Mini Bike Pump Vs CO2 Inflator: The Pros & Cons

Punctures are an inevitable and deflating side to cycling. But with a mini pump or a CO2 inflator with you on a bike ride you'll always be able to get up to pressure. Jon discusses the pros and cons of each.

Which do you carry on your ride? Let us know in the comments below

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[LtEdPell]

Mini pump. Had plenty of practice with the motion needed from my teen years.

[danielsingleton]

There seems to be a bit of a trend where I live in Rochdale where cyclists just toss their empty CO2 canisters to the roadside once used. I cannot seem to go on a ride anymore without passing at least one canister discarded in the gutter. If you can carry the canister on a ride with you, then you can carry an empty canister back home with you!

[justjordan]

Pump all the way, even mounted on the frame, in shiny proud Red. I ain't afraid of no punchures, had one 3 days ago, cost me only 30 seconds to inflate the tire. Now removing and putting the tire back on the rim ... that was 30 minutes job.

[TheMonsterPool]

There is another con of the co2 pump you forgot. The co2 molecules are so small that they slowly permeate through the inner tube. So you should always replace it with regular air when you get back home.

[mantrajack]

I also used to carry around a Presta/Schrader converter for using the gas station air compressors if I need that extra amount of air in my tire after an inner tube emergency :)

[thacktron]

I use Joes tube sealant. This goes in the tube and if you get a puncture (say a 3-corner jack), simply pull it out of the tyre, spin your wheel and the sealant inside the tube seals the puncture right away. So simple.

[josephkozachek]

For the pump: you can pump up the flat tube to see where the hole in the tube is...so that you can check the corresponding spot on the tire for something poking through the tire ... avoiding a second flat more effectively. if you only have 2 cannisters and miss a thorn etc...or get two flats from the same debris and dont detect that thorn/glass/wire shard etc....you are stuck.
Pro the cannisters: higher pressures than you can reasonably get with a tiny pump in a realistic time frame, smaller, more compact....
But... mostly Im running tubeless now so Ive gone to the cannisters and a spare tube (only one) but also a plug kit as back up and knock on wood...havent had a problem

[FormostPanda]

I'm old school and have a frame pump. Our roads have changed over the last few decades, with more traffic and more road debris. It's always good to carry an extra tube and pump.

[bussyeye]

Frame fit pump: Zefal hpX4 and archieves 174psi.
The ratio within my cycling club is: 60/40% (mini pump/Co2, and I am the only with a frame pump.
Usually with a flat tire (mini pump), my pump is usually borrowed.

[iliakag]

You'd never understand the joy of canisters until you've pumped a road tire to 120 PSI with a mini pump. Especially if, by Murphy's law, you're late and just before the top of the climb (i.e. very tired). I, personally, ride with both.


Also, please do a video that shows (in real-time?) the time and effort it takes to pump a tire with a mini pump. Just as a service to show new riders what to expect. Maybe as a comparison to find the quickest/best pump?

[Vii_DT]

pro tip: pick a minipump with a hosed connector. your tube valve will thank you.

[bullwinkle]

Great timing for this video - just suffered a puncture yesterday! I carry a Lezyne Road Drive mini pump, and it performed flawlessly. It's absolutely advantageous in allowing you to put a few PSI into the tube before placing onto the rim, before completing the job once you make sure the tube is totally within the tire and allowing the beads to seat properly.

[mlenz]

Lezyne road drive. Use the bottle cage mount, so it always on the bike. The built in hose makes its so easy to use.

[WowRixter]

Never going with C02. Cycling is not harmful to environment (relative to other forms of mechanical transport). Why ruin that with a disposable cartridge. Lezyne Road Drive for me.

[robinseibel]

I've got both. The CO2 inflator is the first line option; and the mini-pump is there (on a bracket mounted behind a water bottle cage) for days when things go all pear shaped. Does my mini-pump mounted on my frame make may bike and me look less racy? Maybe, but no one looks racy sitting by the roadside with a flat tire they can't inflate.

[alanpage]

I use a Lezyne mini pump, which has a holder to fit beneath the bidon cage; separate holders avail for multiple bikes sharing 1 pump. It has a reversable hose to accommodate schrader and presta valves. The hose doesn't jerk on the valve, the way a clamp-on pump head does. I use the next larger (medium mini?) Lezeyne on the MTB for larger volume tyres.

[cameronlesley]

Thanks for the guide. I used to think the loop on the saddle bag was for hanging my light, thanks for the correction

[jimpeyton]

Definitely both if I'm out on a long ride away from towns. I've had CO2 canisters malfunction. Having the pump is like belt and braces. Harder decision is the number of spare tubes to bring.

[doggdemuro]

I have a combo C02 inflator/mini pump. Next level thinking!

[sventice]

One disadvantage of a mini-pump that I've encountered is that it's sometimes hard to inflate a tire back up to 100 or 120 psi on the roadside, after you've fixed the flat.. Maybe it's just a bad pump, or maybe I'm just weak...