C02 cartridges are only for "temporary" air ... WHO KNEW?!!!!

[OakLeaf]

And he said this explains why he sees tires being filled with pumps at the Tour de France. He could never figure out why they wouldn't just use an air compressor, which would be so much quicker.

Um, an "air compressor" (like you have in your garage) compresses and delivers AIR. They could use pre-filled nitrogen cylinders... but why?

In high-level pro races they just swap wheels... so how long it takes to fix the flat is pretty much irrelevant.

I think the reason they use pumps in that context is control. You know how you fill a great big auto or motorcycle tire from a compressor - go over by a couple-three pounds and then let the air out with the valve in your gauge, right? Leaving the compressor on a skinny road bicycle tire for that extra second or even half-second could be enough to blow it clear off the rim. (BTDT at gas station compressors when I was a kid ) By the time you check and adjust the pressure several times, it's just as quick to pump a road bike tire by hand - with a decent floor pump it only takes 25-30 strokes to go from 0 to 120 (it seems like... I'll count them next time!)

[tulip]

Interesting news, y'all are serious investigators on this stuff! I've never used a CO2 cartridge. They did not exist for cyclists when I started riding in the 80s, so I've always carried a pump with me. My Road Morph gets me up to 100 PSI without any problems. CO2 cartridges can fail and people use them incorrectly, and if you don't have a pump, you're plum outta luck. Also, what do you do with the spent cartridges--just throw them away? That seems like such a waste somehow.

So even if you use CO2 cartridges, you might still want to have a pump for backup.

[SadieKate]

Interesting news, y'all are serious investigators on this stuff! I've never used a CO2 cartridge. They did not exist for cyclists when I started riding in the 80s, so I've always carried a pump with me. My Road Morph gets me up to 100 PSI without any problems. CO2 cartridges can fail and people use them incorrectly, and if you don't have a pump, you're plum outta luck. Also, what do you do with the spent cartridges--just throw them away? That seems like such a waste somehow.

So even if you use CO2 cartridges, you might still want to have a pump for backup.

Can't disagree with a word you've said. Pumps provided unlimited air and don't fill up the overstressed landfills.

[Bluetree]

Also, what do you do with the spent cartridges--just throw them away? That seems like such a waste somehow.

Several of my LBSs recycle old tubes and spent cartridges. I just throw them in a box until my next visit, then drop them off.

[kfergos]

A lot of the cartridges are straight steel or aluminum, which is recyclable in most places, too. Even so it does seem like a waste compared to free air and one device to put the air in your tires.

[Crankin]

Some of us have bikes that are too small to fit a pump on. I had a very nice Road Morph pump on my Trek, but even that took a lot of work to figure out a place where it would fit. I absolutely can't put a pump on my Kuota. It's not just the size, but the shape of some parts of the bike where you would usually put a pump.
I have the metal cartridges.

[OakLeaf]

The Topeak Micro Rocket series - I can't think of a bike that it wouldn't fit on. Plenty of room between my left crankarm and frame. And if it really won't fit on your frame, it'll go in a jersey pocket or seat pack.

Not the quickest way to air a tire. Not very polite on a group ride unless you make it very clear that you don't want anyone to either wait or lend you their CO2. But it definitely is good for enough pressure that I'm comfortable finishing out a ride.

[SadieKate]

I haven't met a bike bottle cage yet that can't handle a Barbieri and it pumps pretty well to high pressure.