PRO BIKE TOOL Quick & Easy CO2 Bike Inflator

I bought this in 2022 to use on long back country mountain bike rides. The first time I tested it in my garage, I though it was great….until I unscrewed the valve. I found that the presta valve core unscrewed along with the inflator and immediately drained the tube. I thought that I had done something wrong but over the years this continues to be a problem. I have not found a solution so I am about to give up on this one and try a different style. Too bad because I love the size and durability as well as the valve system to control flow into the tire. With the rides I take in the back-country, I can’t afford to have this kind of failure.

Completely up to expectation.
Found a few days after delivery a cheaper offer!

The Company:
I spent a good amount of time researching over a dozen of these devices. I’ve used friend’s before, but never purchased one for myself. After a bit of googling, a few videos, and articles, what I found is BIKE PRO TOOL is a young company, comprised of a group of cyclists passionate about the sport, industry, and helpful little tools to make our lives easier. I like that! Anyone who has a passion for their work will always out produce(in quality) someone else who is just in it for the money. Furthermore, I received a followup email from the company as a courtesy to see if I was satisfied with the product and instructions just in case I didn’t find them in the box. I decided to respond with comments about my satisfaction on the product and they actually took the time to respond back to me with a personal note. On their website it states that customer satisfaction is a top priority. I believe this to be true.

The Product:
As for the inflator, I was VERY impressed with the quality of not only the product, but the packaging and direction sheets included. The inflator has a nice weight to it, very solid and constructed of primarily heavy aluminum. The nozzle fits both Presta and Schrader valves and threads on to make a seal. The nozzle spins independently of the body, making connecting easy. Both the spinning action of the nozzle and the movement of the lever have a nice resistance to them and are very smooth. I attribute this to the quality of gaskets and seals inside. Just playing with the lever feels solid and ‘expensive’. For the sleeve, its a nice quality foam rubber, better than I expected. Definitely durable and should last many seasons without rotting out.

Operation:
It’s simple in use and design. If you follow the very detailed directions, it works exactly as explained, right down to the small amount of gas escaping when you pierce the canister and prime the head. Most of the operation is common sense, but again, if you have never used one, please read the directions.

Of all the CO2 inflators I have used (3 different quality brands) I like this one the best. Mainly because of the lever actuator and quality. It’s easy to get a controlled fill.

NOTE: A CO2 inflator is not designed to replace a traditional pump. These devices will get you out of a pinch fast, but you MUST refill the tire with conventional air as CO2 dissipates through rubber.

UPDATE (10/05/17)=============================
After owning this product just over a month, I have no complaints, only praise. Because of its compact size and ease of use, Pro Bike Tool’s CO2 Inflator remains a valued part of my bike maintenance program.

STICKING VALVE: In my original post I mentioned difficulty getting the valve to open. That issue has NOT repeated; the valve has worked perfectly every time I use the inflator, which is almost every day.

CARTRIDGE LIFE: the other question I had regarding this product was how long a cartridge would last once screwed into the inflator. It does appear to lose CO2 over time, but I would call this loss negligible, losing perhaps 10 PSI over a 7-day period. So it’s not a perfect seal, but at just under $1/cartridge, it’s manageable and acceptable.

REVISED RATING: Product continues to live up to its previous 4.75 star review, and as the sticking valve issue has resolved, I revise my rating to 4.9 STARS. HIGH RECOMMEND.

ORIGINAL POST========================
Disclaimer: I’ve only owned this product for about 2 hours at the time of this writing. Please check back for progressive updates.

SIZE/CONVENIENCE: 5 Stars. Excellent Performance
I am fanatical about tire pressure, generally, and specifically, for my motorcycle which is my sole transport (Ah, SoCal). So, the first commendation for this product is its size. The whole thing, plus a couple (or 3) extra cartridges fits into a sidepouch of my daypack. Spacewise, VERY economical. Are you a purist bicyclist? The whole setup weighs maybe 7oz (Unit + 1 cartridge) and shares the dimensions of, say, a pack of cigarettes. Please don’t smoke.

OPERATION: 4 1/2 Stars. Above Acceptable Performance
Easy to operate, and to understand how to operate. Device mounts to tire (Schrader valve) as advertised (both Bike and Moto tires). Cartridge mounts to device as advertised. Delivers C02 gas to tire as advertised, with a * (see below). Here are my results: A single 16g cartridge took my mountain bike tire from 17psi to 41.5 psi, AND my motorcycle tire from 30 to 36psi. Total psi output from 1 cartridge: about 30 psi. There have to be lots of environmental factors than can grossly affect that result. For instance, the bike tire was inflated indoors/78F while the moto tire was outdoors/100+F. Would that affect performance? Someone out there must have that answer.

* The reason the Operation eval only gets 4.5/5 stars is because the valve got stuck in the off position after I swapped in a new cartridge. So tightly closed I was about to go get a pair of pliers to get it to open when it finally gave in to extreme hand pressure. Yet another environ factor mitigating operation? Who knows, but you might want to check back here for updates to see if it is a persisting problem.

ADVICE/TRICK: Make sure the cartridge is screwed in fully. I thought I had done so, but was getting a relative trickle of air coming out the valve. In fact, thought cartridge might be spent. So I gave the cartridge another tightening twist, just in case, and upon re-test the air blasted out as one would expect. Word to the wise, and a suggestion for those interested in tweaking air flow delivery.

OVERALL: Highly Recommend with a combined rating of 4.75 stars.
Look for an update to this review in about 30 days (including, for instance, how long a partially full cartridge lasts while attached to the device when not in use)

une livraison rapide, emballage soigné et un produit de très bonne qualité