roadside tool kit?

On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 10:00:19 -0700, Zoot Katz <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

FMUP= effin' Multi-user Path, often erroneously called a bike path.

Nice. Can I borrow it for use in the UK? I promise I won't hurt it.

Tim

C.J.Patten said:

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

I have one of those little bags that goes under the back of the saddle.
It usually contains a spare inner tube, puncture repair kit, two tyre
levers, and a mini chain tool, I also carry a mini pump. I will also be
carrying a CO2 inflater and spare bulb in the future.

I think there's still four twenty pence coins in it as well from before
I got a mobile phone. The mobile normally sits in my jersey pocket for
emergencies.

Cheers,

--
bob [at] bobarnott [dot] com http://www.bobarnott.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Crash programs fail because they are based on theory that,
with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby in a month."
-- Wernher von Braun

Call me Bob said:

On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 14:19:19 GMT, Jeff Starr <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Milti-tools, in fact, any tool carried on the bike, are going to be
used only occasionally, so space and convenience are worthy
considerations.

If space and convenience are considerations, then you're better off
carrying separates.

Space, maybe, you can't pack all the tools that the Carank Bros Micra
17 has, in as compact a space as the tool does. where is the
convenience, when I have to dig around in my bag, for each tool.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I did carry loose tools for a while. Unless you wrap them
well, and isolate them, they will rattle.

Mine don't rattle at all, and I pay no particular attention to how
they are packed. They're just squeezed into a small seatpack with a
tube and a couple of other items.

Good for you. You either are lucky, have a tightly packed bag, or
don't notice rattles. I hate rattling of any kind.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

For home use, I certainly wouldn't recommend a
multi-tool.

I agree, I wouldn't choose, or trust, a cycling multi-tool for a job
at home. I would, however, be perfectly happy to recommend good
quality hand tools for that kind of work.

I said I wouldn't recommend a multi-tool for home use, as in that
setting an individual tool, makes more sense. What's not to trust? It
is a simple tool, it's the operator that is the determining factor.

Quoted message said:

If you won't accept the inferior quality of a cycling multi-tool for a
"proper" job, why accept it for working on your bike out on the road

What is this "proper" job, you speak of? Nowhere did I say anything
about inferior quality of that tool. The tool I recommend, I could use
at home, I wouldn't choose a separate based on the quality of it. I
would choose a separate, because in a home setting I can keep my
separate tools organized and easily accessable. Anyway, on the road I
prefer something that is convenient and all in one. At home I don't
need that convenience.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It's horses for courses. And the bottom line, what's important is that
you carry the tools that you may need.

And that those tools won't fail when they're put to the test.

Well, it hasn't failed yet and I am quite confident that it won't.
What's the matter, did you have a cheap multi-tool fail on you? Is
your bike in contast need of repair? I have used my tools, primarily
for making adjustments, when trying out a new saddle or something
similar. Maybe you would be best off getting a bike trailer and then
you could haul around a complete tool set. That way, you could do a
"prope"r job anywhere;-)

We both stated our preferences, now you feel the need to convince me
that carrying loose tools is the way to go. I'm not convinced.

Quoted message said:

"Bob"

Life is Good!
Jeff

C.J.Patten said:

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

Quoted message said:

Canadians can, and do, open bottles with anything. Why would I need a
bottle opener if I've already got tire levers, keys, crescent wrench,
table top, luggage rack, etc? Corks are trickier.

Beat me to it! A rock, a wrench... teeth... assuming your beverage of choice
didn't come with a twist off top. Who carries a corked bottle without a
corkscrew though?!

Quoted message said:

I spent an hour laying on the ground waiting for an ambulance. Luckily
I wasn't alone so a riding partner put his sweater under me and
covered me with his jacket while I was in shock. Had I been alone it
could have been long cold wait until somebody found me.

Ouch. Did you get clocked by a car? Glad you're OK!

They make those space blankets to fit into a Tic-Tac container these days so
it's not a big hassle to carry one. Think I'll add that to my shopping list!

Chris

The mylar space blankets are near-worthless, in my experience. The
mylar *bags,* costing a few bucks more and the same size, are way
better. I have experimented with these bags, spending the night in
them in the mountains in Summer. Two nights was enough, and that was
on closed cell foam pads. They were not warm at all, and did little to
keep me warmer than ambient temps; however they are a windbreaker..
Perhaps they will help a person survive a little longer especially if
in shock.

The basic concept on these lightweight bags is good, but here is the
one that really works. It's larger to pack, but still cheap and light.

Adventure Medical Kits'
Thermo-Lite® Emergency Bivy Sack

http://tinyurl.com/c4jz3

BTW, I think you will get even better results with this if you put the
foot vent up at the top, by your head. Try it and see. These are
reusable and not as flimsy as the throwaways. I keep one of these in
my car and take it with me when going into the National Forests,
biking or backpacking alone. Could save your life if you broke an
ankle, etc., and couldn't get home for a day or were exposed to rain
and wind, and the cell phone wasn't connecting. Also BTW, unlike in
fiction, many hypothermia deaths occur in the forty degree range.
Person gets damp or wet, and cannot get out of the breeze. Happens
again and again.]

However I do not take it with me on normal rides, and so it isn't part
of my normal riding toolkit. A quality lightweight nylon rain jacket
and pants that pack in a small bag is what I usually carry. This one,
in fact, from Cabelas. Inexpensive, wears well, not Goretex.

http://tinyurl.com/9ggvg

http://tinyurl.com/a5d3p

Geezer Boy

On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 23:54:24 GMT, Jeff Starr <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Call me Bob said:

On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 14:19:19 GMT, Jeff Starr <[email hidden]>
wrote:

snip

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I did carry loose tools for a while. Unless you wrap them
well, and isolate them, they will rattle.

Mine don't rattle at all, and I pay no particular attention to how
they are packed. They're just squeezed into a small seatpack with a
tube and a couple of other items.

Good for you. You either are lucky, have a tightly packed bag, or
don't notice rattles. I hate rattling of any kind.

Small-bubble bubble wrap, thin sheets. Weighs nothing, packs tight.
Voila.

Geezer Boy.

On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 23:54:24 GMT, Jeff Starr <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If space and convenience are considerations, then you're better off
carrying separates.

Space, maybe, you can't pack all the tools that the Carank Bros Micra
17 has, in as compact a space as the tool does.

Yes you can.

More to the point though, I don't need those 17 tools, so I choose not
to carry them all around unnecessarily. If all 17 were actually
required, they would be no more bulky in separates as in the one big
lump format you prefer.

A significant difference however is if you need to use a tool from the
Micra 17, you have to use it with most of the other tools still
attached, making it bigger and clumsier. When tight clearances or
slightly hampered access may be involved, this is a disadvantage.

Quoted message said:

where is the
convenience, when I have to dig around in my bag, for each tool.

Then pack more efficiently.

Quoted message said:

I said I wouldn't recommend a multi-tool for home use, as in that
setting an individual tool, makes more sense. What's not to trust? It
is a simple tool, it's the operator that is the determining factor.

What's not to trust? Quality. Of both manufacture, and design.

Take the Micra 17 you mentioned for example:

http://tinyurl.com/8vkef

Look at that dual sized 8 and 10mm stamped "wrench". That's blatant
[censored] poor design, and I wouldn't trust it to assemble Ikea furniture.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If you won't accept the inferior quality of a cycling multi-tool for a
"proper" job, why accept it for working on your bike out on the road

What is this "proper" job, you speak of?

Any job that demands a well designed and made tool, manufactured from
appropriate materials.

Quoted message said:

Nowhere did I say anything
about inferior quality of that tool.

There's no need to say it specifically, it's a given. You don't even
have to handle it, just look at the picture, and consider it's price.
Oh yes, and also read the accounts on usenet and elsewhere of people
having broken, bent or otherwise been let down by similar tools.

Which raises another point. What happens if you are faced with a
difficult fastener, something seized or damaged perhaps, and your
multi-tool ends up with a single rounded tool? Do you now throw the
whole thing in the bin and buy another, or carry it anyway and cross
your fingers that you won't need that item? Or do you continue
carrying the tool and also supplement it with other individual items?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

And that those tools won't fail when they're put to the test.

Well, it hasn't failed yet and I am quite confident that it won't.

I'm impressed with your optimism, long may it last.

Quoted message said:

What's the matter, did you have a cheap multi-tool fail on you? Is
your bike in contast need of repair?

Condescension? Oh bravo.

Quoted message said:

We both stated our preferences, now you feel the need to convince me
that carrying loose tools is the way to go. I'm not convinced.

I feel no such compulsion to convince you, you made that up all by
yourself. I felt happy to comment a second time in an ongoing
discussion, that's all.

I do not see the benefit in choosing a multi-tool over separates. What
is the advantage? It may be simpler in the shop to pick up one item,
and then to put that one item in your seatpack, but that convenience
has little relation to the actual function the tool has to perform.

Carefully chosen separates will be no more bulky, and no heavier than
a comparable multi-tool. They will be more reliable when faced with
difficult tasks, are more ergonomic in use, and offer flexibility when
choosing what combination of tools to carry. The only downside is you
may have to spend a bit more initially, but then proper tools cost
money. *shrug*

Fair enough, multi-tools cope perfectly well with most run of the mill
adjustments cyclists will routinely encounter, but, a better solution
is available. So I'll continue to advocate it.

"Bob"

--

Email address is spam trapped.
To reply directly remove the beverage.

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

Quoted message said:

What do you carry with you while cycling for quick

roadside

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

one)

An old flight instructor of mine who served in the

Gulf war

Quoted message said:

used to carry three things in her civilian flight

survival

Quoted message said:

kit: "GPS, cellphone, credit card!" 🙂

Chris

-patch kit
-2x tire levers
-leatherman
-folding metric allen wrench set
-pump (Topeak Mt. Morph- I love this pump so much I
want to marry it. It combines the best features of a
floor pump with low weight and compact size.)
-spoke wrench
-zip ties
-sharpie (mark punctures and well something to
scribble license plate numbers, phones numbers, ect.)
-8mm/9mm open wrench
-10mm open wrench

-and when I think of it, a spare tube

This kit will handle most small problems well enough to
get me home. I prolly SHOULD have a chain breaker in
there but I guess I prefer to take my chances. I don't
break that many chains. I try not to use any small
fasteners on my bikes that can't be adjusted by my road
kit.

Mike

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C.J.Patten said:

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

Quoted message 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.

I stopped having punctures when I stopped lending my bike to other
folk. They rode it far less than me, usually just someone borrowing it
for a day, but in those days I fixed at least two punctures a
year. Some of them occurred while *I* was riding the bike.

About twelve years ago I stopped lending the bike, and punctures
ceased, including those that happened when *I* was riding
it.

So the last thing I ever add to my toolkit is puncture repair. But I
always carry enough tools to make adjustments to things, including a
spanner which can handle the rear wheel nuts. Small adjustments to
things like seat and bars can make a big difference to long distance
comfort, especially if you hurt yourself a bit, and a wallop sometimes
knocks things out of adjustment in a way that another wallop won't
fix. And it's not just the bike. Light switches sometimes need a bit
of attention, for example.
--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

garmonboezia said:

I prolly SHOULD have a chain breaker in
there but I guess I prefer to take my chances. I don't
break that many chains.

The one time I've found a chainbreaker useful on the road was when my
rear mech failed catastrophically. I just shortened the chain and
converted my bike to singlespeed for the rest of the journey.

d.

davek said:

The one time I've found a chainbreaker useful on the road was when my
rear mech failed catastrophically. I just shortened the chain and
converted my bike to singlespeed for the rest of the journey.

Had to do that for a 300 mile journey along the southern coast of Spain
once when the rear mech collapsed and also took out half a dozen spokes :-(

Good training though.

John B

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

Quoted message said:

davek said:

The one time I've found a chainbreaker useful on the road was when my
rear mech failed catastrophically. I just shortened the chain and
converted my bike to singlespeed for the rest of the journey.

Had to do that for a 300 mile journey along the southern coast of Spain
once when the rear mech collapsed and also took out half a dozen spokes
:-(

Good training though.

John B

OUCH! :O

Anyone use a "Super Link"? http://www.theramp.net/craig/slmain.html
It's a chain link that can be removed without tools.

Convenient, but I'm guessing it doesn't eliminate the need for a chain tool
for the times when a chain actually "breaks" and needs reassembling.

Still, I'm thinking about adding a Super Link...

Thoughts?

Chris

C.J.Patten said:

Anyone use a "Super Link"? http://www.theramp.net/craig/slmain.html
It's a chain link that can be removed without tools.

I use Sram chains with the Powerlink. It works well, and you can
carry a spare, but I still carry a chain tool because while it is many
years since I broke a chain, I've rescued a couple of people recently
who have done just that - and neither of them had the PowerLink
fitted..

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

On 06/02/2005 13:47:05 "Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

On Thu, 2 Jun 2005 08:38:41 -0400, "C.J.Patten"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Anyone use a "Super Link"? http://www.theramp.net/craig/slmain.html It's
a chain link that can be removed without tools.

Quoted message said:

I use Sram chains with the Powerlink. It works well, and you can carry a
spare, but I still carry a chain tool because while it is many years since
I broke a chain, I've rescued a couple of people recently who have done
just that - and neither of them had the PowerLink fitted..

Quoted message said:

Guy

I use Sram as well, and with two and a half chains have never broken one, I
do carry a multitool that has a chain tool on it however if only to assist
broken down wedgie riders.
--
Buck

I would rather be out on my Catrike

www.catrike.co.uk

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

Quoted message said:

I use Sram as well, and with two and a half chains have never broken one,
I
do carry a multitool that has a chain tool on it however if only to assist
broken down wedgie riders.

WEDGIE RIDERS?! LOL! What the heck is a "wedgie?"

I'm starting a new thread entitled "tool help" as it's a bit off-topic from
this one...

Thanks guys - great feedback here... 🙂

Chris

On 06/02/2005 15:45:11 'C.J.Patten said:

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I use Sram as well, and with two and a half chains have never broken one,
I do carry a multitool that has a chain tool on it however if only to
assist broken down wedgie riders.

Quoted message said:

WEDGIE RIDERS?! LOL! What the heck is a "wedgie?"

Quoted message said:

I'm starting a new thread entitled "tool help" as it's a bit off-topic
from this one...

Quoted message said:

Thanks guys - great feedback here... 🙂

Quoted message said:

Chris

Without opening up any old wounds, "wedgie" is a term used by recumbent riders to describe upright bikes due to the wedge shape of the frame.

--
Buck

I would rather be out on my Catrike

www.catrike.co.uk

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

Quoted message said:

Without opening up any old wounds, "wedgie" is a term used by recumbent
riders to describe upright bikes due to the wedge shape of the frame.

"Call me anything you like as long as you don't call me late for dinner." 😉

Buck said:

Without opening up any old wounds, "wedgie" is a term used by
recumbent riders to describe upright bikes due to the wedge shape of
the frame.

Up to a point, Lord Copper. Seizing the waistband of someone's underpants
and yanking them sharply upwards is known as "giving a wedgie". Its
application to upright bicycles stems from the notion that the saddle
thereof has a similar effect upon the victim^w rider's [censored].

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
They came for Dani Behr; I said: "she's over there, behind the
wardrobe".

C.J.Patten said:

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

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

Rema Tip-top glue and patch kind

Quoted message said:

Hand pump or CO2-type inflator?

Topeak Road Morph

Quoted message said:

Spare spoke or perhaps a FiberFix replacement?

Nah. With 32/36 spoke wheels I just carry a spoke wrench and I can
manage fairly well even with a couple missing spokes.

Quoted message said:

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

I think I have a Micra-10? Something like that. 3/4/5/6/8 mm hex
wrenches, chain tool, 15/16 spoke wrench, 8/10 mm open end wrench,
phillips and flathead screwdriver. It's ok.

Soma steel-core tire levers: http://www.somafab.com/tirelevers.html
Spare tube
Tri-flow oil
Spare SRAM powerlinks (from old chains)
Universal spoke wrench (good enough for road repairs)
Zip ties
Patch kit
5 & 6 mm hex wrenches
10/13mm offset brake wrench (if I'm trying to remember to adjust my brakes)

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
A recent study has found that concentrating on difficult off-screen
objects, such as the faces of loved ones, causes eye strain in computer
scientists. Researchers into the phenomenon cite the added concentration
needed to "make sense" of such unnatural three dimensional objects.

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]>
wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

C.J.Patten said:

Anyone use a "Super Link"?
http://www.theramp.net/craig/slmain.html It's a chain

link

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

that can be removed without tools.

I use Sram chains with the Powerlink. It works well,

and

Quoted message said:

you can carry a spare, but I still carry a chain tool
because while it is many years since I broke a chain,

I've

Quoted message said:

rescued a couple of people recently who have done

just that

Quoted message said:

- and neither of them had the PowerLink fitted..

Guy

I also use Sram with powerlink. I've had chains fail,
but not at the powerlink.

Mike

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C.J.Patten said:

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

Quoted message said:

C.J.Patten wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

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!" 🙂

No lipstick?

Quoted message said:

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

On a civilian flight? One hopes she is not now residing in a certain
not-really-Cuban space.

Jasper