Mini hand pump or CO2 & spare tube or patch kit?

[Cary Paugh]

Well I was out for my evening ride about 6 miles from home and had my first flat where I was more
than easy walking distance from my house. Fortunately I carry my cell phone and had my wife come
pick me up but think I'd better be more prepared for the inevitable next time.

What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6" variety
that would fit in my small seat pack or a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you carry a spare
tube or patch kit?

What about a tire removal tool? Three little plastic things that hook on the spokes or a
"speed stick"?

I'm not racing but hate to carry any more than I have to.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sam Huffman]

Cary Paugh <[email protected]> writes:

> Well I was out for my evening ride about 6 miles from home and had my first flat where I was more
> than easy walking distance from my house. Fortunately I carry my cell phone and had my wife come
> pick me up but think I'd better be more prepared for the inevitable next time.
>
> What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6"
> variety that would fit in my small seat pack or a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you
> carry a spare tube or patch kit?
>
> What about a tire removal tool? Three little plastic things that hook on the spokes or a
> "speed stick"?

I carry a tube, a patch kit, a CO2 inflator with 2 cartridges, 2 plastic tire levers, and a frame
pump. The frame pump and patch kit are in case I get a second (or third...) flat. All but the frame
pump fit easily in an under-seat bag along with a multi-tool, my wallet, a cell-phone, and a
snickers bar or two.

If you're only 6 miles from home, I think you'd be fine without the frame pump. CO2, tube, patch
kit, tire levers, and candy bar should suffice. If your tire is really tight, you might also want a
metal lever just in case you need
it.

Sam

 

[Raymo853]

"Cary Paugh" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm not racing but hate to carry any more than I have to.
>

I am the same, not a racer but hate carrying more weight and volume than I have to. I have been left
walking by CO2 systems and will never go back. Since I usually ride alone without a cell phone, I
need to be able to fix more than one flat to get home some times.

For the road bike I bought a SKS minipump that I love and always carry one extra tube and a set a
speed patches, patches without a need for extra glue. http://www.allaboutmedia.de/sks-germany.com/e-
n/stage.php?mod=detail&cid=1&id=23&zg=1&seite=3&start=6

For the mountain bike I carry and extra tube and simular patches but have a Crank Brothers pump.
http://www.crankbrothers.com/products/pumps_powerpumpalloy.php

 

[Jkpoulos7]

> I have a new Trek 2300 with tabs on the fork.
>
> Would filing off the tabs void the warranty?

If you're careful, and a problem happened elsewhere on the fork, no, it wouldn't void the warranty.
However, it you were in some sort of serious accident and wished to sue a manufacturer, tampering
with the product in such a way might jeopardize your chances at recovering anything, even if it was
due to something unrelated (because, after all, if you want and modified your dropouts, who knows
what else you've done???).

If you've got a roof rack or some other reason that you need to remove your front wheel often,
well... I could take a close-up photo of my own dropouts, which appear to have something missing
from them, but if you saw it, I'd have to kill you. :>)

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

 

[Paul Bielec]

I have a small pump. I often change the tire pressure between the XC trail and bike path. I also
have a bike tire pressure gauge in my car. I have the 3 plastic dtick to dismount the tire. On the
bike path, I carry a patch kit with glue. On the XC trail, I carry a spare tube too. Always have my
cell phone with me.

"Cary Paugh" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Well I was out for my evening ride about 6 miles from home and had my first flat where I was more
> than easy walking distance from my house. Fortunately I carry my cell phone and had my wife come
> pick me up but think I'd better be more prepared for the inevitable next time.
>
> What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6"
> variety that would fit in my small seat pack or a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you
> carry a spare tube or patch kit?
>
> What about a tire removal tool? Three little plastic things that hook on the spokes or a
> "speed stick"?
>
> I'm not racing but hate to carry any more than I have to.
>
> Thanks in advance.

 

[Tom Paterson]

>From: Cary Paugh

>What do you carry?

At least 2 tubes, new, plus one or two known good patched ones. Silca pump (needs replaced, prob.
Zefal). Four plastic tire irons. Wrenches to fit every fastener on the bike, incl. spoke wrench.
Chain tool with a few links of chain. Map. Money. Cell phone. A smile knowing I'm probably not gonna
get stuck because I didn't have an extra tube (and for God's sake no tire irons!!) because I was
worried about carrying extra stuff. It isn't extra. All fits easily in a tire bag under the seat
except the pump of course.

Loved it a while back when a CO2 guy thanked me for saving him a buck by loaning the pump.
--Tom Paterson

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 15:15:12 GMT, Cary Paugh <[email protected]> wrote:
> What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6"
> variety that would fit in my small seat pack or

How about the one that is a single head that takes CO2 cartridges and an [included] mini-pump? I've
considered that for long rides, but instead carry two or three cans of Big Air on such rides (these
are big cans of CO2 that can do a couple tires to full pressure). This would get rather expensive if
I got lots of flats, I s'pose.

> a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you carry a spare tube or patch kit?

Both. A patch kit, especially a glueless one, is very, very small. A spare tube is necessary because
many flats you'd get can't be patched. You can carry many patches for puncture flats, and a tube for
bad flats.

> What about a tire removal tool? Three little plastic things that hook on the spokes or a
> "speed stick"?

I have standard tire levers, they suffice. I even found a little patch kit, looks like a scaled-up
CO2 cartridge, has patches and levers inside.

> I'm not racing but hate to carry any more than I have to.

Racing is irrelevant. Fixing it yourself and continuing to have fun is priceless. The weight isn't
much, and the volume is okay if you have a good size bag or camelbak.

> Thanks in advance.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Gordon Dewis]

"Cary Paugh" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6"
> variety that would fit in my small seat pack or a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you
> carry a spare tube or patch kit?

I carry a CO2 inflator with several cylinders, a short hand pump, spare tube and a patch kit. I've
been lucky so far in that I've only had to use the inflator/pump. I buy use the inflator almost
exclusively because I find using the pump aggravates the tendonitis in my arm and given that physio
is about $45/visit and the cartridges are a buck or two each (Canadian), I think that's a good
tradeoff. :-/

--G

 

[Michel Schinz]

Cary Paugh <[email protected]> writes:

[...]

> What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6"
> variety that would fit in my small seat pack or a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you
> carry a spare tube or patch kit?

I carry a good frame pump (a Zefal HPX, really wonderful), a patch kit, a spare tube and two
tire levers.

I heavily dislike CO2 cartridge, which are a complete nonsense in my opinion: first, because they
are a waste, and second because they can be used only once. I once had four flats in a single, 100
km tour, which were all due to a pretty destroyed tire, but at least I was able to go back home
without calling mom.

Just for the record, as I was riding a few days ago, I was stopped by two riders, one of whom had a
flat. They wanted to know if they could borrow my pump. The reason is that they had only one CO2
cartridge for the two of them, and didn't want to use it because they were at the beginning of their
tour. I of course agreed, and they started to mount the spare tube they had. Unfortunately it had a
short valve, and the guy had aero rims. Too bad. He wanted to call his wife, who apparently doesn't
mind driving for one hour just because her husband doesn't want to carry a patch kit, but I
suggested that I would instead repair the old tube with my patch kit. I did it, and they were able
to go on with their tour.

I just hope it teached them a lesson, and that they now leave their cell-phone and CO2 cartridges at
home and carry a patch kit and a pump instead.

Michel.

 

[Zaf]

Cary Paugh <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6"
> variety that would fit in my small seat pack or a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you
> carry a spare tube or patch kit?

Without expection every time I have seen someone try to inflate a tire with CO2, they were not
sucessful for one reason or another. There are some decent frame pumps, you may not be able to get
120#, but you'll get home.

A patch kit will fix 95% of all flats in my experience and benifits from the ability to fix several
flats on one ride. To get the remaining 5% of flats you need that spare tube.

Now that I think about it, the only non patchable flat I've ever had was hitting the bottom of a
bottle shading straight up, it cut the tire almost bead to bead also, so here even the spare tube
was not enough!

>
> What about a tire removal tool? Three little plastic things that hook on the spokes or a
> "speed stick"?

 

[Art Harris]

Cary Paugh wrote:

> What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6"
> variety that would fit in my small seat pack or a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you
> carry a spare tube or patch kit?

I carry two spare tubes, three steel tire levers, and a full size Zefal frame pump. Plus a patch kit
just in case. It doesn't slow me down.

If you get a flat, make sure you find what caused it before replacing the tube.

Art Harris

 

[David Damerell]

Michel Schinz <[email protected]> wrote:
>Just for the record, as I was riding a few days ago, I was stopped by two riders, one of whom had a
>flat. They wanted to know if they could borrow my pump. The reason is that they had only one CO2
>cartridge for the two of them, and didn't want to use it because they were at the beginning of
>their tour.

This is the correct technique for using CO2 inflators - wait for it to let you down, then wait for
someone with a proper pump to come by, mock you, and inflate your tyres.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Kill the tomato!

 

[David Damerell]

Cary Paugh <[email protected]> wrote:
>What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6"
>variety that would fit in my small seat pack or a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you carry
>a spare tube or patch kit?

I carry a spare tube, so as not to have to patch tubes in the rain or whatever; and also a patch
kit, so as not to tempt fate - also that way if I get a flat on a long ride I can fix the tube over
lunch. I also carry a minipump - it's not great but it'll get enough pressure in to get me home
- and three plastic tyre levers, along with a tyre boot (actually a 3" chunk of a previous tyre with
the beads hacked off).
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Kill the tomato!

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Fri, 08 Aug 2003 08:35:26 +0200, Michel Schinz <[email protected]> wrote:
> I just hope it teached them a lesson, and that they now leave their cell-phone and CO2 cartridges
> at home and carry a patch kit and a pump instead.

Cell phones and CO2 cartridges are not mutually exclusive of patch kits and pumps.

I carry two cans of Big Air (at least two tires per can), a tube, a patch kit (two now, I finally
got a glueless kit), a cell phone, a couple presta->schraeder adapters so I can use a gas station
compressor, and a spare folding tire (on the road bike, anyway).

And that's just what I carry for tire issues. My camelbak is so stuffed, I can barely get any
water in it.

Soon, I plan to get the CO2 inflator nozzle that includes a mini-pump attachment. At least I'll be
able to ride to the gas station on soft tires if I run out of CO2.

> Michel.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Jeff Starr]

"Gordon Dewis" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Cary Paugh" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...

>>> the cartridges are a buck or two each (Canadian) <<<

Hi, I noticed that at least one other poster, made reference to the somewhat high cost of CO2
cartridges. If you buy them at your LBS or from a bicycle mail-order, that is the case. But the
price is much lower, if you buy them at a discount sporting goods store or sporting goods dept of a
K-Mart type of store. Get them in the section that sells CO2 pistols/rifles, like paint ball guns.
They are much cheaper. I think somewhere between .50-.75[US], when bought in boxes of 15- 25, maybe
even less. Recently someone posted a neat trick for saving space. They drill a hole in the bottom
half of the CO2 inflator, the size of the nipple. That way they have a cartridge in the inflator,
upside down, unopened. Very clever, I haven't tried it yet, but might in the future. I usually leave
an almost spent cartridge in there. It usually has enough air left to give the tube some shape for
mounting. Then I put a fresh cartridge in for the actual inflation. Just for the record, I carry a
spare tube, A patch kit, a set of plastic tire bars, 3 unopened CO2 cartridges,and a Crank Bros
Micra 17 multi-tool. This is what I carry for everyday riding, appr. 10-40 miles per ride. Lefe is
Good! Jeff

> > What do you carry? If I'm going to carry a hand pump I would want one of the very small < 6"
> > variety that would fit in my small seat pack or a CO2 type. I've never used either. Would you
> > carry a spare tube or patch kit?
>
> I carry a CO2 inflator with several cylinders, a short hand pump, spare tube and a patch kit. I've
> been lucky so far in that I've only had to use the inflator/pump. I buy use the inflator almost
> exclusively because I find using the pump aggravates the tendonitis in my arm and given that
> physio is about $45/visit and the cartridges are a buck or two each (Canadian), I think that's a
> good tradeoff. :-/
>
> --G

 

[Andrew Webster]

Cary Paugh <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Well I was out for my evening ride about 6 miles from home and had my first flat where I was more
> than easy walking distance from my house. Fortunately I carry my cell phone and had my wife come
> pick me up but think I'd better be more prepared for the inevitable next time.
>
<cut>
>
> What about a tire removal tool? Three little plastic things that hook on the spokes or a
> "speed stick"?
>
> I'm not racing but hate to carry any more than I have to.
...but you say earlier "Fortunately I carry my cell phone", both these assertions cannot be true ;-)

I would take a puncture repair kit, pump, spare tube and pair of tyre levers would be far above a
telephone on my essentials list. Touring I would add a small screwdriver and Allen keys and
multi-spanner.

I take a full size frame pump. As I see it benefits outstrip weight disadvantage and its easier to
carry than a mini-pump...the rest fits into the smallest seat bag. I have these essentials on each
bike so that I'm never caught on the hop.

Andrew Webster

 

[dlj0]

In article <[email protected]>, "Gordon Dewis" <gordon@pinetree.
org> writes:

>I carry a CO2 inflator with several cylinders, a short hand pump, spare tube and a patch kit. I've
>been lucky so far in that I've only had to use the inflator/pump. I buy use the inflator almost
>exclusively because I find using the pump aggravates the tendonitis in my arm and given that physio
>is about $45/visit and the cartridges are a buck or two each (Canadian), I think that's a good
>tradeoff. :-/
>
A buck each? Ouch! Get the kind that use unthreaded cartridges; it'll be a lot cheaper. But also
look into a better pump. I can't recommend anything better than the ToPeak Road Morph for use
during rides. It inflates like a floor pump, which should help your arm. Of course a floor pump is
best for home use.

I also find that CO2-inflated tires seem to go soft faster than air-inflated tires. This has been
discussed before, and others have found the same thing.

David L. Johnson Department of Mathematics Lehigh University

 

[Toon]

Michel Schinz <[email protected]> wrote in message

> I just hope it teached them a lesson,

taught them a lesson

 

[Rick Onanian]

On 8 Aug 2003 05:06:54 -0700, Zaf <[email protected]> wrote:
> Without expection every time I have seen someone try to inflate a tire with CO2, they were not
> sucessful for one reason or another. There are some decent frame pumps, you may not be able to get
> 120#, but you'll get home.

The only time I've ridden in a group where somebody flatted, he needed a whole new tube. Luckily,
a few people had presta tubes to fit him, so he used one. He began to pump it up with a mini-pump
he had, but because the pump head is rigidly attached to the pump body (not on a hose), he broke
the valve.

Okay, so somebody else offered a tube. Somebody else's pump was used, by the person who owns the
pump. The valve on that tube was broken, too.

Then, I offered my CO2 for the final tube that anybody had. We were back on the trail two
minutes later.

That right there is the advantage of CO2, and how it's easy to be unsuccessful with pumps.

BTW, I recently flatted with a tube that broke at the seam to the valve. It was 95 degrees farenheit
that day, and I was tired from a long ride. Wouldn't you know, my CO2 inflator made me quite happy,
even though the guy I was riding with had a pump that could have saved me a $3 Big Air can of CO2...
I sure as hell didn't want to bust my balls pumping in that heat, only to get home even later.

> A patch kit will fix 95% of all flats in my experience and benifits from the ability to fix
> several flats on one ride. To get the remaining 5% of flats you need that spare tube.

My flats are always long slices through the tube that can't be patched, or bad/broken presta valves
(or where the valve meets the tube).

Strangely enough, my MTB tubes can often be patched, and never have any problem anywhere near their
schraeder valves. I even patched a long opening where the tube came apart at the seam (like a cheap
wal-mart tube would, but this was a good one!), and I didn't even try hard with the patch; and it
worked! Like new.

I don't know that I've ever had a standard puncture flat that would work with a little round patch.
I have lots of little round patches now, and no big long ones left.

> tire almost bead to bead also, so here even the spare tube was not enough!

It's nice to have a spare tire. I've got two; the one for the bike, and the one that is the
non-biking nickname for my aero-belly. <G>
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Gordon Dewis]

<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, "Gordon Dewis"
<gordon@pinetree.
> org> writes:
> A buck each? Ouch! Get the kind that use unthreaded cartridges; it'll be
a
> lot cheaper. But also look into a better pump. I can't recommend
anything
> better than the ToPeak Road Morph for use during rides. It inflates like
a
> floor pump, which should help your arm. Of course a floor pump is best
for
> home use.

They are unthreaded, but I'm the only person who buys them from my LBS. So I buy a big bag at the
beginning of the season and get a bit of a discount. But I'm going to check non-LBS sources for them
next year.

> I also find that CO2-inflated tires seem to go soft faster than
air-inflated
> tires. This has been discussed before, and others have found the same
thing.

Hm.

I wonder if something in the valve doesn't like being frozen during the fill process. Perhaps
something deforms slightly causing the valve to do a slow leak.