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CO2 Cartridge Source?

Yamabushi

Maximum Pace
Jun 1, 2010
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Where is everyone's preferred retail source, and online source for 16gr CO2 cartridges? 300yen per cartridge seem to be as about as good as it gets here in Japan. Has anyone tried Akihabara or any of the paintball gun sources? Thank you in advance for your input!
 
Bear in mind, you generally can't send CO2 cartridges by airmail. So purchase from overseas webshops may or not be able to fulfill your request. We stock them from local source and charge 250y/cartridge. Jar of 20ea gets 10% discount and a free nozzle. I use the 'LUFT' brand, btw - been quite happy with them except for the one time that my nozzle pin fell out (on Mike's 'Sprint Ride') and I had cartridges but no functioning nozzle! Lesson learned - always check to make sure you have a firing pin! I'm looking at rechargeable version, too - it seems somewhat possible by using Nitrogen tank, but the cartridges are heavier and bulkier. This is pretty common for paintgun use - but a little more engineering is req'd for optimization for cycling. I'd love to be able to make my own 'latex bombs' a la GEAX and also avoid the waste disposal of non-renewable steel carts.
 
I have those, too - BTW - that's the one the loses pins, so make sure you take a peek now and then. I like this one and I use the Barbieri twni mount on my bike.
http://www.unico-jp.com/jetset.html

As far as I can see, there is definitely not any pin to lose. The model I have is functionally exactly the same as the Barbieri Jet Set you linked to.


I have a TNI one as well, but with a screw type valve. Works well. (guessing the other one is a push button type). HERE.

Yes, mine is a push type. It seems to modulate well.
 
sort of a related question. what does a 16g cartridge get the pressure up to on a 23 clincher? I've generally done some micro-pumping for a bit of air, then fire and forget on the CO2. Gets me home, but never really thought to check at what pressure it gets to.
 
Bear in mind, you generally can't send CO2 cartridges by airmail. So purchase from overseas webshops may or not be able to fulfill your request.
Only an idiot would buy C02 cartridges with the idea of taking them on a plane. Thats what I did last year :) Luckily I realised my stupidity before I left for the airport. I now have a lovely Panasonic pump I had to buy in Okayama to add to my large & growing collection.
 
@Pete - next time you come over, bring your inflator valve and I'll show you how to remove the center pin. The problem with the TNI inflator is that this is a swaged piece that may fall out or actually pulled out when you unscrew the cartridge. Another option are the Stayfill cartridges - not sure if they are available in Japan, yet. They use a mix of refrigerant and CO2 which has much larger molecular structure than CO2 (or N2) alone. Result is the tires will stay inflated much longer. If you've done any serious motorsports competition, then you'd be quite familiar with these special, low compliance, air mixes. They are great if you're running latex tubed tires as they'll maintain pressure over much longer period.

I prefer the Barbieri inflator because of the slight angle - it's just a little more ergonomic than the TNI. I also have a couple of combo pumps that can accept a cartridge - but I rarely use them because they are not great as either an inflator or a pump. Much easier to just carry a good pump AND a good, simple, inflator valve.

I've tried the screw valve inflators, too - but as I like to carry the valve separately in my Jersey pocket, just found they were too bulky. Plus, I don't think I've ever used just a portion of a cartridge. Get a flat, latex it, then bomb it.

I wish there weren't restrictions on the air travel / transport of these cause then we'd be able to have more access to boutique prdts like GEAX / Pitstop which, unfortunately Vittoria doesn't import into Japan. That's the best solution overall - combining both the sealer and the inflation gas into the same canister. Bear in mind, though, the propellant in GEAX contains a propane-like gas and will leak through the tube quite fast. So, it's generally required to properly inflate the tire with regular air pump within a couple hours.

Surprisingly, the Swiss TSA passed my bike through inspection coming BACK to Japan last year and it had 2 cartridges mounted on the frame,plus a GEAX on the seatpost, AND a couple spare cartridges in my utility bag. Just lucky I guess. ITA rules are very specific about these items and typically they'll be confiscated within short order. Thanks to the ever growing list of 'banned items' , I can't even import spoke thread compound easily these days. (Another topic)
 
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