[Closed] Do I need a pump and Co2 inflator ?

I’d rather have a pump than CO2.

Depends on the ride.  <span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">I (almost) always take:</span>

Tube

Pump or co2

Patches/tubeless repair

Multi tool

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Minor spares like Chain links, brake pads etc.</span>

I usually take co2 on group rides as its nice not to be the one faffing if its raining. Solo rides I take the pump only.

To avoid the kitchen sink problem swap to a saddle bag, it'll hold all the essentials and means you can put one on each bike with specific tubes, spares etc. Then your bag is just used for water and clothing.

What happens if you run out of gas? Whilst the convenience of gas is good, sometimes it doesn't work 1st time e.g. water in the valve freezes and it stays open.

Pump over gas.

Saddle bags tend to get fouled by the rear wheel on FS bikes..

Bottle  pump and spare tube on frame always.

Bum bag (sorry  hip pack) is a good option for me, but since using it to carry only a multi tool, a bag of nuts and an extra bottle of water I've found myself riding more and more often with a just my phone and a little box of plugs, stabby thing and glue.

On the ups the helmet gets strapped over the stem and knee pads (and sometimes back protector) stuffed into the helmet.

Freedom!

I have an airborne with a built in co2 inflator. Sometimes I need to add a bit of air so a small pump is ideal. Co2 canister and spare tube are strapped to the frame in case of emergency.

I've been using a hip pack (really minimal Bontrager rapid pack) this year for sub 2 hr ish local rides and it's great.

I also put a micro DHB saddle bag on all my bikes (at £7 each it's affordable) as thisisnotaspoonsays - containing a specific tube for each bike and a couple of CO2 carts and a tyre lever..

In the bumbag goes multitool, tubeless repair, a couple of patches, a couple of c02 carts phone, keys, wallet. Thin jacket, gilet, extra water, headtorch as conditions dictate.

Not been stranded yet...had to use the tubeless reapair and C02 a couple of times. Definitely worth having say 4xC02 at the outset of each ride if you've no pump, because once you've used a couple to inflate a high vol 29er tyre you ain't got anythign else to blow air in with . All worked out fine so far.

Thanks guys im starting to form an opinion. My brother bought me a small saddlebag for Christmas ive never used it but now it sounds like i have a use for it. It will take a tube, inflator and a couple of cartridges.I can carry the tubles repair kit,multitoool and a 1 litre bladder that came with the bum bag i brought  from  Go-Outdoors last week.With a 500ml bottle on the bike ( i drink a lot even on short rides)

Thanks for the advice. Great as usual on here.

Gas over pump for me, my puncture rate is low I have not needed patches for years now so I have enough CO2 for the tubes I have + for a tubeless reinflate. If I had problems with punctures this would be different

I carry both. A CO2 cannister will only partially fill a 29er tyre so use two to partially fill then top up with the pump. Depends on what tyre pressures you're running of course, I'm still running high 20's to mid 30's on the rear and mid 20's on the front...I can't get on with tyre pressures lower than that - ruins the handling of the bike for me and I can't stand bashing the rim. If you're running very low pressures than one to two canisters will be fine on large volume tyres.

I've never had a reliability problem with CO2 canisters, but it's not a hassle carrying a pump too so I do. Better carry one and never need it than need one and not having it.

CO2 for racing. Pump for riding. It’s not hard to pump up a tyre.

CO2 for racing. Pump for riding. It’s not hard to pump up a tyre.

This.

CO2 only for me. But I have tested the inflators and know how to use them properly. I always carry at least two cartridges too. Try before you need it and avoid Lezyne.

CO2 for racing. Pump for riding. It’s not hard to pump up a tyre.

In normal riding the frequency of me needing to pump up a tyre is so low it's not worth it, Plus CO2 will reinflate/seat tubeless most of the time if I need it. I've got CO2 and head in each of my riding bags/kits so I always have one.

Co2 on rides when never far from car. Both on longer rides.

This weekend my tubeless tyre had a cut that wouldn't seal, and had 2 punctures with tubes, glad I had my pump then.

I carry one of these. Use c02 and if I run out I have an option to manually inflate (even if takes twenty minutes, its an emergency get me home type of solution)

"In normal riding the frequency of me needing to pump up a tyre is so low it’s not worth it, Plus CO2 will reinflate/seat tubeless most of the time if I need it. I’ve got CO2 and head in each of my riding bags/kits so I always have one."

i guess it depends how far your ride as to how far it is to walk on that one time it doesnt seal first time.

i guess it depends how far your ride as to how far it is to walk on that one time it doesnt seal first time.

I've enough for the tubes I'm carrying and one shot at the tyre. About the same boat as most people, never used a patch in anger for best part of 10 years so I'm happy with the balance. If your carrying more punmps/co2 than things you can inflate then you should probably have a think about it.

Like I said . Risk Vs reward for the length of walk .

Any time I'm a good distance from the car / house it's a  pump all day long. Infinate supply of air for a limp back to the car if I'm having issues with a torn tire etc.

Co2 in a race situation for sure.

If I had to choose one solution for every situation it would be a pump.

Any time I’m a good distance from the car / house it’s a  pump all day long. Infinate supply of air for a limp back to the car if I’m having issues with a torn tire etc.

And when you run out of things to blow up? It's always risk vs reward but I'm not carrying something to blow nothing up 🙂

ill reitterate

"infinate air for a limp back to the car if I’m having issues with a torn tire etc"

of course the alternative if you have no co2 left is to stuff it with grass or perhaps an uber.

and thats of course before we touch on the wastefulness of the cannisters and of the Co2 ..... think of all that Co2 that could have been used in the production of beer !

Out of interest if you only have co2 and need to add a little bit of air, because the tyre burps or does not seal quickly etc what do you do?

Use the CO2, how often do you burp the tyres?

Tyre went soft on my last ride not sure why. Pumped it back up.  If you don't use all the co2 in cannister what do you do with the left over?

Make fizzy water from streams, do your tyres go soft a lot?

Anyway just my experiences, used about 4 canisters in the last few thousand KM's so it works for me

If you get a lot of soft/flats/punctures then by all means carry a pump.

Not loads, I like to run low pressure so sometimes I need to add a little bit of air if it's very rocky or if the sealant does not work quick enough. Just curious about the co2 as I have never used one.

One thing that really bugs me is the larger CO2 cartridges are disproportionately expensive compared to the regular size which will put enough air in to get you home but not quite enough to get up to a reasonable pressure.

I don't carry a pump when out, but I carry 3 x 16gram cartridges.

Have a track pump at home which gets much more use than CO2. As I don't tend to get rim strikes since figuring out a pressure just high enough for my riding.

I do check pressure about once a week though as a few PSI too low will mean I get snakebites.

I have a cheap planet-x mini pump on the bottle mounts of most of my bikes - not quick, but good if I've a slow flat or need to blow up a tube to find a hole.  Carry CO2 only on the road bike, as it's pretty much always a tube swap if that gets a flat.  On a bike with tubeless tyres, I'll take a CO2 if I remember, just in case I roll or burp the tyre.

Co2

For the last 5 years. And that's on big rides.

I've been caught short once but a pump wouldn't have made any difference as the issue was lack of sealant.

I have pumps that will take a CO2 cartridge as well on all bikes apart from one. That bike has a CO2 nozzle in the saddle bag which cost about 2 euros and weighs nothing in the grand scheme of things. I almost always use CO2 as I'm too lazy but I only get 1 or 2 a year that need fixing immediately. A slow puncture I'll live with until I finish.

rone +1.

Don't bother with a pump these days.

Minimal kit for me on the roadie; I've even ditched the saddle bag. I now carry just a dispenser and two cylinders plus a tube sucked flat, rolled tight and taped up with two tyre levers. I don't even carry a multi-tool because I reckon that if the bike needs adjustment out on the road it's my fault for not maintaining it properly!

I don’t even carry a multi-tool because I reckon that if the bike needs adjustment out on the road it’s my fault for not maintaining it properly!

I admire someone prepared to screw himself over for his principles.

I have a tiny topeak thing for small adjustments but, to be fair, you're right, 90% of my road/trail side fixes are down to shoddy workmanship.

So if your chain breaks and you're stranded, as you sit waiting for a lift to arrive you'll be happy because it was your fault...?  Bit of an odd attitude I must say 🙂

Bit of an odd attitude I must say

Sometimes Molly, just sometimes, people don't think exactly as you do. It doesn't make them right or you wrong, it's just different.... 🙂

Most of my rides, I carry bugger all, as I carted all sorts of shit about for years, and can hardly recall using most of it, ever. It's my own wee risk assessment....

This is where the one-up components pump/tool/CO2 thing is ore-sum!

Just pop the pump (with tool and CO2) on whichever bike I'm riding, and Robert's your Mother's brother...

DrP