CO2 pump feedback

"VisionSet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:SCPec.86$9z1.6@newsfe1-win...

Quoted message said:

Anyway I haven't used them yet (No CO2 has flowed). It is
a bad idea to leave the cylinder connected up, because CO2
is very acidic and will

perish

Quoted message said:

the rubber components.

Ah but that's the crucial question isn't it? We want to know
how well it works, not what it looks like! How about letting
the tyres down so you can pump them up with it and let us
know? Of course you'll have to do both wheels as we want to
know how much you can get out of a cylinder as well 😉.

Rich

"Richard Goodman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"VisionSet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:SCPec.86$9z1.6@newsfe1-
win...

Quoted message said:

Anyway I haven't used them yet (No CO2 has flowed). It
is a bad idea to leave the cylinder connected up,
because CO2 is very acidic and will

perish

Quoted message said:

the rubber components.

Ah but that's the crucial question isn't it? We want to
know how well it works, not what it looks like! How about
letting the tyres down so you

can

Quoted message said:

pump them up with it and let us know? Of course you'll
have to do both wheels as we want to know how much you can
get out of a cylinder as well 😉.

And you need to do it at night, in the pouring rain, miles
from anywhere, without a mobile phone or cash.

😉

elyob said:

And you need to do it at night, in the pouring rain, miles
from anywhere, without a mobile phone or cash.

Forget all these 'SAS-style' reality TV shows. Get the
contestants to fix punctures in the above situation. Good TV
ratings to be had from the big grin on the presenter's face
as he swaps the Presta adapters for Schrader the day before.
Plus plenty of overtime for the bleep machine operator.

So here's a new thread - reality TV shows with bicycles.

"elyob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Richard Goodman" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message -"]news:[email hidden]-
ws.com...

Quoted message said:

"VisionSet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:SCPec.86$9z1.6@newsfe1-
win...

Quoted message said:

Anyway I haven't used them yet (No CO2 has flowed). It
is a bad idea

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

leave the cylinder connected up, because CO2 is very
acidic and will

perish

Quoted message said:

the rubber components.

Ah but that's the crucial question isn't it? We want to
know how well

it

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

works, not what it looks like! How about letting the
tyres down so you

can

Quoted message said:

pump them up with it and let us know? Of course you'll
have to do both wheels as we want to know how much you
can get out of a cylinder as well 😉.

And you need to do it at night, in the pouring rain, miles
from anywhere, without a mobile phone or cash.

😉

Been there etc. did have a phone though ! I'll stick to my
Zefal hpx for commuting I think.

Graham

John Hearns said:

elyob said:

And you need to do it at night, in the pouring rain,
miles from anywhere, without a mobile phone or cash.

Forget all these 'SAS-style' reality TV shows. Get the
contestants to fix punctures in the above situation. Good
TV ratings to be had from the big grin on the presenter's
face as he swaps the Presta adapters for Schrader the day
before. Plus plenty of overtime for the bleep machine
operator.

So here's a new thread - reality TV shows with bicycles.

Without a spare inner tube to be extra evil?

So what happens whenusing these devices if for example you
fail to inflate the tyre properly ? or you replacement inner
tube gets nipped and will not inflate ? How many attempts
does one get per cannister of CO2 ? I am deeply sceptical of
these devices.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

So what happens whenusing these devices if for example you
fail to inflate the tyre properly ? or you replacement
inner tube gets nipped and will not inflate ? How many
attempts does one get per cannister of CO2 ? I am deeply
sceptical of these devices.

A cannister inflates my tyre to around 110psi. You get as
many attempts as 110psi will allow!

Learn to use it properly. I've been using one for years
and never had one fail to inflate fully. I carry one
cannister in the holder (I use the SKS model), and one
spare. I've NEVER been caught out and I ride between 150km
and 500km per week.

If I have three punctures in a day then:

Use somebody elses stuff if you don't ride alone Use a
passing cyclists pump Phone a friend :-) Get a cab Walk to
the nearest pub and drown your sorrows :-)

I've been totally self sufficient (and helped others) by
carrying 2 cannisters, the inflator, 1 spare tube, 2 tyre
levers and a set of Allen keys for the past 10 years. I'm
happy to venture out of the house with my modest kit given
those stats.

--
Mark (MSA) This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not
volume. Some settling of contents may have occurred during
transmission

Quoted message said:

Here are some close up shots, partly because I love
playing with my camera ;-)

hotpud.comair chuck.jpgOpen ↗
--
Mike W

...and what camera (and lens) did you use? Erik L

VisionSet said:

I've done my research. I thought I'd feedback on my
thoughts and final decision for anyone else pondering. I
have a road bike, (proper racer, if that's too vague;-) I
inflate the tyres to 120 psi. I use it for commuting (when
it can go inside place of work) and trips out up to 50
miles at present (intention to get up to 100 miles this
summer). I decided that a minipump just wasn't going to
get sufficient pressure to mean I would feel like
continuing my trip as if nothing had happened (commuting
aside). The one that came closest was the Crank Bros mini
pump which has a switch to change between high volume and
high pressure, it quotes 100psi, but how long that would
take, I don't know. I decided to go the CO2 route, and
plumped for the Innovations Air Chuck. £8.99 + £3.00 p&p
(no cartridge) from Edinburgh Cycle Coop. Since then I
have seen that Halfords have pretty much ripped off the
design and have something very similar (if not slightly
better) for £6.99 with 1 16g cartridge. The Halfords one
is more inline - valve insertion force versus long axis of
cylinder - whereas the Innovations one is 90º. I don't
think this will be any kind of a problem though. The unit
itself is very tiny and of high quality, on visual
inspection the seals look of high quality and substantial
outside diameters. A presta valve sits in it very snuggly
inducing confidence (fits schraders too). The cheapest
place for cylinders I found was mikedyson.com (£7 for 5
with no p&p charge). They arrived this morning and fit
perfectly. Anyway I haven't used them yet (No CO2 has
flowed). It is a bad idea to leave the cylinder connected
up, because CO2 is very acidic and will perish the rubber
components.

I've used CO2 on two occasions. MTB low pressure tyre -
worked OK, but a bit unnerving because it's one shot and if
it leaks round the valve, you're stuffed. MTB high pressure
slick - nowhere near enough gas. I felt the rim hit the
road a few times on the way home. But it *did* get me home,
I suppose.

My inflator has an alu barrel to hold the canister. I store
the canister inside the wrong way round, so there's no
chance of accidentally breaking the seal.

"Erik Lindeberg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Here are some close up shots, partly because I love
playing with my

camera

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

;-)

hotpud.comair chuck.jpgOpen ↗
--
Mike W

...and what camera (and lens) did you use? Erik L

Canon Ixus400 @4MP & Minimum compression

--
Mike W

Quoted message said:

I've been totally self sufficient (and helped others) by
carrying 2 cannisters, the inflator, 1 spare tube, 2 tyre
levers and a set of Allen keys for the past 10 years. I'm
happy to venture out of the house with my modest kit given
those stats.

Totaly agree with the above. I, too, carry a Co2 inflator, 2
x cannisters, a tube, a small repair kit and a multi-tool.
These bundle together nicely and fit in a small wedgie. I
have two of these "kits" - one on my road bike and the other
on my MTB. Never had a problem. The nearest being when I had
2 punctures in an hour on the MTB. No problem with the first
- just changed the tube and inflated fully. Second puncture
and I had not fixed the patch correctly before fully
inflating (using remnants of 1st cylinder and part of the
2nd). When I repaired and had to use the remnants of the 2nd
cylinder I only had partial inflation, so had to give up the
off-road shennanigans and head sedately for home.

I agre that it would have been nice to have been able to
continue (ie. have a hand pump) but in the 18 months i have
been using these Co2 things, this is the only time I have
come **close** to being let down, and I would prefer this
every 18 months to having to carry a pump (regardless of how
small) when all I want to do is jump on my bike and ride.

--
Regards from The Slapster, Cornwall, UK

Who hopes to die peacefully - just like his Uncle, And not
kicking and Screaming - Like his Uncles passengers!!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Visionset
I decided that a minipump just wasn't going to get sufficient
pressure to mean I would feel like continuing my trip as if
nothing had happened (commuting aside). The one that came
closest was the Crank Bros mini pump which has a switch to
change between high volume and high pressure, it quotes
100psi, but how long that would take, I don't know. I
decided to go the CO2 route, and plumped for the Innovations
Air Chuck. £8.99 + £3.00 p&p (no cartridge) from Edinburgh
Cycle Coop.
Mike W

Although I admire the small size of the CO2 kit, I still have some questions about its utility:

How does one judge the correct pressure when inflating a tyre?

Does the canister automatically deliver a set pressure - can you buy a 40psi canister and a 120psi canister?

Given that the CO2 must be mighty cold, when it is being delivered via the valve doesn't the cold make the valve brittle and therefore more vulnerable to damage?

Is one canister only good for one inner tube inflation?

Can the CO2 pump double up as a mini fire extinguisher?

If you run a CO2 filled inner tube and then get a puncture, can you see the gas escaping and is locating the puncture easier?

What do you do with your empty canisters? Can they get refilled or do you have to junk 'em after use?

McBain_v1 <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

How does one judge the correct pressure when
inflating a tyre?

One doesn't usually. One simply waits until the tyre stops
inflating.

Quoted message said:

Does the canister automatically deliver a set pressure -
can you buy a 40psi canister and a 120psi canister?

The final pressure would depend on the volume of the
cartridge and the volume of the tyre. You can buy different
size cartridges. I think that's about it.

Quoted message said:

Given that the CO2 must be mighty cold, when it is being
delivered via the valve doesn't the cold make the valve
brittle and therefore more vulnerable to damage?

It's not cold enough to damage the valve, although ice
does form on
it. There should be some kind of sleeve for the cartridge so
you can handle it without hurting yourself.

Quoted message said:

Is one canister only good for one inner tube inflation?

You might be able to get a second squirt out of a cartridge,
especially if you buy the larger size. Generally though it's
one good fill to a cartridge.

Quoted message said:

Can the CO2 pump double up as a mini fire extinguisher?

I wouldn't rely on it to put out anything bigger than a
Zippo lighter. It's not intended to be a fire extinguisher
and you'd be foolish to expect to be able to use it as one.

Quoted message said:

If you run a CO2 filled inner tube and then get a
puncture, can you see the gas escaping and is locating the
puncture easier?

No. It would be rather nice if you got a theatrical mist
effect from a puncture as when you put dry ice in water, but
carbon dioxide gas is invisible.

Quoted message said:

What do you do with your empty canisters? Can they get
refilled or do you have to junk 'em after use?

The cartridges are punctured when they are used. I throw
mine away (not at the side of the road). I don't know if
they're worth recycling. I suspect that the energy used
gathering them together would outweigh the benefit.

--
Dave...

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Dave Kahn
Answers all my questions!

Thanks Dave for the info. Apologies if a lot of my questions revealed my utter ignorance of these clever looking devices.

I'm still a bit wary about the prospect of over-inflating a tyre - at least track pumps come with a pressure guage, although I admit they are not given to being carted around on rides. Notwithstanding that, they seem like a good idea. I might buy my dad one as a present, he's 69 and still gets in at least 100 miles a week, but is interested in making his cycling-life as easy as possible (hence triple front rings and big ration cassette on the back). The idea of a relatively easy way to reinflate tyres is bound to appeal 😄

McBain_v1 <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm still a bit wary about the prospect of over-inflating
a tyre - at least track pumps come with a pressure guage,
although I admit they are not given to being carted around
on rides.

It's very unlikely that you will over-inflate a tyre with a
CO2 cartridge. In any case you can always let a little out.

Quoted message said:

Notwithstanding that, they seem like a good idea. I
might buy my dad one as a present, he's 69 and still
gets in at least 100 miles a week, but is interested in
making his cycling-life as easy as possible (hence
triple front rings and big ration cassette on the back).
The idea of a relatively easy way to reinflate tyres is
bound to appeal 😄

As a labour saving device they're hard to beat. With a
proper pump as a fall back it won't be a disaster if he has
a misfire either.

--
Dave...

On this recommendation, I went out an bought the exact same
setup from EBC and Mike Dyason. Just tried it out --
deflated tyre completely, connected pump to valve, and
whoosh -- 120 psi just like that. Tested pressure with guage
on track pump which is my usual guide (Topeak Joe Blow Sport
-- I think it's accurate).

"Simonb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

On this recommendation, I went out an bought the exact
same setup from EBC and Mike Dyason. Just tried it out --
deflated tyre completely, connected pump to valve, and
whoosh -- 120 psi just like that. Tested pressure with
guage on track pump which is my usual guide (Topeak Joe
Blow Sport -- I think it's accurate).

Well its nice to know it was more than just protagonist
bait. Thanks for the feedback, neat isn't it?

--
Mike W

"VisionSet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Simonb" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On this recommendation, I went out an bought the exact
same setup from

EBC

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and Mike Dyason. Just tried it out -- deflated tyre
completely,

connected

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

pump to valve, and whoosh -- 120 psi just like that.
Tested pressure

with

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

guage on track pump which is my usual guide (Topeak Joe
Blow Sport -- I think it's accurate).

Well its nice to know it was more than just protagonist
bait. Thanks for the feedback, neat isn't it?

So, who's willing to accept the "stuck in the middle" test?

An added complication to my first test ... you have to use a
12 month old canister as well ....

"elyob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So, who's willing to accept the "stuck in the
middle" test?

An added complication to my first test ... you have to use
a 12 month old canister as well ....

Yeah, cos like CO2, it's sooooo unstable.

--
Mike W