Air at home, and air at the roadside
These are two different jobs and they want two different tools.
The one you carry
A mini pump or a CO2 inflator, small enough that it actually stays on the bike. A mini pump is unlimited — you can use it every day for years — but getting a road tyre up to pressure with one takes real effort. CO2 is instant and effortless, and then it is gone. Most riders carry one CO2 cartridge and accept the trade; some carry both.
CO2 is also the practical way to seat a stubborn tubeless bead at the roadside, where a mini pump simply cannot move enough air fast enough.
The one you keep
Whatever lives at home should have a proper gauge on it, because the number is the point. Tyre pressure changes rolling resistance, grip and comfort more than almost any other adjustment you can make, and a tyre that feels fine to a thumb can easily be 20psi out.
Suspension pumps are not tyre pumps
If you ride a full-suspension mountain bike, a shock pump is not optional. Fork and shock air springs run at far higher pressures than a tyre, in small volumes where a few psi changes how the bike rides — so they need a fine-thread head that does not lose air when you remove it, and a gauge that reads accurately at the top end. A tyre pump cannot do this job.
Common questions
What pressure should I run?
There is a range printed on your tyre sidewall, and it is a wide one. Where you sit in it depends on the tyre width, the surface and your weight. Wider tyres want much less than most people expect. Ask us at Hout Bay Cycle Co in Scott Estate and we will give you a starting number to work from.
Does a CO2 cartridge fit any inflator?
The 16g and 25g threaded cartridges we stock fit standard threaded heads. Check whether yours is threaded or not before buying.
Worth keeping in the same saddle pack as a spare tube and a patch kit.
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