Long Distance Cycling - what spares are needed for 20 centuries?

ok so about 20 fiiends and i are doing a 160 mile ride in a few months time with a couple of support vehicles.

ignoring food, drink, patches, inner tubes, pumps etc what other spares shouls we have in our support vehicle?

for instance i've heard of chains breaking...is this likely? what other incidents might we expect / would it be wise to anticipate?

If you have a support vehicle, why not bring nearly everything? I'd definitely bring chains and cables. A few extra wheels might not be bad either. Destroyed rims are not repairable. I've also seen rear derailleurs get twisted like pretzels.

Actually, for 160 miles, I wouldn't go overboard. Lots of things can go wrong, but probably it will be just ordinary stuff. In the unlikely event that something crazy happens, someone just gets a ride back. But if you carry a spare bike or 2, even that could be taken care of :)

160 miles isn't a big deal, but I hear you about the implications of mulitplying the stats by 20...better chance of someting going wrong. I'd add spare tires, spokes to the list. How about lighting, rain gear? If there's room, maybe a spare complete bike may be handy. And ofcourse room in the vehichle for those who can't complete.

160 miles isn't a big deal, but I hear you about the implications of mulitplying the stats by 20...better chance of someting going wrong. I'd add spare tires, spokes to the list. How about lighting, rain gear? If there's room, maybe a spare complete bike may be handy. And ofcourse room in the vehichle for those who can't complete.

considering the degree of variation between individual spokes, I would ask your riders to provide this for themselves if they want that backup. Otherwise, you're going to be stuck with a bunch of bladed and conventional spokes of varying length that'll be close to useless after the event is done. Ditto for lighting and rain gear. Tell your riders that they can bring one bag of supplies/spare parts for their bike and that it'll be carried in the support vehicle, but make them responsible for packing their own rain gear / batteries / spokes / etc.

Spare complete bikes presume that everyone is of similar size. It's better to just have parts ready to replace something that break on the bike. In most cases, if a rider is out because of catastrophic frame failure, they're probably going to be better off riding in a support vehicle afterwards anyway. Certainly bring a couple of spare wheels, and inform riders of non-conventional sized wheels (650B, 26") to provide a wheel if they want that sort of support.

Spare chain links are worth carrying. Keep in mind that you'll need links for 7, 8/9 and 10 speed chains.

Bring a workstand. Bring a truing stand, especially if you might need to rebuild someone's wheel after they've lost a spoke. Bring a first aid kit. Bring spare water bottles and salt tablets as well.

considering the degree of variation between individual spokes, I would ask your riders to provide this for themselves if they want that backup. Otherwise, you're going to be stuck with a bunch of bladed and conventional spokes of varying length that'll be close to useless after the event is done. Ditto for lighting and rain gear. Tell your riders that they can bring one bag of supplies/spare parts for their bike and that it'll be carried in the support vehicle, but make them responsible for packing their own rain gear / batteries / spokes / etc.

Spare complete bikes presume that everyone is of similar size. It's better to just have parts ready to replace something that break on the bike. In most cases, if a rider is out because of catastrophic frame failure, they're probably going to be better off riding in a support vehicle afterwards anyway. Certainly bring a couple of spare wheels, and inform riders of non-conventional sized wheels (650B, 26") to provide a wheel if they want that sort of support.

Spare chain links are worth carrying. Keep in mind that you'll need links for 7, 8/9 and 10 speed chains.

Bring a workstand. Bring a truing stand, especially if you might need to rebuild someone's wheel after they've lost a spoke. Bring a first aid kit. Bring spare water bottles and salt tablets as well.

Yup...I was thinking more about getting through the ride. (even if the spare spoke doesn't match perfectly). Fiberfix works for any kinda spoke, might wanna have a couple on hand.

It's only 160 miles. Tell everyone to be sure their bikes are not on their last legs. You might bring a couple spare tires in case someone slices one open. And bring a floor pump. Aside from that, if someone has a big problem, he/she can take the ride of shame. It's a good lesson to be prepared next time.

Otherwise, stock the van with food and beverages and bring a first aid kit so you can deal with road rash.

You're not going on a 'round the world tour . . . 160 miles is like 4 forty mile rides.
Throw a floor pump, couple tubes/tires, big full water jug and some extra food in your sag vehicle and . . . GO!
If there is an irrepairable failure, toss bike and rider in sag vehicle. Simple?!

Yeah, I'm kind of a bug for the "self-supporting" thing. Individuals are responsible for carrying stuff they think they'll need. I carry a couple of spare tubes, a patch kit, a spare tire (used it twice within the last month), a pump, and some C02. I have a "cool tool" type deal with all the common allen keys and such. And a spoke wrench (no spare spokes; my wheels are severely overbuilt and I can afford to loose a handfull of spokes without compromising wheel integrity) and a chain tool, which has also been used. I don't see the point in spare chain links as splicing out a damaged link and simply running the chain one link shorter causes absolutely no harm. I think that's about it. Spare food, of course, and a baggy of energy drink powder.

So IMO the only real use for the SAG van is motorpacing. You should be able to complete the ride in about four hours. :)

160 miles and your worried about that? What are your all riding? WallyWorld bikes? Holy schit man, talk about fear, your loaded with it! I've toured all over the US, parts of Canada and Europe ALONE WITHOUT A SUPPORT VEHICLE, and started doing this 12 years ago when I was in my early 50's! There are also small groups of touring people I ran into doing tours without support vehicles either. Yeah sometimes things break, big deal, you learn how to fix it on the road, at least to the point of limping it to a bike shop for complete repairs. But in reality, a major breakdown is rare IF the bike is prepped well and tested before you go.

And you really want to know the really interesting thing about all of that? I haven't been the only one to ever do that! Probably 1000's have done it over the years all over the world and probably 1000's will continue to do it after I'm long gone, and all without support of any kind.