[freetime101]

What spares / tools do you all take with you on a ride? 

How do you carry it? Saddle bag? Pocket caddy? Loose in a jersey pocket? Other?

Does it vary by ride? 

I carry 2 x CO2 cartridges, a mulitool with built in chain breaker and CO2 inflator, 3 x tyre levers (my wheel/tyre combo is a PITA to remove/refit), 1 x quick link, 1 x spare tube and a couple of glueless patches in a Leyzene Road Caddy saddle bag. Now that I’m tubeless I also carry a tubelsss repair kit in my pocket as it won’t fit in the caddy. 

It bothers me that I don’t have a normal pump so I’m shopping for the “best” one… but that got me thinking about what I should be carrying and how – I figure the best way to determine this is experience, so I’m asking for yours 

I figure some of you will have been cycling since before I was born, and some of you will have started yesterday, so I wonder if we’ll get a wide range of answers…

Topic

[Pilot Pete]

I use stick on Hydrotac

I use stick on Hydrotac reader lenses in my sunglasses….very good for what they are – I can read my Garmin, especially the map now, and of course the cafe menu….which is only really needed if I (sacrilege) am fed up of beans on toast!

[Pilot Pete]

I have a small multi tool

I have a small multi tool (Lezyne V10) which comes with a chain breaker tool. A spare quick link takes up no room whatsoever and weighs nothing, so I can’t see any advantage to not carrying one.

Ive never snapped a chain either, but been with a number of people who have, or twisted a link with a jammed shift….

[Diesel Engine]

Like you I run tubeless and

Like you I run tubeless and have changed what i carry over the last few years. It’s great when it works, which it does most of the time!

I carry a small bottle of sealant these days rather than a spare inner tube, as almost every time my tyre hasn’t sealed automatically its due to sealant running out from prior stealth punctures, so if you’re not checking it all the time then the extra sealant is recommended.  (Or you could stick with a spare inner tube but that feels too messy to me.)  The only other reason for sticking with an inner tube is that tight tyres can pop off the rim into the centre channel when deflated (esp GP5000s), so if you have deflated to top up the sealant through the valve then beware it can pop off.  Or if you have a really big puncture and have to take the tyre off to patch/repair it, again – either an inner tube or a co2 cannister is needed to get the tyre back on.

But for small top ups after sealing most punctures I can heartily recommend the LifeLine Performance mini pump.  It’s only £15 on wiggle and is perfect in my opinion, very small on the bike, flexible hose and good purchase onto the valve, but telescopic and surprisingly easy to get to 80psi, and it doesn’t rattle when on the bike like some others i’ve tried.. 

I have also switched to using a vittoria tool bottle rather than a saddle bag, just prefer the look really and you can get quite a bit in there.  It does mean I have to use a 1 litre bottle in the other cage for longer rides though but I don’t mind that.

I also carry a small tube of flexible super glue, patches, and a stans dart kit in case of bigger punctures but have never had to use them, just like the chain breaker on my mini tool which is unused in 10 years riding.

[dabba]

I’m surprised by the number

I’m surprised by the number of people who carry chain breakers and spare quick links. I’ve ridden around 140,000kms and never had a problem needing either, although I do know of ONE person who has. He had to hitch hike 100kms to where he could get his chain fixed while touring in Australia. Having said that, when on tour in Australia, I do carry these things because of the sparcity of the towns and lack of bike shops.

Within 50kms of home I carry spare tube on the bike, with patches, tyre levers, multi tool, phone, wallet, keys and tissues in a bumbag, and a pump attached to the downtube bidon cage. I use the bumbag because I have several bikes where it’s easier and cheaper to just keep one of everything rather than a set for each bike, particularly puncture glue.

When touring in AUS, because bike shops are rare away from cities, I also carry chain breaker and link, 2-3 spare tubes, spare spokes, cassette remover, chain whip, some of the Allen keys that are a PIA to use on the multi tool, leatherman knife and a small torq-x key for adjustment of the disk brakes, spare brake pads and cable, long gear cable, a roll of insulating tape, as well as a mix of suitable spare nuts and bolts. 

[ktache]

I’ve never had to use my

I’ve never had to use my chain breaker (Park chain pup and original CoolTool) when out, but I have used it to help several others.  A colleague was quite surprised that I could fix so much stuff.

My chain has gone at the quick link twice, once after just fitting a new chain.  The other time I think it was because I hadn’t realised that there was only a certain number of times they should be released and refitted.

Gave a quicklink to some poor unfortuate when off road, their front mech had destroyed itself, they had popped the rivet out and were trying to reinsert it, in the dark and cold.  They were impressed and were unaware of the quicklink.

Broke a few chains back before I learned the importance of looking after the drivetrain.

[Richard D]

I’ve broken a chain while

I’ve broken a chain while riding on my own, and have been part of a group when another ider broke theirs.  Both times it ws my chain breaker and spare quicklinks that sorted the problem.  A bit like a first aid kit (in my case, a couple of plasters, some paracetamol and a foil emergency blanket) you hope to never need to use them, but they are really handy when you do.

 

[Sriracha]

Standard bike shop puncture
Standard puncture repair kit (rubber cement, vulcanising patches, sand paper, tyre levers, talc cube, in a small plastic box)

small squirty bottle of graphite dust (since the talc cube in the repair kit disintegrates)

a multi-tool; all in Lidl saddle pack.

Zefal telescopic pump bracketed at the bottle holder.

Two AAAs and three Allen keys in the handlebar bag, because the Lidl saddle pack is a swine to open.

Everything has justified its presence through use, and nothing else has ever been required, which maybe should be two supplementary questions.

[ktache]

That is Very neat.

That is Very neat.

[Sriracha]

Freetime101 wrote:

Freetime101 wrote:

Wow I thought £55 was pricey but they do a £130 Bluetooth version! 

That’s inflation.

[Rich_cb]

A multitool w/ chain breaker
A multitool w/ chain breaker
A quick link
1 inner tube
Some self adhesive tube patches
2 tyre levers

Each road bike also has a Topeak ninja pump inside the seat post.

I’m tempted by the new Vittoria inserts. Could possibly ditch the tube, patches and levers then.

Get a bar end multitool and chain breaker and I could pretty much ride entirely unencumbered.

[David9694]

A variety of saddle bags: 

A variety of saddle bags:  Zefal, Carradice, SKS, Topeak.
 

Much of the above kit, with the addition of reading glasses for close work and pliers – cable issues are a common thing for me. A few spare Allen bolts.

[kil0ran]

As I’m mostly running big

As I’m mostly running big tyres now (meaning a spare tube doesn’t fit a saddle pack and leave enough room for other stuff) I use a small pannier-style top-tube bag from Decathlon. Tube and tubeless repair kit in one side. Tyre levers, multitool, chain tool, spare link, tube patches, spoke key, gaffer tape, cable ties, tyre boot (doubles up as a handy emergency £20), Presta-Schrader adapter in the other. If I was buying again I’d probably get a frame bag that sits inside the triangle as to my eyes they look neater on a road bike and carry more stuff. I’d also get a bottle boss back as it would swallow the pump. 

Pump-wise I have a Topeak Mountain Morph mounted on a bottle boss. Possibly overkill for a road bike but if I’m out on a group ride (when we could that) it proves to be very popular as it’ll easily get a skinny road tube up to 120psi. There’s a road version available but it’s usually more expensive than the MTB version. It almost makes getting a flat a pleasant experience with the fold out T handle and foot peg. Could just do with having a slightly longer hose.

[Chris Hayes]

I saw that.  Apparently it

I saw that.  Apparently it tells your phone the pressure in your tyre. That’s not justifiable.  The £55 had to be prized from my fist. 

I’m genuinely surprised at the amount of stuff people carry around with them.  

[Pilot Pete]

The Aeroclam, which is

The Aeroclam, which is incredibly neat…

 

[Pilot Pete]

In my Cyckit Aeroclam (I have

In my Cyckit Aeroclam (I have one on each bike) I carry;

1x spare tube

1x piece of old tyre 4″ long with the beads cut off as a tyre boot

2x Cyckit tyre levers (excellent flat design, strong and reliable)

1x CO2 inflator

1x Topeak Rescue Box with some self adhesive patches and a chain link

3x various valve extenders to fit valves with/ without removable cores

1x valve core remover tool (tiny plastic, takes up no space at all)

I leave this lot on both bikes all the time to save swapping kit around

 

I then carry a small old neoprene phone case, which fitted my old iPhone 4, so quite small, in my jersey pocket. It was made by Cervo Rosso who have now gone bust. In that I carry (see picture);

1x Topeak V10 multi tool which has a chain breaker. It is very compact and excellent for its size.

1x Lezyne CO2 inflator head

1x CO2 cartridge

I carry a second Cervo Rosso case with my cable lock if I’m going to need it (just for convenience store stops on long rides etc) This goes in the other jersey pocket.

In my middle jersey pocket I carry a Rapha Essentials phone case which hold my phone, key, debit card and some cash, plus at the moment my neck buff which acts as a face mask on stops.

These cases are thin, about 1cm, so they don’t fill my pockets, there is still room for chewy bars, energy drink sachets (for long rides), arm warmers, thin gloves if needed and a gilet/ rain jacket.

 

[Author]

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