punctures what tools do you take with you? co2 cylinder?

[j4ckos mate]

Hi,

jsut getting back into cycling,
i dont want to take a pump everywhere i go, i have a little top tube/headset pannier thats just big enough for a phone, tyre levers and spare innertube.

i was thinking of getting those air cylinders rather than taking a pump does anyone use them?
are they any good? how many does it take to get a racing tyre up and hard?

[Kell]

Not really sure what your aversion to a pump is. Mine is a Mini one that's attached to my forks, but you'd otherwise not notice it's there.

I can understand the need for a CO2 canister if you're racing - ie rip your tube out, chuck it, put a new one in and pump up with canister - but for normal rides, I think they're overkill.

I've got a set of metal tyre levers and a good old-fashioned puncture repair kit. Takes about 10 minutes to fix - and in actual fact, the pumping up is probably the quickest bit of the process.

[Rouleur]

I use co2 as I hate having to use a mini pump, it took my brother IIRC 140 strokes to get up to maybe 90psi following a flat a while ago...

You're best off using 16oz cannisters, it takes maybe 80% of one to get a 23c tyre to around 100psi so I reckon at a push two cannisters would fix three punctures depending on how much you put in.

This is what I have http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/p...

[TheFungle]

I use a Lezyne Road in 'small' and it disappears into my back pocket that I barely know it's there.

I had been using canisters but there was the odd time when the either didn't put enough in or they put too much in! POP

[Engineer1]

I've used CO2 and the gas expansion and resultant cooling has on occasion frozen the valve open

[Mr Will]

Buy a decent pump. There's a world of difference between the cheap ones and the good ones - Lezyne Road Drive being my weapon of choice.

The problem with the cylinders is that they are one-shot. What are you going to do if you get more than one puncture? You end up having to carry several of them or packing a pump as well.

Also - Modern self-adhesive patches are awesome. Pack some of them too.

[yellowjack]

Mr Will said:

Buy a decent pump. There's a world of difference between the cheap ones and the good ones - Lezyne Road Drive being my weapon of choice.

The problem with the cylinders is that they are one-shot. What are you going to do if you get more than one puncture? You end up having to carry several of them or packing a pump as well.

Also - Modern self-adhesive patches are awesome. Pack some of them too.

This ^^^

The quality and look/feel/finish of the Lezyne Road Drive is utterly fabulous. And it works, too, so not the usual 'style over substance'. It comes with a bracket that fits under a bottle cage, and you can buy spare brackets to move it between bikes without needing Allen Keys.

Alternatively, anything else with Lezyne written on the side. Some are fat and short, and better in a jersey pocket. Others are long and thin, ideal mounted in a bracket on the down tube/seat tube. I may be mistaken, but I think Lezyne also do a pump which will take a CO2 cannister too, so you have the best of both worlds.

Found it... http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-road-drive-cfh-pump... may be a bit pricey at £50, or maybe it's worth it?

[extraT]

What are punctures??!! http://www.evanscycles.com/search?query=armadillo&...

Although I carry a repair kit and spare tubes, I have never used it...

[anonymous-user]

The only issue with canisters is deciding how many to take. Sure its takes a lot of strokes to get a tyre up to 100 psi but it only takes a few troublesome thorns or a stretch of flinty road, a farmer cutting a hedge, glass from a car accident etc and you can have more holes in your tyre than co2 in your canisters... so people develop the same mindset as they do with food/drink, take what you think you will need then add one or two in case of emergency and before you know it, you are carrying 3 or 4 co2 canisters!

I have a topeak mini pump thing and mount it on the bottle cage, balls to the rules on this one, I'm not pushing a bike home.

[yellowjack]

pablo said:

I have a topeak mini pump thing and mount it on the bottle cage, balls to the rules on this one, I'm not pushing a bike home.

"Rules are for fools"

[Mr Will]

The only time I think canisters make sense is when riding with a group. The advantage of faster inflation becomes important when people are waiting for you and the downside of running out becomes less significant when there are plenty of people to borrow a source of inflation from.