CO2, Mini, or Frame pump? - Page 2

http://www.topeak.com/products/Mini-Pumps/MicroRocketCB

54 grams (55 with the rubber valve hole plug) and enough carbon fibre for three extra style points.

I've pumped up about a half-dozen roadside tube changes with it and I doubt it takes two minutes to get up to rideable pressure. There's nothing wrong with CO2 inflators. On long training rides that roam far from home I carry one just in case the pump fails.

I agree with that and have a recent experience to convince me.
I was out with 2 other guys on an 80+ mile ride and one of the guys flatted 3 times in a row. He almost used up all of our CO2 cartridges and luckily there was an organized century that crossed paths with us and one of those riders stopped and gave us another tube and cartridge. I actually had another tube and cartridge available, but we still had 50 miles to go and we needed to reserve those in case there was another flat among us.

I think on future non-sagged long rides I may carry 2 CO2's, 2 tubes, patch kit, my crank bros mini pump. It seems like a lot to carry, but most of that fits nicely in my pockets and saddle bag. I also carry plenty of gels and cash for myself and those who seem to forget to bring enough food.

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When it rains it pours! I will go years without a flat and then there is that ride when you use up every tube, patch and cartridge in the group. And, yes, it is usually that one guy who keeps flatting. Still, you can get CO2s and 700 tubes at any Wal-Mart or KMart. On an epic ride, it is nice for at least one guy in the group to have a mini pump. On most rides, it is overkill.

Dang...how prophetic! Yesterday one of my Bontrager tubes had a failure at the brass stem/rubber junction. No puncture...it just started leaking. It took way less time to pump it up with the pump than it did digging out the tire lever, spare tube, pulling the rear wheel off, breaking the bead, R&R'ing the tube...

Now, if only I had mounted the sew-up wheelset yesterday! Heh!

CO2... all the way... it's quick and and takes up very little room and gives you the proper PSI. I started out with a large hand pump but it would lose it's force as it neared 80 PSI. I carry a mini carbon fiber hand pump on my commuter bike as back up to CO2, but have only used it for the pre-inflation of the tube before putting it on. I use a CO2 pump similar to that pictured above... it comes with a plastic handle that screws onto the head so you can use non-threaded, but to save room, i just get the threaded and just carry the head part around ... it has a lock on it too so you don't use the CO2 until you're ready.

Mini pumps are frustrating and hard work and CO2 would be a reasonable idea if frame pumps didn't weigh a lot less than a full water bottle. So I use a frame pump that is actually a floor pump - it gets me to 120psi in less than 2 minutes and offers almost infinite redundancy.

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."

I carry a Nashbar combo inflator. Use the pump to check the tube and seat the bead, then hit it with the CO2. Takes either a road or mountain bike tire up to normal pressure. Nice to have the pump to fall back on if you run out of cartridges.

Stayed in Riccione and rode in the hills of Emilia-Romagna. The roads and towns looked almost litter-free....but it could be my standards are low

Nah, your standards aren't low: it was just the way Milan was, at least that summer. They thunked that the rest of what they saw of Italy was clean.

Got a tip for you guys! CO2 cost about $3 unthreaded and $4 threaded, right? Go any sports shop that is NOT in NYC or LA and purchase a case of 50 CO2 BB gun cartrigdes. It cost about $25 so that comes out to roughly $0.50 per cartridge. SAVES A LOT OF $$$. I tell the costumers this all the time when the boss isn't around.

Unfortunately big Italian cities are not well kept at all, and the entire concept of maintaining public spaces has not sunk into the mindset here (public space = everyone's property = no one's property = who cares if I litter).

Inshallah one day this will change...

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De Rosa Planet
Campagnolo Per Sempre!
PAOLO BETTINI CAMPIONE DEL MONDO x 2!

Care to provide a bit more information? Would be curious about the make and model, if you do not mind. Grazie.

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De Rosa Planet
Campagnolo Per Sempre!
PAOLO BETTINI CAMPIONE DEL MONDO x 2!

2 tubes, 2 CO2 Cartridges, puncture repair outfit and a combi mini-pump/CO2 inflator. If you're having a bad day you're having a bad day. More than 2 punctures and the repair kit comes out and use the mini-pump (which is awful) but enough to get the tire up to ride to a shop/home or find a fellow cyclists that will help!

Pumping up a tire/Piercing a CO2 canister on a hot day or after a long cycle.......hmmmmm easy choice!

Incidently who throws their spent catridges at the road side!!!! It really takes a lot to carry it back home where it came from you lazy f*ck!!!!! Some people chuck the tubes as well!!!! Grrrrrrr.

Now now, you're starting to sound like Alienator.

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One life, one chance. Don't waste it!

Denying yourself of additional training credits? And I thought that you were out for TRAINING.

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Morphed Bianchi Camaleonte IV 2006, Ridley Damocles 2006, Garmin, Mac