get to know your co2 cartridge

I made a rookie mistake and it just caught up with me today.

As I was taking the elevator down to the basement to get changed for my ride home, the cleaning lady (who happened to be sharing said elevator) commented on how sleek my road bike was. She caressed it with a gleam in her eyes, and then squeezed the tires - much to her surprise, and my dismay, the rear tire had no air in it. No biggee - I have fixed a flat on the fly before, and I had what I needed with me. Well, almost.

Apparently - and I should have known this (part 1 of the rookie mistake) - there are two different kinds of CO2 cartridges: threaded and non-threaded. Threaded cartridges have threads around the tip (like a screw) that allows you to screw the cartridge into the inflation device.

The last time I purchased CO2 cartridges, I must have bought non-threaded. As I go to fix my flat, I discovered that my valve-thingy was meant for threaded cartridges, and therefore the non-threaded cartridge I had with me would not properly work with the inflation system - rendering me fubar-ed.

The good news is: non-threaded cartridges CAN work with threaded valve-thingies. Not perfectly - but it works. If you connect the valve from the inflation system to the valve stem on your tire/tube, you can push the cartridge into the inflation valve with enough force that will puncture the seal on the cartridge and allow the system to function in a limited manner. There is no way to control the flow of gas into the tire, but when it is all you have, it will work.

I imagine that a threaded cartridge will NOT work with a non-threaded system in this manner. If you know for sure, please leave a comment.

I was able to inflate my tire enough so that I could limp home. Since this was all a bit of a surprise and a "let's see if this works" effort, I know I could have fixed the tire a bit better had I known exactly what I was doing. I carry a frame pump on my mountain bike, but I have been riding my road bike lately, and failed to move the pump from one bike to the other (part 2 of the rookie mistake). I am going to put the pump in my backpack right now.

Happy, smart and safe riding! Here's to the Velorution and the humbling mistakes we all make.