General Cycling Discussion - What tools do you carry and how?

I'm looking into what I need to fix basic problems on the road, and options for carrying them.

I have a spare tube, tire irons, CO2 canister, inhaler (asthma), some money, and energy gel, and my keys. They don't fit in the pouch well, I'm afraid I'll mess up my tube with the keys.

I currently have a 3.5"x4.75"x2.5" (about 41.5 cu in) pouch that is annoying to put on the bike (I take it off while the bike is on the rack) I don't have a cell phone now, but I think I probably should get one when I can afford it, since I ride alone at times.

Should I carry more tools? An alien seems bulky and heavy. The Performance Trans-It Speed Wedge is 57 cu in and would hold about 50% more. Anyone using it?

I have a rucksack which contains money, keys, pump, spare tube, tyre levers, puncture-repair kit, allen key set, extra clothing and a second water bottle (the first being on the bike).

The only problem with a rucksack is the buildup of sweat on the back, so I'm looking into a saddlebag. I'm not sure what an alien is, but if it is a multi-tool then I would carry one, as its better to be safe than sorry.

I carry the flat repair stuff in a smallish seat bag(s) on all of my bikes, it/they stay on the bike(s). In most of the bags I carry a patch kit, spare tube wrapped in a "shop cloth", spare tire, tire irons, spoke wrench, 5 and 6 mm hex wrenches and two quarters for the phone. On other bikes I carry a spare "sew-up", ( tubulars to some) and sometimes a spoke wrench.
I have a fanny pack with an extra tube and other tools I sometimes carry especially when riding with a group or a bike with no seat bag or tubular kit: Park Tool AWA-5 1.5mm-6mm hex combo, tire levers, patch kit, spare tube, spoke wrench, a tool for the backsides fo chainring bolts, Park OBW-1 brake wrench, Leatherman tool, 8mm X 10mm open wrench and 5 and 6 mm ball end hex wrenches for better leverage and convenience vs the park combo wrenches.
I'll even include a small pair binoculars sometimes as there is a lot of scenery, birds and wildlife around here to get a better "look at".
I know it 's a lot of stuff, some of it I rarely or never use, but I don't mind the extra weight. l do like the piece of mind it gives me and the folks I help occasionally REALLY appreciate it.
Ride Equipped
Pat

I carry a multi tool (allens, spoke wrenches, screw drivers, etc) , keys, money, and a pump/co2 (depends whats available) , tire levers, and sometimes a tube or patch kit. I keep all these on me in my jersey pockets.

I seem to be fairly lucky with not gettin flats. If I do just use the old school trick of packin that tire full of leaves and grass ..it willl get ya back to the car :)

I carry my Alien multitool and a small bottle of sunscreen in my seatpack. The seatpack I have also has two bungee straps beneath it that holds a spare tube nicely. My CO2 inflator with a spare cartridge are mounted in their respective holders alongside my downtube waterbottle. I use the SKS AirGun which is pretty compact. You can see how everything is mounted on the bike if you go to my Aegis link in my signature.

The rest of the stuff, I carry on my person in my jersey's pockets. My wallet has an "insert" which is removable and I always keep a spare key for my Jeep and a spare housekey (they'll tuck in pretty flat) along with my driver's license, a credit card, a debit card, insurance card and small wad of cash. It's not as really thick as it sounds (about 1/4 inch) and I throw it into my jersey back pocket. I also carry spare lens (clear to compliment my grey along with my Rx inserts) for my sunglasses and a contact lens case which also don't really take up as much room in my cycling jersey pockets as it sounds. I have a Tyvek cycling jacket (STP ride) that rolls up pretty small and flat too which also sometimes goes into the jersey (depends on how well the weather outlook seems). Other things that go into those back pockets include a level-1 first aid kit in a very flat (1/4" thick) case, a couple of energy bars, cleat covers for my Speedplay Zeros, mobile phone and small digital camera (I picked one that was very slim in profile - Minolta DiMageX). I know it sounds like a lot but it all fits fine. The trick is to pick things that are flat so you can "stack" them in your jersey pockets. Even with all that, I still have room for the occasional route card as well and then some.

If I need to carry much more stuff or if I need to carry something really bulky like say a lock, I'll opt for either my CamelBak Lobo or larger CamelBak MULE and redistribute my cargo appropriately.

Under the seat, in a Topeak bag (very easy to remove), I carry a spare tube, Park patch kit, Alien tool, chain quick link, several pieces of Tyvek for booting tire cuts, some ibuprofen, and Benadyl (allergic to insect stings), and most of any food like stuff I need to carry.

Pockets hold money clip w/ ID & insurance card, keys, cell phone, Cafe caps for Speedplays, and glasses case w/clear glasses (if ride may run late or start early).

Absolute minimum packed into a Topeak Micro - spare tube, 4 allen keys (2,3,4,5), cut down #1 Ph screwdriver, patch kit (2 patches, tube of glue, small sandpaper). group rides I also carry cash (as we make stops) & my door key. There's also room for a credit card & id in the bag, too. Not bad for 240cc (15 cu. in.)

I carry a Park Mini MTB1, Leatherman Squirt (comes with pliers), pair of AL tire irons, Quik Stik (for fast removal of tire), VAR tire lever (for installing my stiff Armadillos), Torelli Ultralight folding tire, Specialize ultralight tube in box, 6 glueless patches, tire boot, $21 cash, ID card, phone card, garage door opener, spare bats for tail light and computer. All that junk crams into my seat bag.

I carry of this stuff because I ride into some very remote places and need to make sure-as much as possible-to be able to fix just about anything and get home, otherwise there will be a very long and hard walk!! I never had a break down yet, but I have used my stuff to help others that were stranded. One guy I gave my spare tire to (he had a spare tube but the tire ruptured) and this guy claimed he would return it and I thought sure he will especially since he's not writing down my info! But about 2 weeks later I got 2 new tires and a thankyou card in the mail from this guy who remembered my name and address!! Anyway, you never know who you might help.

By the way I do not use CO2's, I think their a waste of time and money unless your racing and need fast air. I use a pump, no problems with running out of CO carts while out on a ride, remembering to stock your seat bag with new ones or having to run and buy more, no thought about trash. If you use CO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't leave them on the side of the road like most riders around where I live do-take them home and toss or recycle them.

In a seat pack I have a Alien multitool, puncture repair kit, 6" adjustable wrench and a bungee. I also have a spare tube, swiss army knife, keys/change and cell phone in a panier or fanny sack. I have a minipump on the bike.

Wow! You have given me a lot of good things to consider. The CO2 cartridge I am carrying is 15 years old, so I should be looking into more cartridges or a pump option. I'll have to study my options.

I'm looking at the line of Aliens, thinking the RX should have all I need. I've got the spare tube (new), and some really old patch kits, but I don't carry them right now, because I don't have the room.

Since I'm thinking about a cell phone, and looking at what others are carrying, I'm looking at the topeak medium aero wedge. It's expandable, which makes for some options, and hopefully it won't be too big (it's hard to tell from a pic of only the bag). It's a little hard to tell how it attaches, but it is supposed to be easy, and since I remove my bag for transport, that's a good thing. It sounds like it works for Da Tinker.

Originally posted by cyclinrunt
I'm looking at the topeak medium aero wedge. It's expandable, which makes for some options, and hopefully it won't be too big (it's hard to tell from a pic of only the bag).

Well, you can see the picture of the large wedge bag (yes I know it's not aero) and the small one on my bikes. The medium one has the same features as the large one (expandability and such) but is sized in between the large and small. I guess it's still a little hard to picture. :( Anyways, you might want to check your local shops. Topeak products are carried by many LBSes.

I would have to say that my small seatpack can't fit much more than my multitool and a small bottle of sunscreen. If I forego with the sunscreen I can cram my mobile phone in there (Nokia 8260 is pretty small) but that's it. The large can actually fit a fully coiled Kryptonite cable-lock, my minitool, mobile phone, sunscreen, a couple of spare CO2 cartridges, contact case... etc... pretty much everything I would normally stuff into my jersey pockets and then some. I use the large pack for when I just want to liesurely ride around town and don't want to deck myself out in the kit or wear a CamelBak. It's perfect for that sort of thing since it's removable and will hold my lock. I'd say that if you carried everything I normally carried on a regular ride (see previous post) but didn't want anything or wanted less things in your jersey pockets then the medium would probably work pretty well for you.

I meant to mention in my last post, the links for your bike pics aren't working for me. Don't know why.

I did try to get a mental picture of you with all that stuff in your jersey, especially the jacket. I'll have to look into that jacket, it must be small, or you would have an unusual silhouette! You also made me curious about cleat covers.

Oh, yeah - no topeak at the lbs.

So, now I'm looking at frame pumps and mini pumps. The topeak aero wedge says it has a "built in pump holder". How does it work? What pump is easiest to carry with it? I don't think a frame pump would work best - I have an open cable under my top tube.

Originally posted by cyclinrunt
I meant to mention in my last post, the links for your bike pics aren't working for me. Don't know why.

Odd... I'm actually on travel and it's working for me.


Originally posted by cyclinrunt
I did try to get a mental picture of you with all that stuff in your jersey, especially the jacket. I'll have to look into that jacket, it must be small, or you would have an unusual silhouette! You also made me curious about cleat covers.

The jacket is made of Tyvek. I got it as part of the registration packet for a ride I participated in. It's more like a long-sleeve cycling jersey in design and has three back pockets which are ventilated. What I do is fold the jacket backwards and then roll it up so that I can stuff itself inside one of its own pockets. The only thing you'd have to worry about is stretching out the elastic of the pocket but this was pretty much a free jacket and is fairly disposable although it has so far lasted me a year and shows no signs of tearing. The good thing is that since I'll be doing the same ride again this year, I'll have a new jacket anyways. :D

I don't know what kind of pedals you have. The cleat covers I use are for Speedplay Zero cleats and look like this:

http://www.speedplay.com/swagimages/caps.jpg

They can be found for around $10.

A Mafac tool kit- it's a retro solution from the 60's, a bunch of little aluminium tools in a rubber case, including effective wrenches, spoke keys and tire irons.

Allen keys

Puncture kit

chain tool

spare tube

an energy bar and a little money.

It all fits into an old bidon, or under the saddle/in a pocket

Oh and a pump.... I dislike the idea of CO2 cartridges

Originally posted by cyclinrunt
So, now I'm looking at frame pumps and mini pumps. The topeak aero wedge says it has a "built in pump holder". How does it work? What pump is easiest to carry with it? I don't think a frame pump would work best - I have an open cable under my top tube.

The pump holder is simply a loop-strap with velcro closures that can be used to hold the pump underneath the pack. I normally don't carry a pump on my roadbike but I do carry a Topeak Einstein minipump (comes with a mini-patchkit in the handle) in my CamelBak for my MTB rides. I don't think they make the Einstein anymore but Topeak makes other comparable/better models. I think most minipumps should mount fine under the seatpack. If you're really interested in CO2 but want to have a pump for backup you might want to consider the hybrid pumps by Innovations (http://www.innovationsaz.com/INmain.asp?Option=CatList&Category=bike&SubCategory=hybrid).

cyclinrunt, you mentioned you have old patch kits - I'd bin them. The glue goes hard in the tube and patches can become brittle with age. these things i discovered when trying to repair a puncture with an old kit - fortunately I was home at the time. For the $2 or $3 your saving, not worth the risk IMO.

Originally posted by doonster
cyclinrunt, you mentioned you have old patch kits - I'd bin them. The glue goes hard in the tube and patches can become brittle with age. these things i discovered when trying to repair a puncture with an old kit - fortunately I was home at the time. For the $2 or $3 your saving, not worth the risk IMO.

I'd second that. Relying on old patchkits is like relying on old condoms.

Oooh, love the combo pumps! I do love a good gadget.

I got the implication about the condoms, for sure - buying new patch kits right away!!!

I have a Blackburn air stick pump that attaches to my water bottle holder.

And because of the 650c wheels I always carry a spare tube in the car, in addition to the one on the bike. I also have a folding tire.

I'm going on a bike tour next week and I will carry the spare tubes and tire in my duffel bag.

I also carry a copy of my drivers license and my insurance card and the name of my Dr. and his number. My seat pack has a zipper underneath and this is where I carry that information. I also have money stashed there.


My seat pack is made by Jandd and its the only brand I was able to find with that little zipper underneath.

Kathi

Originally posted by Portent


The only problem with a rucksack is the buildup of sweat on the back, so...

Exactly, I personally can't stand to have a backpack while riding. It makes me overheat just like car engine would with blocked radiator and fans off... :)

Originally posted by khuon
I'd second that. Relying on old patchkits is like relying on old condoms. Happy Fathers' Day

i only carry my water bong, a bag of weed, and a lighter. kinda makes the water bottle holder really helpful.

Cyclinrunt...........

forget the phone. research tells me most people now own 2 of the stupid things so you should be able to borrow one in most wilderness situations! :)

also.....imagine getting an unwanted call during a ride.......that's another kind of deflation!

I know others carry phones, but I'm often not with others. I like to cycle alone, esp for long rides. I don't want to be the lone stranded female cyclist, out in the wilds of rural Tennessee, where necks are red, and people can't figure out why bikes are on the road in the first place.

Originally posted by cyclinrunt
I know others carry phones, but I'm often not with others. I like to cycle alone, esp for long rides. I don't want to be the lone stranded female cyclist, out in the wilds of rural Tennessee, where necks are red, and people can't figure out why bikes are on the road in the first place.

To be honest, I carry my phone for two reasons.

[1] Emergencies - Admittedly I've only had to use it once but the time I did use it was during a potentially life threatening situation.

[2] Maintaining communications contact on longer rides - We would all love to say that we can just suspend our daily lives while we trek off incommunicado on our bikes but some of us have to be realistic. Without my mobile, I would not have as much freedom to go out for hours at a time. Am I that important that I have to be reachable? Maybe... maybe not... it depends on who you ask and when you ask it.

What it all boils down to is using it responsibly. Just last week, I felt my phone vibrating in my jersey while I was descending a hill at about 45MPH. Was I going to reach back there and answer the call? Hell no! I completed my descent and rode for another mile to a park where I checked the missed call and returned it. As it turns out, it was my riding partner calling to figure out what we wanted to do for our weekend ride the next day. The conversation required some interactivity. I had been waiting for him to get back to me all day. Had I waited around at home in front of the phone, I would have missed my ride. And had I waited until I got back home that evening to return his call, it would have been too late to reach him as his Friday evenings are busy.

i don't want to carry a lot of things, because i like to ride freely and easily, but a small box of allen keys, a set of patch kit and a small pump are always necessary.

I use a pouch under my top tube to carry my stuff in. I carry a phone, extra glasses, some money, and water on the cage. I don't carry any tools, as I don't know how to fix anything yet -_-

At an army surplus store, I got a "ranger's vest" which is similar to a photographer's vest. It has a ton of pockets. The back pocket is huge. I carry a long Topeak Road Morph bike pump in that back pocket, along with some spare tubes, tire levers, spoons, etc. The rest of the rest is full of pockets which can contain hex wrenches, lights, screwdrivers, etc. I really enjoy the vest because it means I always carry my tools with me and don't have to make an effort to take my tools with me when I lock up my bike. The vest cost under $30 and I use it almost every day.

The only drawback to the vest is fashion. If you wear lots of spandex, the vest may clash with your clothing. But if you wear certain types of street clothes, you may find that the best may work for you...

Originally posted by ViciousCycle

The only drawback to the vest is fashion. If you wear lots of spandex, the vest may clash with your clothing. But if you wear certain types of street clothes, you may find that the best may work for you...

How about sunny summer days? Do you find the vest hot at all? I know that unless it's below 50 outside, I'm still in short-sleeved jersey and shorts otherwise I get too hot.

carrying tools is a sure sign that you're not entirely happy with your mechanic, or your mechanical skill. Why would you need any of those macgyver tools?

A good mechanic would never let a chain go to the state ofalmost breaking and likewise with allenkeys. check 'em once a month. Screwdrivers only do limit screws on derailleurs nowadays.

Just go for a pump under the bottlecage, a cell phone and a tube. Practise using your QR levers as tire-levers. Better do this before you ride.

Forget patches. a pain in the wet.

last summer, I used to carry about 8 co2 cartirdges, now I carry a pump on my jersey since the cost of the co2 cartridges has become very prohibited, I also carry patch kit, chain breaker 2 tubes, tire lever I place them in a pouch and into my back pocket as for the tubes, I strap them underneath the seat