Sick of getting stuck in the middle of BFE without a good CO2 cartridge, a tube and a good pair of walking shoes? That almost happened to me a few days ago as I was out on the farm roads getting in some winter miles. Easily flatting on a washboard section of road only to realize that I’d forgotten a full complement of fixings. Whether or not I realized what I’d forgotten, the gear I didn’t have quickly became irrelevant as I emptied my saddle bag and made do with an old desiccated patch, a dollar bill and the 2nd Wind Road pump. The blown CO2 in the chamber became just a nice handle and the pump got my tire to 60 psi and home before dark.
The nuts and bolts of it after the break…
The thing that sets this pump apart though is the genius of it’s design. When using the CO2 system, you screw the CO2 cartridge into the brass fitting until it’s tight. The cartridge is punctured and activated at this point. To inflate your tire you attach the pump to your presta valve and loosen the cartridge a quarter-turn. To stop simply tighten the cartridge again, this makes the Second Wind Road Mini a controllable CO2/pump inflation system, brilliant! The system is compatible with either 16g or 12g cartridges. It’s small enough to fit easily in your pocket for road or mountain rides, the included mounting bracket works great but I prefer to keep mine in my pocket. Retailing for about $25US this pump certainly makes the short list of necessities for anyone who is fundamentally opposed to a full-on frame pump.
While writing this review I again flatted about 30 miles from home, the pump is incredibly helpful, I found a rock the size of a dinner plate on the ground to lean the other end of the pump on near where I stopped to fix the flat and sure enough with this little pump I was able to my 28c road tire up to about 80 psi in no time and was able to get home on almost perfect tire pressure. We can’t fix the roads, at least I can’t get out there in the street sweeper (maybe you can) so in the meantime ride smart by bringing a dual purpose pump/CO2 with you. It sucks having to hitchhike, can you hear the banjo music?
