Rather a One Timer than an Old-Timer
Prior to a ride last week, I inadvertently permitted all air to escape from the front tyre of the Anthem. It was a typical Dummkopf thing to do: unscrew the Presta valve head and place a pump head onto it that simply wouldn’t fit. Because the rubber seal had been turned around, the tyre was flat in seconds. And, because I had a temporary case of amnesia, I simply couldn’t figure out that I should open the pump, turn the rubber seal around and try to inflate the tyre once that had been done. My feeble attempts resulted in little else than air swishing everywhere but where it was supposed to go.
Time for the heavy hitter: the Topeak One Timer.
Unscrew the cartridge container and remove the CO2 cartridge, turn it around and reinsert. The cartridge is held upside down until needed. A quick clockwise motion has the grey part of the One Timer attached once again and the cartridge is punctured, making it ready for use. A coloured indicator at the top of the unit indicates when the CO2 cartridge has been opened – green for ok, red for closed. The pump fits both 
Schrader and Presta valves and all that is required is that the pump be held firmly onto the valve and the actuator be depressed. Stick it on, press the release lever and presto! A mere second or so later, and the tyre is back to the way it should be. Care needs to be taken to allow the valve stem to warm up a bit before touching it. CO2 under pressure is pretty cold and can cause an injury.
Inflating the MTB tyre doesn’t deplete the entire content of the cartridge – how long a half-full cartridge will last without an absolute seal is questionable. It’s best to carry a couple in the saddle bag, just in case.
This is one of the coolest gadgets I carry in my saddle bag – inflating a tyre in a mere second or two. What could be easier?
