What do you carry on your tandem...

[R900]

... for normal daily routes and daily tours what do you carry along.

I carry:

2 tubes
Patch Kit
CO2 inflator with 2 cartridges
Topeak Hexus multitool
Tire Irons
Couple Quarters
Dollar Bill
Zip Ties
Rag or Paper Towel

We also have a frame pump on the bike and carry a cell phone in my jersey.

What else do you guys carry?

John

[stapfam]

Then on top of this there is the hefty "Mini"foot pump to get the tyre to 110lbs and on the longer trips a rear derailler cable and cable cutters. We use camelbacks but also carry a bottle of water for washing out cuts and abrasions and a first aid kit.

[ElRey]

I carry:

2 tubes
Patch Kit
small multitool
Tire Irons
Twenty Dollars
frame pump
2 water bottles

[TandemGeek]

Regular stuff for most rides, at home or at rallies...

Debbie's small seat pack:
- 2 tubes
- 1 patch kit with the following inside:
-- 2 SRAM Super-Link II's;
-- 1 piece of 8 speed SRAM chain
-- 1 piece of 9 speed SRAM chain
Crank Bros' Micro 17 Multi-tool
One plastic tyre lever
Small bottle of Tylenol
Spare Speedplay Frog Cleat

Debbie's seat tube:
- 3 spare spokes

My small seat pack (under stoker bars/saddle):
- 700x25c foldable tire (yes, it fits)
- Very small first aid kit (bandages, wipes)
- Small ampule of Butt Butter

On the bike:
- Blackburn LP-1 frame pump
- Up to 4 large water bottles

My pockets:
- Sony digital camera (social rides)
- Small pouch with $$, DL, credit card, keys
- Fuel

[merlinextraligh]

+1 on the crank brothers tool, and a couple of links of chain. In my experience, you're much more likely to break a chain on a tandem than a single bike.

[lhbernhardt]

My seat pack:

2 spare tubes
tire irons
4mm and 5/6mm allen keys
spoke wrench
small "Turtle" flashing red LED


Stoker's seat pack:

Spare kevlar-bead tire
patch kit


On the tandem:

Vintage 70's Silca Impero pump
2 bottles


I just hate carrying too much. You can usually just improvise; it makes you more resourceful. There's electrical tape on the handlebars, tire boot material is on the side of the road. Although I've added the spare folding tire because we wore out a rear tire on one ride, we couldn't boot the hole successfully(too big) so blew both spare tubes, and had to ride about 15 km on a flat rear tire. It didn't hurt the rim, but it did loosen some spokes and I had to tighten up the wheel afterwards. And the tubewas just about melted onto the tire.

- L.

[mrfish]

I like to travel light:
- My Rema Tip Top Touring Puncture kit (small green pastic box) also holds a £20 note, some change and 2 chain links as well as the puncture kit.
- I take one tyre lever as that's all my wheels need. If I forget this, the quick release lever will do as a substitute.
- A Blackburn Aluminium mini pump (works best if you place the valve end on a rock or kerb edge so that you only need to push it like a track pump)
- A mobile phone and enought food for the ride also goes in my pocket.

Back when I was at school, I found that most tyre-related things can be bodged if necessary, for example packing MTB tyres with grass, or patching splits with newspaper works OK. Now if the tyres are looking at all worn out I tend to replace them as it's much better to do at home than getting punctures every half hour.

If I were going on a longer ride I'd probably also take a multi tool. If I am going on a group ride I also take an inner tube to avoid keeping others waiting if I puncture.

[reohn 2]

don't forget to take some form of ID it would be tradgic if you wound up in hospital and no one knew were you where

[waterrockets]

Although I've added the spare folding tire because we wore out a rear tire on one ride, we couldn't boot the hole successfully(too big) so blew both spare tubes, and had to ride about 15 km on a flat rear tire. It didn't hurt the rim, but it did loosen some spokes and I had to tighten up the wheel afterwards. And the tubewas just about melted onto the tire.


Ouch. In the spirit of improvisation, leave that spare tire at home next time:

You can stuff a tire with roadside grass and get on just fine. If the tire has a big hole, leave the tube in and let it boot the hole for you (you can split the tube to make it wider). After a couple minutes of riding, the grass will compress enough to require another stop-and-stuff. This is a little incentive to ride slightly fatter tires to make room for more, umm, improvisation :)

I got my solo MTB 17.5 miles out of the Colorado Trail that way when I was riding back there (Waterton Canyon) by myself and "lost" a tire. The bike responded well, and didn't even bottom out the rim on the descents, which I took gingerly...

[RVrider]

Ditto to the ID. I've made a color copy of my Drivers Licence and laminated with clear tape which I keep in the under seat Serfas bag. My 2 cents worth.:)

[LandLuger]

My eight year old.

[Old Hammer Boy]

*1. Two tubes
*2. Patch kit
3. Road Morph pump (best damn pump made) attached to frame.
*4. Tire boot made from part of an old tire.
*5. Pedros Irons.
*6. Ascent multi tool.
*7. Rear blinkie light.
8. Small LED head light.
9. Latex gloves.
10.Two packs of Gu.
11.Sometimes my digital camera.
12.Cell phone in back pocket.
13.Billfold.
14.Small container of hand sanitizer.
15.Small container sun block.

*Carried in back Topeak medium QR wedge bag.

Other items carried in Topeak (small, QR) bar bag unless indicated differently.

[vosyer]

It depends on the distance and the number of days on the road. I now throw in a small tube of hand cleaner ,surgical gloves, a presta to schraeder converter. I haven't done it yet, but I planning to get a medic alert and name and address chain. Several years ago we had a single rider go off the road in town and he was lying in a ditch for serveral days with know identification. There is a push by some of my cycling friends that we all have such identification on us at all times.

[TeamTi700]

... There is a push by some of my cycling friends that we all have such identification on us at all times.

The last two times that my drivers license expired, I kept the old one when the new one arrived. I now have a photo I.D. for both my single and the tandem. They even include my organ donor information. I also have a laminated card with important phone numbers.

Rick

[cheg]

Frame pump
2 tubes, Patch kit, Pedros Tire levers, Tire boot
3 spokes
Topeak multitool
Pin wrench for adjusting sync chain tension
15 mm box wrench for removing rear wheel
Small amount of duct tape
Small bottle of chain lube
Couple of surgical gloves (for handling the chain)
Spare shoe cleat screws
Long shift cable
Long brake cable
Spare chain connecting link
Cash, ID card, insurance card, ATM card
Water bottles
Cell phone
Keys

[Retro Grouch]

I honestly don't know for sure.

We have a trunk bag on a luggage rack that contains whatever stuff we didn't take out after the last ride. One spring I found a banana that had wintered in the bag - it wasn't as bad as you might think, the peel looked like black leather and the fruit had kind of disappeared. I know that I have some bungee cords in there and maybe a hat to keep my head from sunburning.

As for tools, I know that I have an inner tube (or two), a CO2 inflator (or two), and a Park mini tool kit. Oh - there's a spare seatpost clamp in there too (I think). We've broken that a time or two while on the road.

I'm typing this from home so I know that I've always had everything that was necessary to get back.

[ken cummings]

The same basic bag I carry on my commute bike ((and the wife).