Does CO2 leak from tubes faster than regular air?

monkeypants

I was reading some of the posts here and they suggest that CO2 leaks faster from a tube than regular air, so that after using a CO2 cartridge, one should deflate the tube/tyre and reinflate it using a regular pump.

Is this correct?

Lumen

Yes

Hungrycol

monkeypants wrote: »

I was reading some of the posts here and they suggest that CO2 leaks faster from a tube than regular air, so that after using a CO2 cartridge, one should deflate the tube/tyre and reinflate it using a regular pump.

Is this correct?

Yes

AstraMonti

Short answer yes.
Long answer here.

Mycroft H

AstraMonti wrote: »

Short answer yes.
Long answer here.

I love the way someone gave this as an answer

Incidentally CO2 is compressed air, meaning that when it exits the cartridge and enters the tube it expands to larger than the normal CO2 molecule(!). It usually takes the molecules around 24 hours to shrink to normal size. That is why you will have a flat or soft tire the next day after using CO2.

Fecking arts students.......

fat bloke

I wonder why they use CO2 at all and not just air. You'd imagine it'd be cheaper & easier.

seamus

It usually takes the molecules around 24 hours to shrink to normal size.

Face. Palm.

I wonder why they use CO2 at all and not just air. You'd imagine it'd be cheaper & easier.

As far as I can tell it's because CO2 is already produced in fairly large quantities already as a by-product of other productions (oxygen, nitrogen, etc), and being largely unreactive it's very safe to store and compress. Atmospheric air a little less so.

Plus you have to think of the economics - you'll get less money out of people if you just tell them it's compressed air. I mean, that would be as silly as trying to sell bottled water. Oh...

monkeypants

Okay, so it does. I currently have a pump, but that won't be enough to inflate my roadbike tyre to anywhere near the pressure that I'd like, so I have a CO2 inflator ordered. My daily commute is less than an hour each way, but I could be out on the roadbike on a Sunday for maybe six hours or more. How long will be take a 700x23 tyre inflated with a 16g CO2 cartridge to run flat again? Ballpark is all I'm looking for.

reilig

monkeypants wrote: »

Okay, so it does. I currently have a pump, but that won't be enough to inflate my roadbike tyre to anywhere near the pressure that I'd like, so I have a CO2 inflator ordered. My daily commute is less than an hour each way, but I could be out on the roadbike on a Sunday for maybe six hours or more. How long will be take a 700x23 tyre inflated with a 16g CO2 cartridge to run flat again? Ballpark is all I'm looking for.

I think the idea is to have a floor pump at home and pump your tyre to the required pressure before you go out on the road. Have the Co2 and hand pump for emergencies only.

Inquitus

monkeypants wrote: »

Okay, so it does. I currently have a pump, but that won't be enough to inflate my roadbike tyre to anywhere near the pressure that I'd like, so I have a CO2 inflator ordered. My daily commute is less than an hour each way, but I could be out on the roadbike on a Sunday for maybe six hours or more. How long will be take a 700x23 tyre inflated with a 16g CO2 cartridge to run flat again? Ballpark is all I'm looking for.

The CO2 will hold pressure for any spin length (Race around Ireland aside!), you just need to deflate and re-inflate with air when you return home, or before you go out again.

lennymc

monkeypants wrote: »

My daily commute is less than an hour each way, but I could be out on the roadbike on a Sunday for maybe six hours or more. How long will be take a 700x23 tyre inflated with a 16g CO2 cartridge to run flat again? .

thats like a question from leaving cert maths!!

monkeypants

reilig wrote: »

I think the idea is to have a floor pump at home and pump your tyre to the required pressure before you go out on the road. Have the Co2 and hand pump for emergencies only.

I agree Reilig. What I want to know is if I get a puncture, swap the tube and inflate in using CO2, can I continue on with my spin or do I have to make a beeline for home and my track pump? CO2 escapes faster than air, but how much faster? Does my 700x23 tyre go from 100+ psi to unrideable in two days, one day or less than an hour?

monkeypants

Inquitus wrote: »

The CO2 will hold pressure for any spin length (Race around Ireland aside!), you just need to deflate and re-inflate with air when you return home, or before you go out again.

Sorry, here's my answer here.

Thanks everyone.

seamus

CO2 will hold adequate pressure for 4 or 5 days before you start to notice the drag caused by your slightly underinflated tyre.

Inquitus

seamus wrote: »

CO2 will hold adequate pressure for 4 or 5 days before you start to notice the drag caused by your slightly underinflated tyre.

Aye, I find its good practice to re-inflate it when you get back from the spin as I have forgotten a few times and gone out 4-5 days later with slightly underinflated tyres, this has of course resulted in a myriad of missed Strava KOM's........

C3PO

You learn something new every day! :rolleyes:

monkeypants

seamus wrote: »

CO2 will hold adequate pressure for 4 or 5 days before you start to notice the drag caused by your slightly underinflated tyre.

That shall become my new excuse, replacing 'overweight, unfit bloke'.

sham2

What the hell. It didn't say that on the pack. Could have sworn I blew the spare up full as a test. Couldn't understand why it went flat a few days later. Humbled I didn't know that. Thank you.
Btw if I only use part of a canister for a flat should I dispose of the rest or keep for a while in case I need it again? I have one of those adaptirs with a lock.

cdaly_

A full canister is typically only enough to fully inflate one tyre. There'll be very little left so not really worth keeping. There's also the question of where you are carrying this part used canister which will get very cold if it starts to leak...

studiorat

What about Helium? Make the bike lighter;)

I think they use nitrogen in racing cars though.