I can see they’re quicker and less effort required for race and maybe epic purposes, but for general riding? Just curious as my mini pump is (notoriously, in our group) small-volume and I get a remarkable number of punctures.

Truflo. If you get a lot of punctures it will get pricey. Get a decent pump.

http://www.tyreinflators.co.uk/co2-cartridges-16gm/mosa-16gm-threaded-co2-box-of-30/prod_256.html?ean=00004700000035

50 pence per puncture. I’d not go back to a hand help pump.

For general riding just use a decent pump, like the Mountain Morph. Use them solely for seating UST tyres. On C02 cartridge will not fully inflate most MTB tyres (only real skinny ones) to a usable pressure, IMHO.

Depends on the canister size, I can get a 2.2″ tyre to a more-than-useable 35psi with a 16g one. Usually only use them on the road though, smaller cans needed and getting a road tyre to 100+ psi is a pain with a mini pump.

I’ve not had a problem completing my ride either on road or off househusband although admittedly I’ve always topped up the pressure when I’ve got home with a track pump. I’ve had two twitchy moments though when a well hidden thorn had given me two punctures on a road ride and I’d been left with no cartridges in case I got a third (I had a tube patch but I’d used my spare tubes as well so finding the hole was going to be fun) and a pinch flat on the mountain bike with one cartridge and one tube left and 15 rocky off road miles to home.
I carry one of those little presta to schraeder valve convertors and a few 50p’s on each bike so I can limp to the nearest petrol station as a last chance solution. Now you mention it, I’m going to budget in 1 and a half cartridges per tube.
Pumping like billy’o at the side of road or track seems so….undignified to me now 🙂

LOL @ barca!
Yeah, you’ve got to be really sure that all the thorns etc are out and the tyre is seated before using the CO2 can! I learnt my lesson a couple of years ago in the Three Peaks CX, pinch flatted on Pen y Ghent, fitted new tube, gas canned it – and the tyre popped off the rim leaving the tube bulging out! 🙁 Had to deflate, reseat the tyre, used the last of the gas to get it up to about 30psi and then pump away with the mini pump. Didn’t help, it pinch flatted again a mile later. Double 🙁

After seeing a friend nearly blow his face off, I’m staying away from CO2 and using a rocket pump.

Might be handy if you’re doing a race and need air pressure quick!

Bicycle tyres can be really deflating can’t they James? 🙂

crazy-legs, barca:

Just realised that I’m going by my experience of seating 2.2″ Rubber Queen UST tyres on UST rims, so I will have lost a fair amount of CO2 in just seating them, so I guess a cartridge would be able to get an average MTB tyre to a usable pressure. Haven’t used C02 to reinflate seated UST tyres as I’ve been informed it knackers the sealant!

Interesting points there, I do want to run tubeless again on at least one tyre so it’s not a bad idea to try one but I can see it getting pricey if I cant get it to seat right, plus I’ll be jangling with carts in the bag :D, so ultimately will still have to carry a tube anyway.

so ultimately will still have to carry a tube anyway.

I’ve never unseated a UST tyre on the trail as any holes that sealant won’t deal with is repaired with sticky string – don’t have to remove the tyre as all done externally. I still carry a tube anyway, and the C02 stays at home.

I run poor-mans-tubeless though 😀