Gas for everything inflatable.
The first bike race started when the second bike was completed. Competition on dirt and pavement is fierce and bicycles have evolved to achieve speed and performance.
Steel Cartridges Filled with Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
The Maximum Inflation® brand of CO2 Cartridges are different. It is because they come from a heritage of over 50 years of being used in the inflatable life jacket industry where quality, cleanliness and performance are absolutely required for life safety.
Once you realize that the internal pressure of a CO2 cartridge can reach over 3,000 PSI when it reaches 150°F (65°C) you come to appreciate the inherent safety of Maximum Inflation® brand CO2 cartridges.
The precise amount of gas is verified as it is filled into a pristine clean cartridge. Decades and millions of cartridges produced have provided us with the knowledge and technical ability to elevate the gas cartridge into a performance component. The total weight of the cartridge is proportional to its safety. The CO2 is so dense inside the cartridge it is almost liquid. It is a gas which wants to boil even at very low temperatures. The gas that boiled off into a vapor, is what goes into your tire. But you noticed the outside of the cartridge gets cold. That is the effect of the gas ‘stealing heat’ from the steel cartridge body to allow the conversion from liquid to useful vapor.
These visual product dispensers are compact and allow the consumer to choose the quantity they need. These grab n go style dispensers save thousands of plastic packages from entering the waste stream. Maximum Inflation® brand is continually exploring ways to bring you the highest value possible.
Steel Cartridges and Cylinders Filled with NitrAr (N2+Ar)
Performance cyclists know that consistency is paramount. The track temperature changes and so does the pressure in your tire unless you start off with NitrAr® in your tire. Is it a miracle gas? Not exactly.
It is science that you can use to optimize tire pressure under changing external conditions. Everything leaks, it is a question of how much. We experimented with the same set of tubes over the course of months of filling, checking, deflating, refilling, temperature cycles, and even road use. CO2 leaked quickly, air not as much. But the data showed that Nitrogen with Argon added proved to be the best combination time after time. Consistently.
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Stable pressure at various temperatures
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45% less leakage compared to CO2
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24% less leakage compared to regular air.
Air has 21% Oxygen, good for our lungs, but it is an oxidizer gas which degrades thangs like rubber compounds over time. That decomposition allows the already porous tube to be even more porous, leakage rates increase.
NitrAr® is a proprietary Nitrogen blend with Argon (large molecule). Total purity is 99.5% minimum. No air or CO2 added. Pure performance in cartridges and big cylinders.
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‘The Big Deal: 1.9 Liter Cylinder of NitrAr Nitrogen Blend’
The NitrAr® program is only available to professional shops and qualified race teams. The cylinder is charged to 1600 psi and does require our regulator fill kit 44000 in order to get that pressure down to a range of 10-80 psi or our direct pressure filling kit, non regulated, model 49000 which allows very high filling pressures. It is so powerful we require a waiver to be signed!
Here is a quick look at what you would expect to get out of the big 1.9 liter NitrAr® filled cylinder. This is a reference chart only.
Tire Size Final Pressure Number of Tires/Cylinder
700 cc 80 psi 8
700 cc 90 psi 6
700 cc 100 psi 4
700 cc 110 psi 2
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Why a Top Off Cartridge is needed?
The smaller cartridges are roughly the same 21ml body size as a traditional 16g CO2 cartridge but since they are filled with gaseous NitrAr®, we can’t call them ‘16 gram’ because the gas itself is so much lighter than CO2 and that would not be accurate. The net gas weight in a 21ml cartridge filled with NitrAr® at 2600 psi is roughly 3.4 grams.
These NitrAr® cartridges are for those purists who have already filled their tire with Nitrogen or NitrAr® and need to add a few more PSI. As we have said, everything leaks, it is a question of how fast. NitrAr® is the slowest leak rate gas blend that we have developed so far.
Gas Filling Equipment
There is a great sense of gratification when you can instantly fill a tire from a gas cartridge. You immediately get back in the game.
From heavy duty machined aluminum dispensing valves, nickel plated brass pressure reducing regulators to lightweight economical glass filled nylon fill valves, there are performance advantages in each design. Purpose and function married to make the most out of Maximum Inflation® brand cartridges and cylinders.
Lightweight and Smart
The famous model 50018 tire fill valve for Presta or Schraeder tire valves. Weighing in at only 56g, you get our lightest filling valve with a standard 3/8” threaded inlet and puncture pin. The gas flows when you push the body against the filling valve. Remove it and the gas stops.
When filling with CO2, it is always best to try to hold the cylinder upright, small end upwards. The simple reason is that the CO2 is so dense inside the cartridge that it behaves like water. Gravity can cause liquid CO2 to run into the tire valve. No bueno. That can freeze your tire valve and that can complicate the filling as the tire valve may not close properly if it is buggered up with frozen bits of CO2.
Consumers quickly realize our lightweight inflation valves are readily available in this open concept purchase style.
Pro tip:
Filling too rapidly with CO2 causes a ball of dry ice to form inside the cartridge. You will not get all the gas you paid for. Do not stick your tongue to the side of a frozen CO2 cartridge.
Minimalist packaging allows the user to acquire a tactile feel for the product with out the restraint of a product package.
Aircraft Aluminum and Stainless Steel
Our exclusive, the legendary model 87300 Maximus® valve is a special breed of gas dispensing engineering made in Minnesota with design inputs from Japan and our in-house team.
The inlet is specially designed to provide long term durability with its stainless-steel puncture pin which has a built in 40-micron sintered screen filter. Unmatched performance is guaranteed with this very special valve. The outlet is a 1/8” NPT female thread, making it widely adaptable to many standard fittings.
Robust form and function allow the user the advantage of their thumb to control just the right amount of gas with trademark extra wide blue handle. The gas inlet is a 5/8” thread which mates to the Maximum Inflation® brand 74g CO2 or 18g Nitrogen cartridges.
The Maximus® 5/8” valve shown with 18” hose and a Schrader/Presta filling chuck.
