Not At All Hot Air! Bike Pumps
When a bike tyre is low in pressure, a bike pump is used to inflate it back up to the right pressure, or PSI. There are three different types of bike pumps – CO2 cartridges, floor pumps and hand pumps.
When it comes to the most effective of the three, it would have to be floor pumps given they come with a pressure gauge and can deliver highly pressurised inflation. However, floor pumps are not necessarily always convenient – certainly you would look a little odd taking one out with you on your ride!
Enter hand pumps and CO2 cartridges. The former is normally found attached to the bike although some riders prefer to carry them in their jersey pocket. Hand pumps take longer to inflate a tyre than do CO2 cartridges, and their inflation levels are unlikely to get as high.
CO2 cartridges, in contrast, are fast and furious! They pump a tyre pretty much instantly to very high pressure and they are compact to carry around.
