CO2 Inflators vs Pumps and the Environment: The Facts

Triathlon Forum
1

We recently completed a project for our website that showed a step-by-step tutorial on the first technical skill for a cylist to master: How to change a flat tire. It’s here:

https://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/fix_a_flat_tire.shtml

In it we show how to inflate a tire using CO2 inflators. Several posters here on Slowtwitch mentioned a well-founded concern for the environmental impact of using C02 inflators as opposed to hand pumps. Those are valid concerns, so we did a little checking and this is what we learned:
According to a phone conversation we had this morning with Genuine Innovations, the leading manufacturer of CO2 inflation cartridges in the cycling industry, the cartridges themselves are made from 100% recycled materials and are also 100% recyclable. You put them in with things like soup and beverage cans in your recycling bin. According to a conversation this morning with an independent sales rep for a company who sells several models of hand pumps and asked not to be named due the nature of the information he provided, “Hand pumps are our largest product category for warranties. We take back more pumps than anything else.” When asked what the company in question did with the pumps when returned under warranty they gave us several answers ranging from “I’m not sure” to “We throw them out.” No one could confirm the defective pumps are recycled but one person did say “That is a good idea”. They said they get about 20 pumps a day back that are returned as defective but added “some days we get a lot more”.
We’ve found that CO2 is quicker and safer to use since it is not dependent on the upper body strength of the cyclist and it inflates the tire much more quickly. Getting back on the road could add a sense of safety and security to changing a flat, especially for riders who feel vulnerable when caught on the side of the road by a mechanical probelm.

It is the responsibilty of the rider to remove trash, and cyclists need to take responsibilty for that. We do think CO2 inflators are a better alternative than hand pumps for cyclists with a flat tire on the road and have either similar or less environmental impact than using a hand pump according to the information we’ve gathered and our own experience.

Those were good comments about environmental impact and they deserved a little investigation and a response. Honestly, we were surprised about what we learned so we are thankful for the questions.

Below is some information copied from Genuine Innovations website:

Environmental Safety
What is CO2?
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is a pure and natural gas that is a major component of the Earth’s atmosphere. CO2 is fundamental to the basic life cycle in nature. Humans and animals exhale CO2 and then plants absorb it to help them grow. Plants, in turn, release oxygen, which humans and animals depend on for survival.
Is CO2 Safe for the Environment? YES! Genuine Innovations’ CO2 is collected from a naturally occurring volcanic source in Europe (not collected from burning fossil fuels). It’s as safe as opening a soda bottle. A 12 gram CO2 cylinder has the same amount of CO2 found in a one liter bottle of soda.
Is CO2 Safe to Use? YES! Consumer products such as beverage carbonation, fire extinguishers, life jackets, soda siphons, and tire inflators have used CO2 safely for many years. Genuine Innovations’ CO2 cylinders are tested to ensure safety.
Can I recycle CO2 Cylinders? YES! Genuine Innovations’ CO2 cylinders are made of steel and are 100% recyclable. Empty CO2 cylinders can be placed in any recycling bin that accepts metal. Genuine Innovations’ CO2 cylinders contain about the same amount of metal as found in a soup can.
Why use CO2 instead of just air? Genuine Innovations’ CO2 inflators are quick, safe, easy to use, and provide years of dependable service. Genuine Innovations’ CO2 cylinders are very cost effective and a portable power solution for tire inflation.

2

The fact that cartridges are recycled and recyclable does not negate their environmental impact. Manufacturing and then recycling them takes energy. I admit, though, that compared to all the other stuff we use once and throw away, those little cartridges are hardly at the top of my list of environmental offenders.

For me, it’s not an either/or. On a long training ride, I take both. CO2 cartridges and dispensers fail. Sometimes you don’t get them on quite right, or don’t realize your valve is damaged, and the cartridge empties outside the tire. Sometimes you (or a friend) get(s) 3 flats in a day. On unsupported rides, I carry cartridges, a small pump, and a tiny patch kit.

When I’m not in a hurry, I use the pump and then top it off at the first bike shop I ride by. My Topeak PocketRocket works quite well.

Regarding your article, a cyclist should always know how to fix a flat using a pump. You never know when you’ll have to borrow equipment or help someone else with theirs.

3

Why use CO2 instead of just air? Genuine Innovations’ CO2 inflators are quick, safe, easy to use, and provide years of dependable service. Genuine Innovations’ CO2 cylinders are very cost effective and a portable power solution for tire inflation.
So, how exactly did either of those two bullet points answer the question? Why not just air in the cartridge? or N2, which you don’t need to collect from a volcano in Europe?

4

I’d prefer an independent study on the effects on C02 cartridges other than from the manufacturer. I can’t see Genuine Innovations giving you negative points. Actually, everything you said they said was a positive. Not one thing negative and that’s hard to believe.

Also, the returns of C02 inflaters and what they do with them would be a better comparison with hand pumps in my opinion.

5

“According to a phone conversation we had this morning with Genuine Innovations, the leading manufacturer of CO2 inflation cartridges in the cycling industry”

** - **Now *that’s *an un-biased source of information! (and, curious, do GI actually manufacture their own cartridges? I was under the impression that they re-branded…)

"…the cartridges themselves are made from 100% recycled materials "

  • OK, maybe. Define 100% and Recycled - they don’t always mean what they sound like. Note, also that recycling is not a zero-loss, zero cost process. Energy is consumed at both ends of the process, in manufacturing, distribution, packaging, etc., and material is lost, discarded, or found to be unuseable. TANSTAAFL.
    Is it better to recycle a waste product than to throw it away? Generally speaking, yes - but better yet to refrain from purchasing single-use products, when perfectly good mutiple use alternatives exist.

"…are also 100% recyclable."

“Recyclable” does not in any way equate to “will be recycled.” Most recyclable consumer products are never recycled, due to consumer indifference, lack of conveniently available recycling infrastructure, or lack of any actual recycling infrastructure for certain “recyclable” items, which although technically recyclable, actually end up warehoused or destroyed.

"According to a conversation this morning with an independent sales rep for a company who sells several models of hand pumps and asked not to be named due the nature of the information he provided, “Hand pumps are our largest product category for warranties. We take back more pumps than anything else.”

Which proves what? That Bikesport Michigan sells crappy pumps?

“When asked what the company in question did with the pumps when returned under warranty they gave us several answers ranging from “I’m not sure” to “We throw them out.” No one could confirm the defective pumps are recycled but one person did say “That is a good idea”. They said they get about 20 pumps a day back that are returned as defective but added “some days we get a lot more”.”

OK - change that to “Bikesport Michigan sells crappy pumps that they buy from a company that doesn’t appear to have it’s shit together…”

"We’ve found that CO2 is quicker and safer to use since it is not dependent on the upper body strength of the cyclist "

It takes 5 kilos of force to actuate a Quicker Pro pump at an output of 7 bar. In non scientific terms, you can translate this as “Bullshit.”

“…it (co2) inflates the tire much more quickly.”

Hey! I will give you this one! Using my Quicker Pro pump, it takes 100 strokes to reach 100 PSI, and at a rate of 48 strokes a minute, it takes over two minutes to pump up a tire to full inflation. Completely unacceptable.

(PS - just for the hell of it, I just changed out a tire and timed it: complete tire change, from wheel on bike but flat, to inflated {with mini-pump} to 100 psi and mounted - 5 minutes flat, including time spent washing my hands and drinking tea between steps.)

“It is the responsibilty of the rider to remove trash, and cyclists need to take responsibilty for that.”

Well, that’s the first step. Step 2 is to produce less trash. Like, well, CO2 cartridges…

"We do think CO2 inflators are a better alternative than hand pumps for cyclists with a flat tire on the road and have either similar or less environmental impact than using a hand pump according to the information we’ve gathered and our own experience. "

Sigh…

"Those were good comments about environmental impact and they deserved a little investigation and a response. "

They still do.

"Honestly, we were surprised about what we learned so we are thankful for the questions. "

What surprised you more - that a CO2 manufacturer told you their product was the Bee’s knees, or that the pump manufacturer told you that their pumps suck - which we already knew, 'cause you told us this yesterday…

Oh - and if anyone would care to purchase a *good *pump, as opposed to the avowedly defect prone crap at BSM, allow me to suggest:

http://www.velo-orange.com/quickerpropump.html

(and no, I am in no way affiliated with either this retailer or the manufacturer of the product, but my store doesn’t do the E-tail thing, and these guys are pretty cool - check out the fenders page!)

.

6

America is a strange country.

Obesity vs. obsessive body cult.

And now people being anal about recycling CO2 cartridges in a country, where 90% of the people have canned sugary carbonated crap out of cans as theire main beverage.

How many flats do you all have on the road? In the last 5 years I totaled about 50.000km on- and offroad and had 3 flats on the road (2 times air leaked out from the tires at home so I could fix it at home). Should I worry about 3 CO2 cartridges? Ok, sorry, make it 5 because 2 times i gave one to another cyclist (in a race) who broke his pump.

I did take the empty cartridges home and had them recycled, I make my own soda (water + CO2) the same way …

I have a very small pump for multiday trips and air travel though, as cartridges are often not allowed in planes.

7

"America is a strange country. "

Yup.

"Obesity vs. obsessive body cult. "

Yup

“And now people being anal about recycling CO2 cartridges in a country, where 90% of the people have canned sugary carbonated crap out of cans as theire main beverage.”

Because 1 utterly stupid practice validates another?

"How many flats do you all have on the road? "

On average? Conservatively estimated, about 25 a year.

"In the last 5 years I totaled about 50.000km on- and offroad and had 3 flats on the road (2 times air leaked out from the tires at home so I could fix it at home). "

Lucky you. Clearly you don’t ride the same roads I do.

“Should I worry about 3 CO2 cartridges? Ok, sorry, make it 5 because 2 times i gave one to another cyclist (in a race) who broke his pump.”

Lucky you. BTW, I loaned a pump to at least a half dozen riders with defective or spent CO2 dispensers last season…

"I did take the empty cartridges home and had them recycled, I make my own soda (water + CO2) the same way … "

Again, good for you…

"I have a very small pump for multiday trips and air travel though, as cartridges are often not allowed in planes. "

Never allowed, actually…

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8

Well - I think you need to compare the amount and type of plastic used in the manufacture of both items - like Greenpeace have just done with the iphone.

Secondly, if it is a CO2 issue - CO2 in a compressed cartridge versus the huff-and-puff of your pump (i.e. those tiny little pumps you’d have on-course as opposed to the cartridge) is an interesting comparison.

If it’s simply a matter of recycling and overall resource use, it is probably best to consider where the pump/dispenser is made and how much CO2(equivalent) was used to transport it to your front door. Shipping your hokey pump from China to your LBS and then your car ride home probably far outweighs the actual use of the item.

9

What utter horse crap. An attempt to justify single-use products (CO2 canisters) against a long-lived product (a quality frame pump) doesn’t pass the laugh test. I’m on my second Zefal HpX frame pump in about 15 years; the first one rusted out.

Volcanic sources, weak upper bodies, “CO2 is natural and good for the environment!”, puhleez.

10

America is a strange country.

Obesity vs. obsessive body cult.

And now people being anal about recycling CO2 cartridges in a country, where 90% of the people have canned sugary carbonated crap out of cans as theire main beverage.

How many flats do you all have on the road? In the last 5 years I totaled about 50.000km on- and offroad and had 3 flats on the road (2 times air leaked out from the tires at home so I could fix it at home). Should I worry about 3 CO2 cartridges? Ok, sorry, make it 5 because 2 times i gave one to another cyclist (in a race) who broke his pump.

I did take the empty cartridges home and had them recycled, I make my own soda (water + CO2) the same way …

I have a very small pump for multiday trips and air travel though, as cartridges are often not allowed in planes.

Completely Agree, worry first about those big hummers and SUV’s and big cars driven all over the country, and then start worrying about CO2 cartridges… for god’s sake!!!

11

“On a long training ride, I take both. CO2 cartridges and dispensers fail.”

That’s absolutely true. Valid point.

12

You’re right about the Zefal HPX being the longest lived frame pump I’ve used. I agree with you. Here are some practical, real world concerns though:
The Zefal HPX is sold in sizes to match the top tube length of the frame. Even the smallest size, a Size 2, won’t fit many triathlon bikes below size 54 cm. The Zefal HPX depends on an expanding “frame fit” to stay on the bike. It will fit fine with older round tubes, but does not fit at all on newer, smoother shaped aero tubes such as Cervelo P3C. It simply slides off to one side or another. On many carbon fiber road bikes usch as the Soloist Carbon and the Felt “F” series the profile of the edge of the frame tubes or curvature in the top tube make it impossible to carry on the bike.
The HPX is a great pump, one of the reasons it has been around so long. The problem is the darn thing was developed when all frames were made of round tubing. Few frames are made of round tubing now making the pump difficult to mount on the bike. I have seen riders carry the smallest, Size 2, Zefal HPX clamped into the left rear seat stay of their rear triangle. This may work on some bikes with stright seat stays, but not Quintana Roo, Blue Cervelo, Felt, Specialized tri bikes and most Treks with a wishbone rear end. Also, carrying the pump in the rear triangle means if you hit a bump hard enough to knock it lose it may wind up in the rear spokes.

13

Tom,

Interesting as always:

  1. I ride a moderate amount, but I find it rare to actually get a flat on the road. I think in the last 5 years it’s happened 2 or three times. A few other times I have found the tire to be soft or flat after a ride or when I am about to go out again. I have also stopped to help others change flats a few times as well. On the road my preferred method is using carrying and a Co2 catridge to fill the new tube. At home I use a sturdy floor pump. I have tried the mini-hand pumps, but with my bad back, being hunched over pumping away at a bad angle with those things is not good, so I much prefer the Co2 cartridges. It is encouraging that Genuine Innovations encourages people to recycle their cartridges and that the cartridges themselves are made from recycled material.

  2. It concerns me that the hand-pump company does not know what they do with the pumps that are returned( see below). In my brief stint working in a bike shop last year, I also noted a high number of returns of both floor pumps and hand pumps. I wonder why that is? What are these people doing with these units? We have had the same floor pump for 5 years and it continues to work wonderfully with no problems.

  3. I hope not, but I have a strong suspecion that the returned hand pumps may be heading for the land-fill. I recently broke the carafe on our drip coffee maker. In the past when this happened, I had returen to the place where I bought the coffee maker and they had replacement carafes for sale for about $10. This time the woman in Customer Service looked perplexed. She then told me just to bring in the whole coffee maker unit and they would give us a whole new one!! I said, that’s great, but the old Coffee maker was working fine. It was only a year old. I asked her what was going to happen to the old coffee maker. She did not know. However, my strong suspicion is that perfectly good coffee maker, only needing a replacement carafe was going to end up in the garbage/land-fill. Now, this is a story of either outstanding customer service or profligate use of reasources. Take your pick.

14

Just on a personal knowledge note here. By the time I set up a co2 pump or take my Topeak Road Morph off my bike and inflate to 100 psi takes about the same amount of time. I will always carry a pump because people always look to me when they flat. I don’t have room in my bag to carry numerous cartridges, nor do I want to spend money every time to inflate a bike.

The Road Morph I have had for about 5 years now. For two years it was my only pump, thus using it every time I rode. It never failed and I always got the pressure I needed without strain. You can also re-pump if you bead the tire wrong were as with a co2 usually it is just a loud bang and a blown tube. It fits great on every bike I ride. As far as wind resistance goes it doesn’t bother me as I am sure that my helmet pulls more than that pump.

As for your note on safety. You make it sound like it is more dangerous to be off to the side of the road than on it riding? Also as for the down time of not being in motion, it’s about the same for pump or co2 (speed comes from the knowledge and skill of the person doing it). If someone is going to attack you, their car will still catch you when you are riding.

Yes the cartridges are recylable, but do they get recycled? Co2 pumps also break down, a very well known point is the recall that Innovations had.

Both systems are great. The co2 cartridge is not the ultimate inflation. That is for the consumer to decide what works for them.

My two cents.

15

I have used a Specialized PVO (Presta Valve Only) frame pump for years now. It has a water bottle mount, plastic (no rust), rubber seal to keep road dirt out of valve head, and requires only a few pumps to fill a 700 X 23 tire. Also good for fending off farm dogs. Its much more effective and cheaper than throwing a CO2 cylinder at them.

16

I sent the link to all our newbies and our “women only” ride group. The women let anyone ride but they found that if they called it “women only” more women would show up and when men did show they tended to behave better : )
Thanks for the great pictures and instructions. They will love this info.

17

You’re right about the Zefal HPX being the longest lived frame pump I’ve used. I agree with you. Here are some practical, real world concerns though:
The Zefal HPX is sold in sizes to match the top tube length of the frame. Even the smallest size, a Size 2, won’t fit many triathlon bikes below size 54 cm. The Zefal HPX depends on an expanding “frame fit” to stay on the bike. It will fit fine with older round tubes, but does not fit at all on newer, smoother shaped aero tubes such as Cervelo P3C. It simply slides off to one side or another. On many carbon fiber road bikes usch as the Soloist Carbon and the Felt “F” series the profile of the edge of the frame tubes or curvature in the top tube make it impossible to carry on the bike.
The HPX is a great pump, one of the reasons it has been around so long. The problem is the darn thing was developed when all frames were made of round tubing. Few frames are made of round tubing now making the pump difficult to mount on the bike. I have seen riders carry the smallest, Size 2, Zefal HPX clamped into the left rear seat stay of their rear triangle. This may work on some bikes with stright seat stays, but not Quintana Roo, Blue Cervelo, Felt, Specialized tri bikes and most Treks with a wishbone rear end. Also, carrying the pump in the rear triangle means if you hit a bump hard enough to knock it lose it may wind up in the rear spokes.
A zip tie around the head tube can serve as a pump peg for the handle end, and the valve end with the slotted fittings should fit at the top tube/seat tube junction. Throw in a velcro strap with a foam pad between the pump and top tube (on sale for $2.49 at Bike Nashbar) and the HpX will fit about any bike (I don’t consider a bike under 54cm to be a real bike).

18

You seem very angry today. I understand you disagree but why the hostility

19

I’ve used CO2 for the past few years with an Innovations Secondwind. That CO2 inflator had a little pumping ability and could take unthreaded 12 g cartridges.

I don’t flat that often but if I was, I would switch to Armadillos. I sometimes do that in the winter/goathead season.

I recently got a Topeak Micro Rocket pump. It’s actually smaller than the CO2 inflator it replaced. I save more space/weight not having to carry CO2 cartridges. The pump is better than any mini pump I’ve ever used and I can easily get a tire to a more than sufficient pressure.

20

You seem very angry today.

If I was getting 25 flats a year , I would be angry to :wink:

That’s $125 just on tubes!!!