Last week’s CO2 cartridge tips generated a lot of interest and comments, and Coach Rick Schultz has followed up with these additional tips for how to use them effectively.
Threaded or non-threaded inflators. Doing a quick google search for CO2 cartridges, the industry appears to have moved to threaded inflators. Basically, these work as follows.
- screw cartridge into inflator head up to the point where you feel a little resistance. That is the point where you have pushed the inflator head up against the cartridge seal.
- push the inflator head onto the valve stem.
- finish screwing in the cartridge all the way into the inflator head.
- slowly unscrew the cartridge until the tire/tube starts inflating. The more you unscrew, the faster the flow rate.
Note: Once the CO2 starts filling the tire or tube, it will get very cold. It is best to use your cycling gloves as an insulator.
CO2 cartridges can be used for tubeless as well as tubed tires. Ever since CO2 cartridges became available for cyclists, most cyclists have dumped the pump. I carry an inflator head and 2 or 3 cartridges depending on the length of the ride. I have several bicycles; a couple have tubeless tires and a couple others have tubes. The CO2 inflators work great on both.
Note: Always carry a patch kit to patch the tubeless tire from the inside or patch the tube in case you get numerous flats (which do occur).
Make sure you have the correct CO2 cartridge. There are two (2) cartridge sizes, one is 20g used primarily for mountain bike and fat tire bikes, the other 16g for smaller volume road and gravel bikes. Genuine Innovations wrote a good guide to this. Using the wrong cartridge might cause the tire to be underinflated or overinflated (potentially causing a blow out if using a tube).
CO2 cartridges are great for the initial sealing of a road tubeless tire. For those that have tubeless road tires, installing a new tire can be frustrating since the tubeless tire needs to seal against the rim prior to inflating. The best way for this to happen is to recognize that the tire needs an initial high burst of air, all at once, which you can get from a CO2 cartridge. Sometimes it helps to remove the valve so all the CO2 goes in at the fastest rate. Regular bicycle pumps do not typically provide enough air flow to seal the tire unless you buy one of the ones that is specifically designed for this purpose. The air will just leak out between the tire and rim.
It is cheaper to purchase CO2 cartridges in bulk. Bulk packages can be 5, 10, 20, 50, and even 100 pieces. In larger bulk, 16g cartridges are around $1 each (for threaded cartridges).
My inflator can use either threaded or non-threaded cartridges. I buy air gun 12g non-threaded cartridges in a box or fifty for much less than cycling cartridges. I find that one 12g is sufficient for my 32mm road tires. It’s been a long time since I flatted on my MTB, but two cartridges should be fine if that happens.
What inflator is that?
I have an older version of this;
https://www.genuineinnovations.com/collections/bicycle-co2-tire-inflators/products/ultraflate-co2-bike-tire-inflator
If you want to use a 12g non-threaded cartridges then you need to put a washer, I think a number 10 is the right size, under the cartridge when you install it in the holder.
I use threaded 16g cartridges for my road bikes. I always buy them in bulk from a non-cycling site, where they are much cheaper. Kitchen supply sites are usually good. I usually buy 50 and sell 5 for $5 to my friends. Covers my costs and gets me about 10 free cartridges.
Somebody needs to make them with overpressure valves so you can slam it in and get it Just Right without any trouble.
I have moved to using https://www.fumpapumps.com/ as primary inflation and also carry CO2 for remounting tubeless. This combo works great on all my bike road, gavel, mountain, and fat tire bike.
My bikes can be seen here: https://rneher-igel.github.io/Neher/Docs/Pictures-and-Videos/
Nice bikes and photos!
“Sometimes it helps to remove the valve so all the CO2 goes in at the fastest rate.” Maybe. But you’ll need two CO2 cartridges. One to seal the bead, and another to re-inflate the tire after you remove the first cartridge. Without a valve, all the CO2 will escape… and quickly. Also a lot of sealant.
I use a relatively inexpensive regulator from Portland Design Group, although I notice that Silca now sells a similar regulator. It has a screw valve so you can actually easily regulate the flow of C02 into the tire. Also, CO2 is less dense than air, so best practice (tube or no tube) is to deflate the tire and re-inflate the tire with a pump or compressor.
Don’t add sealant until AFTER you seat the bead. This is easily done with an injector and works with any manner of tire inflation.
Important lesson for me. I have an inflator with a knob to control flow. I must remember to close the inflator knob immediately after use. If not, I forget. Then when I need it again, when I screw the cartridge on, the inflator is left open, and I lose all the air and waste a cartridge ??
Oh… one other thing…. I cut 1.5-2″ pieces of old tubes to put around my CO2 cartridges. It keeps them from rattling while riding, and also keeps your fingers from sticking to them if they get too cold. Your fingers will still get cold, but not as badly and they won’t freeze to the CO2 canister.