roadside tool kit?

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 03:52:38 GMT,
<[email hidden]>, "Cathy Kearns"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

After my last ride, I think I'll add a mylar survival blanket.

I always add ibprofin, a few bandaids, and benedryl. (I'm allergic to bee
stings.) If you have room for it, a small ace bandage can fix up almost any
injury. I keep a similar kit in my tennis bag.;-)

I carry an ace bandage on tours along with a sanitary napkin to use as
compress dressing.
If I need drugs I'll buy them somewhere along the way.

I'd have cut up used the inner tubes for a bandage to temporarily
splint my broken leg had I not had friends with a cell phone.
--
zk

What do you carry with you while cycling for quick roadside repairs?

Tire patch? (self-adhesive or with seperate glue?)
Hand pump or CO2-type inflator?
Spare spoke or perhaps a FiberFix replacement?
Any multi-tool recommendations? (Park used to make a good one)

An old flight instructor of mine who served in the Gulf war used to carry
three things in her civilian flight survival kit: "GPS, cellphone, credit
card!" 🙂

Chris

I tube, 1 CO2 inlfator w extra cartridge, Glueless patches (never
used), 2 plastic tire irons, 1 multi tool (have several, don't remember
brands but I carry the one w/ the most allen wrench sizes)

for longish solo rides add: 1 frame pump, 2nd tube.

also always carry a cell phone.

"C.J.Patten" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What do you carry with you while cycling for quick roadside repairs?

Tire patch? (self-adhesive or with seperate glue?)
Hand pump or CO2-type inflator?
Spare spoke or perhaps a FiberFix replacement?
Any multi-tool recommendations? (Park used to make a good one)

An old flight instructor of mine who served in the Gulf war used to carry
three things in her civilian flight survival kit: "GPS, cellphone, credit
card!" 🙂

Some tyre levers might be useful -- and a means of getting the wheel off if
not QR. A tyre boot likewise. A tube of super glue and a couple of tie
wraps -- maybe. Forget the spoke.

Depends on the journey. <5miles -- nothing. >5 <50 puncture repair only +
phone & credit card. Multi day -- depends where & how heavily loaded.

GPS -- nice but not necessary if you can read a map -- which pretty much
rules out the Yankee military :~)

For me, the essentials are:

- Spare tube (because patching takes too long and doen't work well if
it's raining).

- Patches (because sooner or later you will get more than one puncture
in a ride) - I use the self-adhesive variety for on-the-road fixes.

- Pump - CO2 will run out if you have more than 1 puncture.

- Micro chain tool (I have trashed a chain through chainsuck on
occasion).

- Piece of Tyvek for use as tyre boot.

- Cell phone to call for help if disaster strikes.

- Gel (because fixing punctures eats up energy and I may have left home
with no breakfast for a short ride).

Good wheels don't break spokes unless you have some major catastrophe
(in which case spare spokes won't help).

Most (possibly all) tyre/rim combinations do not need tyre levers. (Cue
lots of people who simply don't know how to remove/fit a tyre without
levers saying that their combination is "impossible".)

--
Peter Headland

C.J.Patten said:

What do you carry with you while cycling for quick roadside repairs?

Tire patch? (self-adhesive or with seperate glue?)

I do my tube repairs at home. Instead, I carry 2 new tubes with me.

I find it easier to replace the tube rather than horse around with
finding a tiny hole while out riding.

Quoted message said:

Hand pump or CO2-type inflator?

Small hand pump.

Quoted message said:

Spare spoke or perhaps a FiberFix replacement?

I don't carry those.

Quoted message said:

Any multi-tool recommendations? (Park used to make a good one)

I have a Park multi-tool, but don't carry it with me anymore. I've never
had a failure such that I needed any tools.

Quoted message said:

An old flight instructor of mine who served in the Gulf war used to carry
three things in her civilian flight survival kit: "GPS, cellphone, credit
card!" 🙂

Chris

Peter Headland said:

For me, the essentials are:

- Spare tube (because patching takes too long and doen't work well if
it's raining).

- Patches (because sooner or later you will get more than one puncture
in a ride) - I use the self-adhesive variety for on-the-road fixes.

- Pump - CO2 will run out if you have more than 1 puncture.

- Micro chain tool (I have trashed a chain through chainsuck on
occasion).

- Piece of Tyvek for use as tyre boot.

- Cell phone to call for help if disaster strikes.

- Gel (because fixing punctures eats up energy and I may have left home
with no breakfast for a short ride).

Good wheels don't break spokes unless you have some major catastrophe
(in which case spare spokes won't help).

Most (possibly all) tyre/rim combinations do not need tyre levers. (Cue
lots of people who simply don't know how to remove/fit a tyre without
levers saying that their combination is "impossible".)

--
Peter Headland

C.J.Patten said:

What do you carry with you while cycling for quick roadside repairs?

Tire patch? (self-adhesive or with seperate glue?)
Hand pump or CO2-type inflator?
Spare spoke or perhaps a FiberFix replacement?
Any multi-tool recommendations? (Park used to make a good one)

An old flight instructor of mine who served in the Gulf war used to carry
three things in her civilian flight survival kit: "GPS, cellphone, credit
card!" 🙂

Chris

I forgot one thing...

I always carry enough cash with me such that I can grab a cab home if
something does happen such that the bike is inoperable or for some other
reason I can no longer ride/power it.

This strategy works okay around town. Out in the boonies I'd carry more
equipment.

Hey, thanks for the quick replies guys!

In other activities I participate in I carry different "kits" for different
lengths of trips - some "base camp" tools and some designed for field
triage.

Seems the same can be applied to cycling.

I looked back at my notes and it seems I had my last bike for 14 years.

Over that time (probably 5,000km+ of riding), I never popped a tire, broke a
spoke or otherwise needed any maintenance while on the road.

Murphy's Law of course - whatever tool or part I need in future, I won't be
carrying. 😉

Thanks again - other suggestions welcome.

Chris

C.J.Patten said:

Over that time (probably 5,000km+ of riding), I never popped a tire, broke a
spoke or otherwise needed any maintenance while on the road.

Murphy's Law of course - whatever tool or part I need in future, I won't be
carrying. 😉

Now you'll need it in triplicate.

--
My bike blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

C.J.Patten said:

What do you carry with you while cycling for quick roadside repairs?

Tire patch? (self-adhesive or with seperate glue?)

I often carry "clueless" patches, but you cannot depend on them. On a
solo tour, I carry real patches and glue. I always carry spare tubes;
usually 2 of them. On many rides I carry a spare folding tire.

Quoted message said:

Hand pump or CO2-type inflator?

A good pump beats a CO2 inflator.

Quoted message said:

Spare spoke or perhaps a FiberFix replacement?

Only when touring. I can manage to ride home with a broken spoke, at
least after a bit of field truing. I do have a spoke wrench on my
multi-tool. If your wheel has few enough spokes that one break will make
it unridable, then your wheel is too fancy to be field-repairable anyway.
Hell of a lot of good a warantee does in the middle of Wyoming.

Quoted message said:

Any multi-tool
recommendations?

I got a Crank Bros tool as a club banquet award. Works fine. You want to
have something with the usual range of Allen keys, plus both blade and
Phillips screwdriver. I usually also carry my Leatherman in my pocket.
that and the Allen keys on the multi-tool take care of most repairs.

Quoted message said:

An old flight instructor of mine who served in the Gulf war used to
carry three things in her civilian flight survival kit: "GPS, cellphone,
credit card!" 🙂

Money for emergency transportation, a cell-phone to call "honey", and
credit cards for a place to stay [during a tour. You'd only need to find
a hotel during a day trip if, well, you met someone....]

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Become MicroSoft-free forever. Ask me how.
_`\(,_ |
(_)/ (_) |

Peter Headland said:

Good wheels don't break spokes unless you have some major catastrophe
(in which case spare spokes won't help).

You can't always be sure your wheels are good, especially if someone else
built them. In any case, a spoke may eventually break even in a good
wheel after many thousands of miles. A /minor/ catastrophe can nick a
spoke, causing just that one spoke to eventually go.

An emergency wire or kevlar spoke isn't much trouble to carry and may save
putting a big taxi or train fare on that credit card. A wheel with a
missing spoke can't always be trued sufficiently when there's minimal
clearance in the stays.

Quoted message said:

Most (possibly all) tyre/rim combinations do not need tyre levers.
(Cue lots of people who simply don't know how to remove/fit a tyre
without levers saying that their combination is "impossible".)

[censored]. I can and do manage without levers for some combinations but
plenty are extremely difficult if not impossible without, no matter how
good your technique. Try Panaracer Pasela on A719. It's ridiculous to
punish yourself by not carrying levers if tyres are a tight fit. There's
no harm in at least *removing* tyres with levers if careful, or even
fitting if very careful.

~PB

In message <[email hidden]>

Pete Biggs' p@honeydewbiggs{remove_melon}.tc said:

An emergency wire or kevlar spoke isn't much trouble to carry and may save
putting a big taxi or train fare on that credit card. A wheel with a
missing spoke can't always be trued sufficiently when there's minimal
clearance in the stays.

I have never considered carrying a spare spoke. Is it worth it for a
45 min journey to/from work. Where on the bike do you carry one, is it
worth fixing it to e.g. the inside of the seat tube.

Martin.

--
According to the human genome project, humans are 50-60% bananas.
When emailing me, please include the word Banana in the subject line.

Hey Pete.

I only have one bike now - a 2003 KHS Westwood folder with 20x1.95's.

Any way I can determine if I need tire levers without taking the tires off?
(I'm new to this style of tire...)

C.

"Pete Biggs" <p@honeydewbiggs{remove_melon}.tc> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Headland said:

Good wheels don't break spokes unless you have some major catastrophe
(in which case spare spokes won't help).

You can't always be sure your wheels are good, especially if someone else
built them. In any case, a spoke may eventually break even in a good
wheel after many thousands of miles. A /minor/ catastrophe can nick a
spoke, causing just that one spoke to eventually go.

An emergency wire or kevlar spoke isn't much trouble to carry and may save
putting a big taxi or train fare on that credit card. A wheel with a
missing spoke can't always be trued sufficiently when there's minimal
clearance in the stays.

Quoted message said:

Most (possibly all) tyre/rim combinations do not need tyre levers.
(Cue lots of people who simply don't know how to remove/fit a tyre
without levers saying that their combination is "impossible".)

[censored]. I can and do manage without levers for some combinations but
plenty are extremely difficult if not impossible without, no matter how
good your technique. Try Panaracer Pasela on A719. It's ridiculous to
punish yourself by not carrying levers if tyres are a tight fit. There's
no harm in at least *removing* tyres with levers if careful, or even
fitting if very careful.

~PB

C.J.Patten said:

What do you carry with you while cycling for quick roadside repairs?

)

Quoted message said:

An old flight instructor of mine who served in the Gulf war used to carry
three things in her civilian flight survival kit: "GPS, cellphone, credit
card!" 🙂

Chris

No lipstick?

In article <[email hidden]>,

C.J.Patten said:

Hey, thanks for the quick replies guys!

In other activities I participate in I carry different "kits" for different
lengths of trips - some "base camp" tools and some designed for field
triage.

Seems the same can be applied to cycling.

Those thin Park spanners are nice & light, but their thinness
does come with a tendency to round corners on nuts and screw
heads. For home use, some good metric box-ends or sockets
are preferable.

Quoted message said:

I looked back at my notes and it seems I had my last bike for 14 years.

Over that time (probably 5,000km+ of riding), I never popped a tire, broke a
spoke or otherwise needed any maintenance while on the road.

Murphy's Law of course - whatever tool or part I need in future, I won't be
carrying. 😉

I think having accessories such as racks, fenders, toe clips
and generator/light systems attached to your bike is what
mostly increases any need for extra tools in the field.

Having a few zip ties, short bungees, and even a length of
iron binding wire (the type used to tie re-bar together)
on hand has saved the day for me more than once.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Martin Dann said:

Quoted message said:

An emergency wire or kevlar spoke isn't much trouble to carry and
may save putting a big taxi or train fare on that credit card. A
wheel with a missing spoke can't always be trued sufficiently when
there's minimal clearance in the stays.

I have never considered carrying a spare spoke. Is it worth it for a
45 min journey to/from work.

Not if it's inconvenient for you. I admit that you're unlikely to need
one but it's one of those "why not?" things.

Quoted message said:

Where on the bike do you carry one, is it
worth fixing it to e.g. the inside of the seat tube.

I have a regular spoke taped under a chain stay on my tatty old tourer,
and I carry an "emergency" flexible wire spoke coiled up in a bag on my
road bike:

http://www.sjscycles.com/store/vIndex.htm?item853.htm

.....I've not actually used it so don't know how well it works, but I have
broken spokes in the past. Fortunately I was able to true the wheel and
carry on with a spoke missing every time, but my new bike has alarmingly
little clearance in the stays.

~PB

C.J.Patten said:

Any way I can determine if I need tire levers without taking the
tires off? (I'm new to this style of tire...)

I don't think so, sorry.

~PB

Naw. Pam might have carried a Colt 45 ACP. She was NOT a lipstick gal.
Awesome lady.

😉

"Marty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

C.J.Patten said:

What do you carry with you while cycling for quick roadside repairs?

)

Quoted message said:

An old flight instructor of mine who served in the Gulf war used to carry
three things in her civilian flight survival kit: "GPS, cellphone, credit
card!" 🙂

Chris

No lipstick?