Winter Cycling - What's in your Winter fix-a-flat™ kit that isn't in mine?

Mine:
levers
Park Tool's patch kit (the wee one)
frame pump
hand warmers
latex gloves
hand cleaner (Wet Ones single)
boot material
spare tube
rag

This is assuming you do not have a warm place to bail and fix the tire.

CO2 inflater/cartridge
presta valve adapter

I don't always carry my kit with me, it's usually loaded up in my panniers. When I went on a day bike trip on my older Trek however, I had several full-size tools so it was quite a heavy load. I had a mid-size pump, wrench, allen keys, small roll of duct tape, Leatherman Core multitool (usually always on my belt), flat patch kit with levers, a 16" towel, and a few bits and bobs like valve adapters and washers.

I didn't have to use any of those on my trip. I'm usually close enough to home wherever I go that I can just walk back or make a phone call and have a ride home. There has only been one time where I was too far from home and had to patch a tire on the side of the road.

Not that it fixes flats, but it in there:

Spare chainlink (SRAM quick link)
Chain tool

Had a derailluer hang break on me once. Now I never leave the house without these items.

bead jack all winter. not needed in summer.

i don't carry the tools to fix a flat. i just carry the tools to fix the moving parts.

* levers
* tube (that's probably the wrong size)
* pump
* patches (that may have grand children at this point)
* Cell phone
* wedding ring

Not sure I've ever gotten a flat in the winter. It's pretty crappy out, so the cell phone is my main plan. My secondary plan involves a coffee shop. And my tertiary plan involves actually fixing it out in the cold.

I know, I'm a bad person. I fix enough flats when it's nice out.

S185572pare tube,patch kit and a Park multi tool in mid size seat rail bag.
Road Morph and Park tool wallet with a tire boot in a medium size day pack.185571

Scratch the set of levers and get a quikstick!

bead jack all winter. not needed in summer.

sorry to have to ask, but what's a "bead jack"? thanks!

sorry to have to ask, but what's a "bead jack"? thanks!

I've never seen or used one either.
http://tfe.me/image/480_345/TL4022.jpg
http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222357812/694/Kool-Stop-Tire-Bead-Jack.html

I've never seen or used one either.
http://tfe.me/image/480_345/TL4022.jpg
http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222357812/694/Kool-Stop-Tire-Bead-Jack.html

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:jz4W53Zv7yABlM:http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee226/hanaa14/bodyfatcalipers.jpg&t=1

I carry a basic multitool to fix the moving parts of my bike and do minor adjustments here and there. But as far as fixing a flat in the winter, i'm not :)

Bus token!

There was another thread around here along similar lines. I won't bother repeating my post from the other thread, except to say that basically I carry enough tools so that I can completely tear down and rebuild my bicycle just about anywhere. I have never had to, but, I could.

I also carry a basic tool kit in the ICE vehicle. Not quite as comprehensive as what I carry on the bike, but, it will handle 75% of anything I have ever needed to do.

One time when she was out of town, my wife lost the belt in her car, because she had tools in the car, the guy that stopped, was able to replace it for her.

Mine:
levers
Park Tool's patch kit (the wee one)
frame pump
hand warmers
latex gloves
hand cleaner (Wet Ones single)
boot material
spare tube
rag

This is assuming you do not have a warm place to bail and fix the tire.

A little small 1 inch steel c-clamp and two 1.25 x 1.25 inch pieces of 1/2 inch thick plywood. This works wonders to get the patch to bond in the cold. If you can get the glue at the right set time which can be difficult in the cold. This is nice if you don't have a tube. After placing the patch put the wood plates on either side of the tube and clamp it with the small c-clamp. Wait while drinking some hot beverage from your cage size vacuum flask.

Back in the old days we used to light the glue with a lighter and let it burn for a few seconds to heat up the area before putting the patch on. I don't know if the new glues are flammable enough in the cold though to do this. I'm interested if anyone has tried this technique recently. I usually hate to fix flats in winter so I have tire liners plus puncture resistant tubes. This combination with the right tire is heavy but rarely gets a flat in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Umm, cell phone and instructions to the wife not to leave the valley until I get home. With rides like today in -7 F. I'm now fooling around and changing a flat. I'm calling and getting a ride!:lol:

A little small 1 inch steel c-clamp and two 1.25 x 1.25 inch pieces of 1/2 inch thick plywood. This works wonders to get the patch to bond in the cold. If you can get the glue at the right set time which can be difficult in the cold. This is nice if you don't have a tube. After placing the patch put the wood plates on either side of the tube and clamp it with the small c-clamp. Wait while drinking some hot beverage from your cage size vacuum flask.

Back in the old days we used to light the glue with a lighter and let it burn for a few seconds to heat up the area before putting the patch on. I don't know if the new glues are flammable enough in the cold though to do this. I'm interested if anyone has tried this technique recently. I usually hate to fix flats in winter so I have tire liners plus puncture resistant tubes. This combination with the right tire is heavy but rarely gets a flat in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Interesting about the clamp. I suspect that today's adhesives are more versatile temperature-wise but haven't yet had to patch on the road in winter...knock on wood.

Back in the old days we used to light the glue with a lighter and let it burn for a few seconds to heat up the area before putting the patch on. I don't know if the new glues are flammable enough in the cold though to do this. I'm interested if anyone has tried this technique recently. I usually hate to fix flats in winter so I have tire liners plus puncture resistant tubes. This combination with the right tire is heavy but rarely gets a flat in the Rocky Mountain foothills.
i know the glue i use is flammable. the last tube i lit on fire was in the summer. the patch would just not seal so i lit it. in the end i just threw the tube out because the patch would not hold.

i know the glue i use is flammable. the last tube i lit on fire was in the summer. the patch would just not seal so i lit it. in the end i just threw the tube out because the patch would not hold.

I have had the same trouble with the new adhesive rubber cement. In the cold it can be very hard to get a bond.

I carry an extra layer to put on while changing the flat. I got a flat a few weeks ago when it was ~20 degrees and was glad I had the jacket.

BL

I have had the same trouble with the new adhesive rubber cement. In the cold it can be very hard to get a bond.
it was not cold out when i patched my tire. i would never never patch a tire in the cold. i would say about 75% of the patches i do last but then again i use dollar store patches so it is hard to say whether it could be a quality problem.

Bus token!

+1

The bead jack is to seat the studded tires in zero degree weather. I can just barely do it bare handed at home, with things thawed out. On the road with snow packed rims and frozen hands, I am not messing around.

All my winter riding is around town, so I carry $1.50 in change--bus fare. I just go home and fix it.

Marc

Latex gloves felt too cold last time I changed a winter flat. Hauling a pair of mechanic winter gloves
this year.

the dollar store is starting to sell summer stuff so i bought a cheap 2 dollar air pump so i can actually patch i tire while i'm biking.

Latex gloves felt too cold last time I changed a winter flat. Hauling a pair of mechanic winter gloves
this year.

Good idea :thumb:

the dollar store is starting to sell summer stuff so i bought a cheap 2 dollar air pump so i can actually patch i tire while i'm biking.

My cheap pump bent first time I tried to use it, leaving me SOL. Get good equipment.

My cheap pump bent first time I tried to use it, leaving me SOL. Get good equipment.

When your pump cost less than the patch kit...YGWYPF

i also usually get my patch kit from the dollar store and it is cheaper than the tire pump i bought. the pump i bought is a bit cheaply built but it seems like it should work good.

1" x 1" squares of Tyvek cut from an unused UPS or FedEx self sealing envelope flap, makes a great tire boot. Just pull the plastic off to expose the sticky strip and place over the hole on the inside of the tire. Luckily, I've only had to do this in the warm weather, my Nokian M&G's have not flatted ever and I'm on my 3rd winter. I should pick up one of those bead jacks though. The Nokian's are pretty hard to mount on my rims in the relative warmth of my basement, my thumbs were sore the whole next day and I think I even had a difficult time when I resorted to a lever.

a bottle opener. Should change that out to a shooter of schnapps or two for the winter season. No wife, no bus, and by the time I called a cab or got one of my kids to come get me I could walk it home. But if I'm going to change one in the snow I'm going to need a reward.

I carry a flat kit but I probably would not use it in the winter. There is a bike shop at the half-way point of my six-mile commute, and my main route is along a bus route. I have used the pump in the case of a slow leak, to pump up the tire enough to get to the bike shop before it went flat again.

I carry an extra layer to put on while changing the flat. I got a flat a few weeks ago when it was ~20 degrees and was glad I had the jacket.

BL

I was starting to wonder if I was the only one. I carry my normal tire repair kit plus clothing to keep me warm on a long stop.

I'm trying to keep a kit on each bike because I'm alway in a rush.
- tire levers
- presta adapter
- tube
- hex wrenches
- shifter cable
- spare chain link
The only thing I don't keep in each kit but in my handlebar bag is a chain tool. My bike kits are a bit uneven, I need to stock them up so I have a bit of chain, spare brake and shifter cable in each. Oh, vinyl gloves are good to keep in the kit, too. I needed to repair my chain at work (I bent a link fancy that) and I was so chuffed to have a pair of blue gloves.

Actually--keep some gum in your kit, so you can stick your chain link to your chain tool so it doesn't fall out so fast ;-)

I've never seen or used one either.
http://tfe.me/image/480_345/TL4022.jpg
http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222357812/694/Kool-Stop-Tire-Bead-Jack.html

I don't have a problem getting the bead over the rim, I have problems with the bead not wanting to seat in the rim groove. In other words, one part of the bead will not expand into the groove when you inflate the tire. Will a bead jack help with this problem?