CO2 | Evolving Consumer

Silca Gets Inflated

Silca is launching its first new product in the United States – a CO2 inflator and matching cartridges. These are the first new products from the historic Italian brand as it was reborn in the United States last year. These new inflators use a smaller, lighter spring than other brands, and makes them truly pocket sized.

The new U.S.-made EOLO III inflator is shipped with two Austrian-made 16 gram cartridges that are reportedly made to higher standards than most cartridges sold in the bike market. The higher standard requires that each 16 gram cartridge contains between 15 1/2 and 16 grams of gas. The inflators also feature rubber protectors to prevent the threads from being damaged inside saddle packs or elsewhere.

Silca Official Website

Head Above the Rest

Every cyclist knows that flat tires suck but carrying a pump can be a pain, which is why we like CO2 cartridges and an inflator. But even these can take up a bit of space in a jersey pocket or saddle bag. The Genuine Innovations Hammerhead weights just 26 grams and it works with most threaded cartridges so there is less to carry.

Genuine Innovations Hammerhead CO2 Tire Inflator Official Website

Very Logical Pump

Commuting to work requires a bit of planning ahead. A flat tire can’t be an excuse for being late. In addition to carrying a spare tube it is a good idea to have a pump – even if you’re using a CO2 inflation system. It is always good to have a backup plan in place. The problem with being prepared is that it means carrying way too much stuff. One easy solution is a seatpost pump.

BioLogic hasn’t introduced the first seatpost to include a pump inside, but the company’s logically took the concept to the next step and fittingly named it PostPump 2.0. What makes stand out is that instead of a low-capacity pump that will have you trying to pump air until it is lunch time, the PostPump 2.0 functions much like a high-capacity floor pump.

It features a flip-out foot stand and yet makes use of a saddle as a handle so users can actually stand while pumping. The design further features precision-machined aluminum fittings to ensure maximum pressure and stroke volume. It also offers a flip-to-fit adapter so it can be used with post Presta and Schrader values. And yet it can still be integrated inside the post. This design recent won a 2012 red dot product design award. Continue reading Very Logical Pump

Made in America: CO2 Inflators by Genuine Innovations

The sun is starting to set and the weather is turning cold and damp, but you are still miles away from home on your bike. All you can think of is a hot shower and a nice dinner. Then you notice something does not feel right – the rear end of your bike feels bouncy and is drifting all over the place… damn, you have a flat. The last thing you want to be doing is changing a flat in the dark, but all you have is a spare tube and a bike pump… only 200 pumps until your tire is inflated!

For over 20 years, Genuine Innovations has been coming to the rescue of cyclists. Based in Tucson, AZ, Genuine Innovations has been producing inflators the use small cartridges of compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) to quickly inflate bicycle tubes and tires to get cyclists back on their way quickly. How quickly you might ask? Once the new tube is in the tire, all that is required is the CO2 cartridge to be loaded into the inflator and then the inflator attached to the valve on the tube. In about two seconds your tire will be ready to ride. Continue reading Made in America: CO2 Inflators by Genuine Innovations

Propane to Fire Paintballs!

The very idea sounds downright dangerous, but The Fort Wayne Gazette ran a news item that paintball guns could get a new propellant, possibly something such as propane or butane, mixed with air.

Tippmann Sports LLC, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is one of the leaders in the paintball industry – making some of the most popular “markers” (as the guns are often called). The guns are typically powered using carbon dioxide or compressed air – and it is almost strange that the eco-movement hasn’t targeted this game for the use of the former. But CO2 has another problem, namely that it runs out during play and as the liquid gets cold the guns don’t fire as well.

The solution, which is U.S. Patent No. 7.770,504 – invented by Dennis J. Tippmann Sr. and Dennis J. Tippmann Jr. – is to use a combustible propellant. The key here is that less propellant would be used. Of course this is potentially good for business too, since it means paintball guns that would include a new combustion chamber, new valve and igniter. The system would actually ignite the gas and propel the paintball. It also means that all those old “classic” paintball guns would be incompatible with the new ones.

[Via The Fort Wayne Gazette: Paintball guns may get new propellant]

Tippmann Official Website