Co2

[coldfusionPaul]

i had a flat yesterday on a long ride when i was about 50km from home. no big deal except my portable pump gave up the ghost & i had to get "swept up" to get back. this is the 2nd time this has happened--luckily the first time i was with a club (khu khot) & somebody had a CO2 cartridge. is it a better idea to carry those instead of a pump? is it cost effective considering i get a large number of flats? or should i have both?

in any case, can anybody recommend a good portable pump brand?

thanks.

Edited January 16, 2011 by coldfusionPaul

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

just get a good pump. C02 is fast and light but once the cartridge(s) is gone then your a walker. In a race C02 is the way to go because if you don't get going fast then your just riding to finish.

A good pump can get you home even if you get multiple flats and patch jobs... Murphy's law.

Try testing your pump every week or so to make sure it's working well. I have a mini mini pump I can store inside a wide mouth water bottle along with a tube, patches, glue etc. The bottle protects everything and I never forget it.

[coldfusionPaul]

thanks but the funny thing was that i slipped the locking bar off my joe blow "home" pump & had to use that portable pump to top off before the ride. that kind of added to my <deleted> when things went bad.

i can say that i hate those small pumps, takes forever to pump up the tires & using one pretty much always re-aggravates my shoulder tendinitis. i like your idea of a water bottle holding those bits. unfortunately my bike is a "compact" geometry giant so there's almost no room for 2 bottles. i hang the pump off the frame & carry spares in a dorky fanny pack.

btw i've also noticed that CO2 doesn't stay in the tube long, less than a day later it's flat as a pancake.

i'm leaning towards both, better pump & 1-2 CO2 cartridges as emergency back ups.

thanks.

[apetley]

I was once stuck out in the middle of nowhere with a flat and a broken pump.

I got home by stuffing the rear tyre with grass! Not recommended but as a last ditch method worked a treat saving the rim and tyre from damage.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Definitely think about carrying a shrader to presta adapter. This way you can use any pump from a gas station or the ones motorists sometime carry like those mini compressors.

I have done all the mistakes.

Carrying old dried up glue

not changing tubes often enough. When the valve goes it's useless.

forgetting to bring good tire levers

riding worn out tires

forgetting to bring tube patches

Not carrying a spare tube

not inspecting and maintaining a pump properly

Not inspecting the tire casing for embedded sharp objects that will puncture the new tube or patched tube.

another good thing to carry are some of the Park kevlar tire cut patches. These are tough clear kevlar patches with adhesive... If you slice a tire open then one of these applied on the inside will keep the tube inside the tire and get you home.

It's not a lot of gear or much expense but keeps you riding and enjoying life... Doesn't take much space either. I put all my stuff into a wide mouth water bottle (regular size .. not those tall ones). Including a mini tool with spoke wrench and mini packets of lube and grease just in case. It's a tight fit but a plastic sleeve with rubber bands around the tube will get it all in there. Including the pump.

Just comes with experience. Unfortunately most people don't learn until they have learned the hard way. Walking sucks :-)

Edited January 18, 2011 by CobraSnakeNecktie

[coldfusionPaul]

i always carry a schrader adapter but i pretty much never used it, never seem to get flats near a gas station with an air compressor. one thing i don't have are those "Park kevlar tire cut patches". probably a good idea (though i've only had one catastrophic blow out & applying some tube patches to the inside of the tire got me home). any idea which shop carries them?

besides cleaning, what other maintenance do portable pumps require?

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

i always carry a schrader adapter but i pretty much never used it, never seem to get flats near a gas station with an air compressor. one thing i don't have are those "Park kevlar tire cut patches". probably a good idea (though i've only had one catastrophic blow out & applying some tube patches to the inside of the tire got me home). any idea which shop carries them?

besides cleaning, what other maintenance do portable pumps require?

pump plungers often get dry and can either seize up or not provide compressed air. Keeping it clean helps a lot and a little silicon with oil is helpful. Pumps kind of just wear out even if you don't use them. Going over bumps, getting dirty etc. Not a big investment to get a new one every year or so.

Every new generation seems to be a little better.