Make sure you know how to use it

[Dogtrousers]

This may seem pretty darn obvious, but always practice at home using things intended for use on the road.

Case in point this weekend. I stopped to help a rider with a puncture. We got the tyre checked, sharp removed, new tube in OK. They had a CO2 thingy but weren't familiar with how to use it. Result, empty CO2 cartridge, tyre still flat. I was no help because exactly the same happened to me the one and only time I tried using CO2 on the road (having, of course, not practiced at home).

Still, no problem, I had a pump. A very nice looking new pump, that really looks the part. I fitted it not long ago and it looks great. Trouble is, I'd never used it. Now it was my turn to look silly. It took a great deal of experimentation before I figured out how to get the damn thing attached to the valve.

Eventually all fixed, but it could have been so much quicker.

 

[Racing roadkill]

This may seem pretty darn obvious, but always practice at home using things intended for use on the road.

Case in point this weekend. I stopped to help a rider with a puncture. We got the tyre checked, sharp removed, new tube in OK. They had a CO2 thingy but weren't familiar with how to use it. Result, empty CO2 cartridge, tyre still flat. I was no help because exactly the same happened to me the one and only time I tried using CO2 on the road (having, of course, not practiced at home).

Still, no problem, I had a pump. A very nice looking new pump, that really looks the part. I fitted it not long ago and it looks great. Trouble is, I'd never used it. Now it was my turn to look silly. It took a great deal of experimentation before I figured out how to get the damn thing attached to the valve.

Eventually all fixed, but it could have been so much quicker.

The mistake I see ( pretty much everyone ) make, when first using the 'screw on' type of CO2 inflators, is screwing it down too hard. When they try to unscrew it, the valve core comes out with the inflator. You only need to screw it on tight enough to stop any gas bypassing the seal, which actually isn't screwed down very far at all.One way of preventing that happening is to not use tubes with removeable valve cores, they are only really necessary if you have to think about using valve extenders anyway ( most people I know, don't have rims with deep enough profiles to need them). You can get this type of inflator, which just presses on, no screwing required.

But I agree, learning how to use whichever kit you have, will save a lot of grief.

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. PPPPPP and all of that

 

[Goofball]

I carry one of those gas things, but have never used it, but I also have a pump fitted to the bike too.

I use a big pump at home as quicker than small pump and has a gauge.

Must try out the gas one at weekend, to get to know how to use it right.

 

[mjr]

Someone on the Holland Hundred last weekend managed to pop a CO2 cartridge. I've no idea how.

 

[bpsmith]

I had some CO2 canisters in the garage, with different fitting to the nifty Silca CO2 head I bought a short while back.

They fit an old chunky pump I had nearly 20 years back. Decided to use one to check if still ok and worked an absolute treat.

So basically don't worry how long you keep them for guys!

 

[Salty seadog]

I've just bought a CO2 inflater and had a crack at it tonight at home. It's one that you press the head on the valve and then click the back to allow flow and release to stop flow. I was surprised at how slow it seemed. A mate of mine says his is gone in seconds, I was going stop start (to practice using the mechanism) for a minute maybe.

 

[Salty seadog]

I've seen people who know what they are doing to inflate tyres with CO2 almost instantaneously it seemed

Maybe I had pushed it on too far, I don't know. Might have another practice run. At least it got the tyre inflated. A 700C x 28 inflated to 70 psi and that was with a bit of escape as I took the tool of the valve a couple of times and even fired some into the air, it was still slow so maybe my comment about putting it to far on the valve was wrong.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I've seen people out riding bicycles, and feel like telling some of them to learn how to use the bicycle first.

 

[Con]

I think I'm stuck in the 80s . People use C02 cartridges to inflate tyres?? . I've got one of them old manual pump things. God behind the times or what!!!

 

[slowmotion]

Isn't using a proper pump good aerobic stuff/cardiac workout? I can pump sixty strokes of a Lezyne compact pump in a bit over a minute. Should I pack a reclining armchair with an extending foot rest and rely on bottles of compressed gas?

 

[si_c]

CO2 is easy to use, I have a screw on cheap adaptor from wiggle that works perfectly. Just remember as said by @Racing roadkill that you don't over tighten the unit onto the thread.

One handy bonus point with my adaptor is that it that you screw in the cannister first, screw onto the valve core, then turn a valve which lets the CO2 in. This means I don't have to use the whole cannister at once, I can let a little in, make sure the tyre is seating properly, then let the rest in.

There are two big problems I've found with CO2, the first as mentioned above is the risk of letting all the gas out by mistake. The second, and less obvious one is that you absolutely must be sure that the tube is not pinched between the rim and the tyre bead. Until I'd worked that out I got a couple of instant pinch flats. The trick is to put a couple of strokes of gas into the tube first to give it a bit of shape before seating the bead. You can then inflate with fewer worries.

It's worth practicing, now I've got the hang of it, I would always use a gas cannister over a pump. But needless to say I carry both.

 

[Globalti]

It definitely needs a practice run because the speed and vigour of inflation can take you by surprise. My own gas dispenser has a trigger; I press the nozzle onto the valve and give it a quick burst to inflate the tyre enough to check for a trapped tube. Go round, check, then go for full inflation. A full cylinder over-inflates a tyre so I've always got a bit left in the device for the next tyre.

 

[nickyboy]

How does CO2 inflation work in terms of target pressure?

With a gauged pump you can inflate the tyre to the pressure you want. How does it work with CO2? I am considering it, but I wouldn't want a system where I didn't know if I had underinflated the tyre. Does the cartridge have just the right amount of gas to get to optimal pressure for example?

 

[Salty seadog]

How does CO2 inflation work in terms of target pressure?

With a gauged pump you can inflate the tyre to the pressure you want. How does it work with CO2? I am considering it, but I wouldn't want a system where I didn't know if I had underinflated the tyre. Does the cartridge have just the right amount of gas to get to optimal pressure for example?

Ball park.

 

[si_c]

How does CO2 inflation work in terms of target pressure?

With a gauged pump you can inflate the tyre to the pressure you want. How does it work with CO2? I am considering it, but I wouldn't want a system where I didn't know if I had underinflated the tyre. Does the cartridge have just the right amount of gas to get to optimal pressure for example?

Pretty much ballpark as @Salty seadog said. In practice I find that a 16g cartridge will get me to 120psi with a 23c tire or 100 for a 25c tire. Which is plenty. It does go down from there, but you can always top up with a pump anyway if you're not sure as I wouldn't rely only on the gas, so I'd still take my pump.

I gauged it with mine from checking the pressure with a track pump after inflating with CO2.