Touring - what tools to bring for a year long self sustained tour?

I will be leaving in Jan of 2009 for a year long self sustained tour of southeast asia with my girlfriend. I'm starting to plan what tools/spare parts to pack and I am curious what input you guys have on this subject!

Thanks a ton!

Spoke wrench, allen keys, chain breaker, some sort of cassette removal tool (hypercracker), pliers or Leatherman, pedal wrench (or use allen key removable pedals). Those are the basics. Add or subtract more depending on your repair skills and your sense of adventure:p

This may seem obvious, but be sure to bring a screwdriver. Multi-use tools always have screwdrivers but are of no help if you need to use one of the multi-tools and a screwdriver together. I had this problem recently when I had to use the pliers and a screwdriver on a single repair. Since both are part of the multi-tool, I had to improvise.

Ray

To the extent possible choose components, or at least any you swap in, on the basis of how little is required to repair them. It seems that strong touring components often have also worked out ease of repair. Phil hubs being an example or Paul brakes.

When it comes to making a kit to service your own bike, what maters is that you have every tool you need to play with your bike. Let your bike be the guide. Go over it nut by bolt and determine whether you have the required tools in sufficient quantity, for at least the repairs you can take on. Remember that some repairs require more than one of a given tool to effect. The is no point in having a bunch of bicycle repair kits, multitools, etc... if whatever generic sellection they represent doesn't completely handle your needs.

Also be wary of tools that fit a given part but don't have the torque to make the usual repairs or adjustments. The pedal wrench is the main example on my bike. A cone wrench of the same size is all but useless on my cranks.

You do have to think generically, or at least collectively, if your tool kit is shared among many cyclists.

For flats I like the "stick" a single piece tire unzipper, the road morph pump, and a sellection of instand and conventional patches. Be sure to carry enough patches. many of the bulky little patch kits contain only a few patches each. be sure you have enough patches and spare tubes for a near worst case scenario.

In my estimation, overtightened pedal spindles are the first mistake bike and amateur mechanics make, especialy steel into aluminium. It just isn't essential to reef down on a pedal spanner... some very erudite mechanic type on these forums agreed that pedal wrenches are for getting pedals OFF, usually after they have been overtightened. Even so, I would not put my faith in an Allen key on the inside end of a pedal spindle. That's what 14 and 15mm opened ended spanners are for... but I generally use a six-inch shifter that has been an incredibly useful tool (for doing things like straightening chainring teeth, levering bent pannier rack legs back into shape, and pulling off cable end caps among a multitude of others).

So, it is recommended you have a shifting spanner. If you have cone-race-and-ball bearings on your hubs, a pair of cone spanners and the said shifting spanner will be needed. You can get stubby-sized cone spanners (and again, overtightening lock nuts on axles is another big mistake).

If you have a traditional threaded headset, you can fashion a suitable spanner from an old cone spanner like I did. I used an angle grinder to get the jaw width, and cut the original spanner in half. The shifting spanner provides extra leverage if needed.

A good, reliable (and likely expensive) chain breaker. Irrespective of whether you carry spare joiners, the chances are that at some stage you will do something untoward and bend a chain or break it. Pay for the quality, and ensure you get a spare end -- there is nothing worse than finding your breaker is useless when you pull it out because the thing that goes against the rivet has fallen out.

I've never subscribed to carrying cleaning stuff with you. Get it along the way... a pop bottle, some diesel or kerosene, and a tooth brush, along with paper towel are about all you need for the transmission.

A good quality tyre pump. Many seem to recommend Topeak. I like the old Zefal HPX aluminium pumps very much. Some Topeaks come with pressure gauges -- if you don't get one of those, invest in a Zefal or similar dial gauge (not an electronic, digital one). Make sure your pump head will handle both presta and Schraeder valves because you never know if you will have to improvise with one or the other. At the least, take two brass presta-to-Schraeder adapters if you run prestas. Incidentally, if you go wider tyres (either touring or MTB), the bore of the pump will become important -- the wider the bore, the fast inflation will be, but the more difficult it will be to get high pressures; the narrower the bore, the longer to pump big-volume tyres, but you will get 120-140psi on narrower tyres).

A pair of sidecutting pliers. These can be adapted in use to hold stuff such as brake and shifter cables like normal pliers, but they become pretty useful if you happen to need to cut a cable (especially up front). I've cut stainless shifter cable with a pair of scissors and it's not an easy task -- but doable.

The venerably pocketknife is another must in my opinion. I also have attached a small pair of folding scissors to mine. You don't need anything more elaborate than a basic Vitorinox knife, and it will last you forever (or until you lose it). It's nice for cutting things like handlebar grips or tape, insulation tape, sections of old tyre for a boot, old tubes to make rubber bands, as well as slicing the onions for dinner.

A spoke wrench. Make sure it fits the nipples, and it is not so cheap and nasty that it will round off the nipples. I like the Park Tools ones, and they are light and efficient to use and easy to find on the ground or among other tools.

Allen keys to fit all the bolts with those heads on your bikes. If you run V or canti brakes with small screws to adjust the spring tension, make sure you have a key to fit... sometimes they are of an odd size that does not appear on the fold-up tools.

Tyre levers. Probably the beefier the better. I know Soma make a pair with steel sandwiched between plastic. If your tyres are in any way difficult to put on the rim, you will break a lever at some point. Take at least three, and between the pair of you, six isn't a bad idea.

As to what each of you takes, remember that at some stage you might get separated, and this is when the worst can happen. If you are both self-reliant with at least basic tools, you can each get out of trouble without causing the other grief. You also have back-up tools should the other set or bits of it be lost. If you happen to separate permanently on a tour, and you have only one tool kit, what happens then?

Tyre boots, repair patches (preferably the cold vulcanising ones as opposed to instant ones), several tubes of good quality rubber cement (it's only after you use the good stuff that you realise how bad the cheap rubbish is), and four or five small squares of moderately coarse sandpaper.

Replacing tubes is always easier on the side of a road, rather than patching when it's either boiling hot with no shade, or freezing cold and raining (I'd still prefer the former for patching). How many tubes you take will be up to how far you are trekking.

The cassette removal tool is a moot point. I carry a Stein cracker, but have never used it. You do need, however, to take care with how you use it. It's most significant advantage is that it removes the need to have a chainwhip to stop the freehub from turning as you undo the locknut on the cassette (assuming that is what you are using).

As far as spokes are concerned, some advocate a FibreFix spoke made of Kevlar; I have one, but again have never used it in four years. If you have 36H rims, a spoke breakage will be of minor consequence, if you practise wheelbuilding/truing before your departure. In Asia, you might not be able to get double-butted stainless steel spokes in remote areas, but you will always get galvanised steel ones, although the right length might not be there; it's probably wise to have your bikes set up with single-gauge spokes from the start rather than opting for double butted, and have double-wall rims rather than single-wall (you probably already do, but you never know...) so excessive spoke length isn't quite as bad an issue.

I carry my stuff in a small Sea-to-Summit waterproof bag that usually hangs from the rails of my seat.

Another thought is... how similar are your bikes in componentry. If they are, say, both MTBs with 26" wheels and same length spokes and other similar mechanical components, your emergency spares inventory might not need be so comprehensive.

Certainly, you need bolts of varying lengths, nuts (preferably Nyloc), maybe some washers, and ball bearings that suit the varying sizes on your bike. Plus, you can get small tubes of thread locker (I use Permatex blue, and I know Loctite has small sachets).

As to folding tools, I have used a Topeak device (that includes a chain breaker) for some years for both home and touring mechanical work. But I am leaning towards those who advocate having a separate set of Allen keys and screwdrivers (flat head and Philips) for the reasons Raybo pointed to. A nice canvas wrap-up tool pouch would keep everything organised, and would enable you to double check that you haven't left anything on the side of a road or track (which I have done several times to my deep disappointment).

Oh, and put about 20 wraps of electrical insulation tape around your seatpost, preferably right above the clamp so when you have to remove the seat for any reason, you can get it to the right height immediately. Electrical tape is remarkable strong and useful stuff if used right.

Just some thoughts (all right, a lot of thoughts) to keep you going.

You might carry more of less depending on where you will be traveling and you also may need different wrench sizes depending on your bike, but here is my list:

++ 8/10 wrenches - You may need different sizes depending on your bike. For me a 8/10 open end (Park CBW-4) and a German made 8/10 box end (about the size of an ignition wrench or just a but bigger) of unknown origin
++ Combination pedal and headset wrench (Park HCW-6)
++ Cone wrenches (if required for your hubs)
++ Allen wrench for cranks (8mm)
++ Spoke wrench
++ Tire levers (3 plastic)
++ Swiss army knife
++ Multi-tool ( Ascent Bare Bones Multi-Tool)
++ Chain rivet tool
++ Cassette removal tool (Unior Pocket Cassette Cracker TL137)
++ Pump (Topeak Mountain Morph)
++ Tire pressure gauge
++ Patch kit with boots
++ Tubes (2 or more depending on where you are traveling)
++ Spare tire (depending on where you are traveling)
++ Spare spokes
++ Duct tape (not a roll just a bit wrapped around a wrench or something)
++ Tie wraps
++ Spare bolts/nuts (sizes for fender and rack mounting)
++ Spare cables
++ Chain oil (Boesheild T9 4 ounce bottle)

If one is traveling where there are towns, cities, and paved roads, I think the only special tool that's just got to be right is the cassette remover. I broke the Stein and now think of it as a pretty feeble piece of work to actually depend upon. I've always got my eye out for the perfect thing and am hoping it will be invented. If not, I'll bring something heavy.

If one is traveling where there are towns, cities, and paved roads, I think the only special tool that's just got to be right is the cassette remover. I broke the Stein and now think of it as a pretty feeble piece of work to actually depend upon. I've always got my eye out for the perfect thing and am hoping it will be invented. If not, I'll bring something heavy.

I think that the Stein would be OK if you took care to be sure the cassette was not too tight before you leave. It really doesn't need to be all that tight. Another option might be the Unior Pocket Cassette Cracker TL137, but again I am unsure how well it might work with a very tight cassette.
http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=2456

On previous tours, I have carried the universal freehub/freewheel cracker, with the thinnest socket, and drilled a pair of holes through the top. Through the holes goes a lever (a sturdy allen key). Or just take a shifting spanner of a size to fit the tool.

Like staehpj1 says, and as with pedals and cone over locknuts, there is no need to crank down really hard on the freehub lockring.

Diverging slightly, what's the deal with the odd little thin washer that Shimano offers with their cassettes? I remove it because I find it interferes with the notches on the lockring and ninth cog doing their job.

Rather than start with a list of tools. I'd make a list of bike repairs you are reasonably likely to have to undertake. Then split the list into 3 categories:

1) repairs you want to be able to deal with 100% on your own
- things like a flat tire
- blown tire sidewall
- broken spoke

For these repairs figure out all the tools and supplies you'll need to deal with these repairs plus make sure actually know how do the repair competently.

2) repairs you don't mind getting help with, but want to be sure you can do most any place
- service hubs
- service headset
- replace/service your BB

For these repairs you'll also need to figure out all the tools & supplies you'll need to deal with the task and also make sure you understand what has to happen even if you'd rather let someone else do it. From this identify any special parts or tools required - for example if your hub requires a non-standard tool and special sealed bearings you'll need to have these with you if a small bike shop in SE Asia is going to help you service your hubs, but you won't need to carry other more common tools.

3) repairs or problems you won't be trying to repair or carry spares for:
- damaged rim
- damaged or worn out crank/pedal

All you need to do here is figure out how you'll get a replacement part on tour. If you're in SE Asia and need a 32H 26" rim that won't be hard to find. OTOH if you want a specific 700c touring rim that will be more of a challenge. In the comfort of your home you can take the time to identify what parts will be easy to source on tour and what parts you might need shipped to you.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but by following a process like this you'll end up with the tools, parts and know how to deal with your most likely problems and you'll figure out at home if any of your bike's parts are uber specialized and will need something unique you better take with you to allow repairs to happen on tour.

Having all the right tools, but lacking a critical spare part or the knowledge how to properly do the repair is really no better than not having the tool in the first place. One nice thing these days is with internet access getting more common you can get help with repairs as long as you have access to the tools & parts you need.

thanks for all of the input guys! i am building up two LHTs with parts from the 105 group up front and pretty much all deore lx components for everything else. spart parts/tools will be interchangeable between the bikes.

i will definitely give all of this some thought as i am ordering tools over the next few weeks.

thanks!

All you need to do here is figure out how you'll get a replacement part on tour. If you're in SE Asia and need a 32H 26" rim that won't be hard to find. OTOH if you want a specific 700c touring rim that will be more of a challenge.


With apologies for hijacking thread....

Att'n moderators: What would be cool in this regard is a sticky-noted thread listing typical availability, or absence thereof, of replacement parts in various countries. In small town bike shops in Mexico, or Egypt, or Vietnam, what size rims, for instance, are standard?

I will be leaving in Jan of 2009 for a year long self sustained tour of southeast asia with my girlfriend. I'm starting to plan what tools/spare parts to pack and I am curious what input you guys have on this subject!

Thanks a ton!

I haven't yet read the other posts in this thread, so someone else may or may not have mentioned this:

A small pouch with separate tools is preferred by some, over carrying a multi-tool. The pouch is still compact and light, and the tools work better (assuming they are well made and well chosen).

Some of us have found (and a bike shop owner and mechanic confirmed this when I asked him about his experience) that some of the wrenches and other tools (in most multi-tools) are not as useful and as versatile as the separate tools.

****
Having the ability to repair a chain is worth the trouble.

A little practice before leaving is helpful.

A few extra links don't weight much and can be useful.

****
I'm sure others on this thread have covered (and/or will cover) the other bases pretty well.

****
Sheldon Brown's site has some good tool recommendations, from a world-class bike mechanic.

In my estimation, overtightened pedal spindles are the first mistake bike and amateur mechanics make, especialy steel into aluminium. It just isn't essential to reef down on a pedal spanner... some very erudite mechanic type on these forums agreed that pedal wrenches are for getting pedals OFF, usually after they have been overtightened. Even so, I would not put my faith in an Allen key on the inside end of a pedal spindle. That's what 14 and 15mm opened ended spanners are for... but I generally use a six-inch shifter that has been an incredibly useful tool (for doing things like straightening chainring teeth, levering bent pannier rack legs back into shape, and pulling off cable end caps among a multitude of others).

So, it is recommended you have a shifting spanner. If you have cone-race-and-ball bearings on your hubs, a pair of cone spanners and the said shifting spanner will be needed. You can get stubby-sized cone spanners (and again, overtightening lock nuts on axles is another big mistake).

If you have a traditional threaded headset, you can fashion a suitable spanner from an old cone spanner like I did. I used an angle grinder to get the jaw width, and cut the original spanner in half. The shifting spanner provides extra leverage if needed.

A good, reliable (and likely expensive) chain breaker. Irrespective of whether you carry spare joiners, the chances are that at some stage you will do something untoward and bend a chain or break it. Pay for the quality, and ensure you get a spare end -- there is nothing worse than finding your breaker is useless when you pull it out because the thing that goes against the rivet has fallen out.

I've never subscribed to carrying cleaning stuff with you. Get it along the way... a pop bottle, some diesel or kerosene, and a tooth brush, along with paper towel are about all you need for the transmission.

A good quality tyre pump. Many seem to recommend Topeak. I like the old Zefal HPX aluminium pumps very much. Some Topeaks come with pressure gauges -- if you don't get one of those, invest in a Zefal or similar dial gauge (not an electronic, digital one). Make sure your pump head will handle both presta and Schraeder valves because you never know if you will have to improvise with one or the other. At the least, take two brass presta-to-Schraeder adapters if you run prestas. Incidentally, if you go wider tyres (either touring or MTB), the bore of the pump will become important -- the wider the bore, the fast inflation will be, but the more difficult it will be to get high pressures; the narrower the bore, the longer to pump big-volume tyres, but you will get 120-140psi on narrower tyres).

A pair of sidecutting pliers. These can be adapted in use to hold stuff such as brake and shifter cables like normal pliers, but they become pretty useful if you happen to need to cut a cable (especially up front). I've cut stainless shifter cable with a pair of scissors and it's not an easy task -- but doable.

The venerably pocketknife is another must in my opinion. I also have attached a small pair of folding scissors to mine. You don't need anything more elaborate than a basic Vitorinox knife, and it will last you forever (or until you lose it). It's nice for cutting things like handlebar grips or tape, insulation tape, sections of old tyre for a boot, old tubes to make rubber bands, as well as slicing the onions for dinner.

A spoke wrench. Make sure it fits the nipples, and it is not so cheap and nasty that it will round off the nipples. I like the Park Tools ones, and they are light and efficient to use and easy to find on the ground or among other tools.

Allen keys to fit all the bolts with those heads on your bikes. If you run V or canti brakes with small screws to adjust the spring tension, make sure you have a key to fit... sometimes they are of an odd size that does not appear on the fold-up tools.

Tyre levers. Probably the beefier the better. I know Soma make a pair with steel sandwiched between plastic. If your tyres are in any way difficult to put on the rim, you will break a lever at some point. Take at least three, and between the pair of you, six isn't a bad idea.

As to what each of you takes, remember that at some stage you might get separated, and this is when the worst can happen. If you are both self-reliant with at least basic tools, you can each get out of trouble without causing the other grief. You also have back-up tools should the other set or bits of it be lost. If you happen to separate permanently on a tour, and you have only one tool kit, what happens then?

Tyre boots, repair patches (preferably the cold vulcanising ones as opposed to instant ones), several tubes of good quality rubber cement (it's only after you use the good stuff that you realise how bad the cheap rubbish is), and four or five small squares of moderately coarse sandpaper.

Replacing tubes is always easier on the side of a road, rather than patching when it's either boiling hot with no shade, or freezing cold and raining (I'd still prefer the former for patching). How many tubes you take will be up to how far you are trekking.

The cassette removal tool is a moot point. I carry a Stein cracker, but have never used it. You do need, however, to take care with how you use it. It's most significant advantage is that it removes the need to have a chainwhip to stop the freehub from turning as you undo the locknut on the cassette (assuming that is what you are using).

As far as spokes are concerned, some advocate a FibreFix spoke made of Kevlar; I have one, but again have never used it in four years. If you have 36H rims, a spoke breakage will be of minor consequence, if you practise wheelbuilding/truing before your departure. In Asia, you might not be able to get double-butted stainless steel spokes in remote areas, but you will always get galvanised steel ones, although the right length might not be there; it's probably wise to have your bikes set up with single-gauge spokes from the start rather than opting for double butted, and have double-wall rims rather than single-wall (you probably already do, but you never know...) so excessive spoke length isn't quite as bad an issue.

I carry my stuff in a small Sea-to-Summit waterproof bag that usually hangs from the rails of my seat.

Another thought is... how similar are your bikes in componentry. If they are, say, both MTBs with 26" wheels and same length spokes and other similar mechanical components, your emergency spares inventory might not need be so comprehensive.

Certainly, you need bolts of varying lengths, nuts (preferably Nyloc), maybe some washers, and ball bearings that suit the varying sizes on your bike. Plus, you can get small tubes of thread locker (I use Permatex blue, and I know Loctite has small sachets).

As to folding tools, I have used a Topeak device (that includes a chain breaker) for some years for both home and touring mechanical work. But I am leaning towards those who advocate having a separate set of Allen keys and screwdrivers (flat head and Philips) for the reasons Raybo pointed to. A nice canvas wrap-up tool pouch would keep everything organised, and would enable you to double check that you haven't left anything on the side of a road or track (which I have done several times to my deep disappointment).

Oh, and put about 20 wraps of electrical insulation tape around your seatpost, preferably right above the clamp so when you have to remove the seat for any reason, you can get it to the right height immediately. Electrical tape is remarkable strong and useful stuff if used right.

Just some thoughts (all right, a lot of thoughts) to keep you going.

FWIW: A "Shifting Spanner" is a Crescent Wrench to the folk here in the USA. ;)

Do a tune up on your bike and every tool you use bring with you.