Bicycle Pump Or Cartridge?

Question:Recently having suffered 2 flats over a few hours period after riding 4,200 miles without one on my high pressure tires, I’m leaning towards buying an Innovations CO2 cartridge for my rides as I hate to carry extra weight, nevertheless I’d like your opinion regarding this vs a small pump such as the Topeak Master Blaster or Blackburn Airstick.Glen, this is a problem I think of fairly regularly as I hate to carry anything in my pockets and I hate even more things on my bike, except bottles. I carried a small Zefal mini-pump for what I think was years; I had it strapped to my spare inner tubes in the second bottle cage on the seat tube. I can’t remember the last time I had punctured, but I had my trusty pump, so no worries. Then I had a puncture, of course the pump didn’t work and I had a walk and then luckily an old cyclist with an old (working) pump have me a hand, you need a pump.

The Master Blaster and the Airstick are both very good pumps and both will get you home from anywhere. Cartridges are a great invention, for mountain bike races they are the perfect answer, light and small. On a race you would carry two cartridges and most races are on lap courses, so helpers could hand up more cartridges and inner tubes. When you are out on a ride you have to carry enough cartridges to get you home and you might have a few punctures or maybe you might not get the cartridge fitted properly and lose all the air, then what?

There is a combination pump by SKS, which is a normal mini pump that also uses cartridges, of course its bigger and heavier than the cartridge or pump only options. Personally I would stick to the mini pump as you can use it as many times as you like. Whatever you do remember to take a pump with you every time.