Pump and CO2 cartridge, need advice

[lph]

Depending on the length of the ride and the crappiness of the roads I carry one or two tubes and CO2 cartridges, no pump. I switch tubes and patch at home. If I "expected" to need 3 tubes I'd carry a pump instead.

But I always carry a cell phone, and in my neck of the woods I can either catch a bus, call home or call a taxi if necessary.

But this is also because I rarely flat (pretty good roads and Conti GP 4000 tires which have a good rep for flat resistance) and don't have a good frame pump. I've helped others with an CO2 cartridge or tube more often than I've used it myself.

[tulip]

2 tubes, patch kit, CO2 cartridge, and pump here. I have a really small pump that I can fit in my back pocket. Can't remember the name of it. On my Bike Friday, that has a rack, I've strapped a Road Morph onto the underside of the rack with bungies.

[Crankin]

I carry 2 tubes and 2 cartridges. I can't mount a pump on my frame because of the design and size. When I had my Trek, I had a Road Morph pump on the down tube.
I don't waste time with patching. Tubes are cheap. Plus, I've only had 3 flats in 8 years...

[sundial]

I carry 2 tubes, a patch kit and an Axiom pump that is a combination hand pump and CO2 cartridge inflator. I also keep dollar bills handy in case my tire is punctured and I can slip the dollar bill in between the tube and tire to get me home.

If you decide to carry a compact hand pump, know that you could snap off the valve if you are tired and you are struggling to inflate it to pressure. It happened to my mtb. I like the Topeak Master Blaster road pump because it has a retractable hose which makes it unlikely that you'll break off the valve during inflation.

[Sindyeli]

Wow, thanks for this amazing bunch of posts ! It's great to read about everyone's preferences. I'm going to research the frame pump option.

I realise I don't know how much a cartridge fills up a tube. I doubt it gets it to the perfect psi, so can any of you tell me your experience with using them? Have you had to top off the tube with your pump or the opposite, being careful not to blow your tube up with too much air? And do you carry a gauge or just go by feel?

[sundial]

Have you had to top off the tube with your pump or the opposite, being careful not to blow your tube up with too much air? And do you carry a gauge or just go by feel?

One of my methods for putting on a new tube is to partially inflate the tube, seat the tire on the tube and deflate the tube. I re-inflate the tube and check that the tire is equally seated on the rim and then inflate the tube all the way if it is. This method had helped me decrease the liklihood of a pinch flat. If you have a CO2 cartridge, you have one shot to inflate it to the max psi. That's why I think it's a good idea to have both a CO2 inflator and a hand pump.

[VeloVT]

One of my methods for putting on a new tube is to partially inflate the tube, seat the tire on the tube and deflate the tube. I re-inflate the tube and check that the tire is equally seated on the rim and then inflate the tube all the way if it is. This method had helped me decrease the liklihood of a pinch flat. If you have a CO2 cartridge, you have one shot to inflate it to the max psi. That's why I think it's a good idea to have both a CO2 inflator and a hand pump.

You can do a partial inflate with most C02 pumps (both my big Ultraflate and teeny Silca threaded pump will allow it). If you truly just inflate to a few PSI, there's no need to deflate the tube to seat the tire, if you are careful. I usually will pre-inflate a little bit. Then after I've seated the tire, but before inflating all the way, I will go around the entire tire, checking both sides, to make sure there are no areas where the tube is up under the bead (but if you pre-inflate a little, this doesn't happen as often anyway).

I'm still able to inflate to full pressure using just one cartridge...

That said, I usually carry lots of extra cartridges. They don't take up much room. I always carry one or two tubes (depending on ride length), glueless patches (which I have used during rides before), 3-4 cartridges, and CO2 pump. I don't have a frame pump and don't really see a need for one, as long as you carry more than 1-2 cartridges...

[Eden]

I carry two cartridges with a tiny inflator, one tube, a patch kit, and a mini pump for dire straits (it won't go to full PSI, but it will get you home)