them and I love them. I've used them several times. Easy to use.

Innovations also makes a small hand pump with a CO2 adapter on it. So you can use the CO2, but then if you get another flat, you can use the pump. Looks kind of cool, but really the only weight you're saving by using this system is the weight of the small metal nozzle for the CO2.