Biker395 

^ Bizarre!

I carry a pump (not diggin the CO2), a spare tube and a patch kit (glued), and in the patch kit, a connex link and some tweezers. I just gave a bagful of CO2 cartridges to a friend.

Check this out. "Bicycling" usually doesn't speak to me, but some of these are pretty decent emergency road fixes:

https://www.bicycling.com/maintenance...inner-macgyver

I've got a few others that I've heard of, but haven't had to resort to yet. For example, if all you have is a shredded tube that can't be patched, I read somewhere that you can get home by cutting the tube where it's shredded, tying the two ends together in a REALLY tight knot, pumping it up and going from there. It will supposedly get you a mile or two before you need to repump again ... and again ... and again.

Any other MacGyver tips? Or are these all in the category of what Mark Twain used to call "common book frauds," like being able to start a fire by a pistol shot:
Gawd, I love that book.

Myosmith

It isn't a bad idea when riding where help might not be readily available and temps/weather could be dangerous, to throw an emergency blanket into a jersey pocket or seat bag. The lightweight Mylar ones are only a couple inches square and a half inch thick, the better Tyvek style ones still fit easily in a jersey pocket and are about the size of a pair of long fingered gloves. Some are designed to be an emergency poncho as well with a hole in the middle and some sort of hood. In really remote and potentially dangerous conditions, you can carry a Tyvek bivy sack. They come in a pouch about the size of a can of soda and open into a sleeping bag type of emergency protection.

I carry CO2 on group rides and for general training/recreation where I'm not in any danger of being stranded under dangerous conditions. When gravel grinding, touring further from home, or going into areas less hospitable, I carry a mini-pump as well. I use my mini-pump to top off tires before rides to ensure that it is working properly. Sure the compressor or floor pump would be easier, but the peace of mind of knowing your frame pump reached full psi just this morning is a good thing.

Kudos to the OP for stopping and helping a fellow cyclist in need. Good karma and I hope the cyclist pays it forward when the time comes.

Bandera

While waiting for it to warm up enough for my antique self to go out onto the wet sloppy roads this AM I dug an old tatty cycling jacket & long fingered gloves out of the bottom of the kit locker and stashed them in the Carradice bag on my Rando-ish build. They can stay there until spring. Checked pump for function, inventoried flats kit, examined tires, checked all fittings & adjusted front mudflap.
Might as well practice what I preach.

-Bandera

Sixty Fiver

It is always good to make friends who you might call on if the SHTF while you are riding... these are the folks you call when 911 would be overkill.

I have lost track of how many times I have stopped to help other cyclists and they have often commented that I must be a bike mechanic as I am usually pretty well equipped.

I have CO2 cartridges on my road bike which is probably the most flat prone because of the lightweight tyres but also carry a frame pump, a spare tube, and a patch kit.

RPK79

The frame pump on my road bike is a holdover from when I rode a hybrid. I have to use an adapter to use it on presta valves. It has yet to fail me, but I did forget my adapter at a flat and was left stranded 10 miles out on my next flat. I can only get about 80 psi with it too, so a new frame pump is on my list of things to buy.

NOS88

I would add that it doesn't hurt to carry enough cash to pay for a ride home if need be. Many years ago, I was roadside changing a flat when I leaned my wheel against a tree, only to step on a branch that dislodged it. I watched it plummet down a 50+ft cliff. There was no chance I could go retrieve. CO2 or pump wasn't going to help much. A kid came by in his El Camino and offered help. Problem was he didn't have enough gas to get me to my home and he was out of money. When I sprung for the gas and two bottles of Dr. Pepper, we were on our merry way.

Biker395 

Whoa ... now there is a risk I would have never imagined. Did you ever come back to retrieve it?

Dudelsack 

I remember when Barloworld had a team in the TdF, one of the riders cooked a turn on the Pyrenees. He hopped off in time to save himself, but his bike plummeted down this cliff and I don't think it was ever recovered. Coolest thing I ever saw.

mapeiboy

You mean like this https://www.roadbikereview.com/review...of-tubes-video

Biker395 

No doubt! I'd love to see a video of that.

Here is some McGuyver flat fixing info. I like the way he uses his chainring to slice up the tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnAv...SLSLnz&index=1

lhbernhardt

I usually carry three spare tubes and some tire boot material, in case the casing cut is large enough for the tube to poke thru. I must also be among the last few cyclists carrying a full-size frame pump. I use the Park frame pump that can be adjusted to fit almost any size frame (it has a problem with really small frames). it also is one of the few frame pumps capable of inflating a tube to 100 lbs or more. I've seen people try to inflate tires with the mini pumps, and they're still at it 300 strokes later (and the tire at maybe 50 lbs). I do carry a road morph in my travel case for when I've flown the bike to distant cities and I have to completely reinflate the tire (you have to deflate tires on 700C rims to get the wheels into the 26x26x10 travel case), but I've usually got plenty of time in a warm hotel room to get this done.

It does bother me that the modern frame pumps (what few you can find out there) are so unreliable. All the brands I've tried have broken at some point, I'd still be using an old plastic Silca, tut the plastic on them tends to crack. I've got one that I've ductaped which I'll probably go back to when the Park pump packs it in.

Where the frame pump comes in handy is that's what I mount the bell to. Handy on MUPs.

Luis

Zinger

Yeah I re-learned to carry tire boots that I bought from Nashbar. I did used to pack a dollar back in the '80s and had forgotten all about that until Rudy (zonatandem) reminded me of that trick. The tire boots take up little room in my seatpack. I bought a spare foldup but just don't feel like carrying the thing for my rides since I don't tour. The foldup will probably sit around and rot.

Bandera

Luis,

You are not alone.
Silcas on 2 of 5, all w/ dedicated pump & flats kit.
Here's a pic of my town bike w/ the Silca that came with it 40 years ago, works a treat.

I carry a copy of DL & healthcare card sealed in plastic, good tire boot material.

-Bandera

Zinger

I like carrying a little spoke wrench and chainbreaker too. I've used the spoke wrench when I bent a wheel and had to loosen all around to bend the rim back over a tree branch, then true it back up on the upside down bike. Got me home fine. I even rode on it for a couple of months.

The chainbreaker that a riding partner had came in handy on another friends bike once when his chain came apart. So I've carried one since it even though i've never had to use it yet.

Dudelsack 

Wow. Found it.

ftwelder

I remember going out when it was in the high 70's and the temps dropping to the 40's before a downpour so violent, I couldn't move forward. I wondered if I would drown, freeze or both only 2 mi. from a pub.

zandoval 

Good Turn stopping for that guy - Its just amazing how cold 40 degree weather can be...

Here's my foavotire pump - Its light weight, fits in inside my tool bag - And doesn't loose all the air when your disconnecting it...



Boudicca - Would like some more details on this - Was it presta or shrader - Was the valve long or small or not screwed in all the way - I have never had this happen and certainly don't want this to happen to me...

Murray Missile 

I found out the hard way you need to inspect your spare tubes and patch kits regularly as well.

So does carrying 2 pumps, 2 tubes and 2 different patch kits on the same bike qualify as "obsessive"? "Two is one, one is none."

zandoval 

No - Its like the guys who do the touring thing - Especially if they are doing one of those super remote rides where its just you and God pushing the pedals...

h2oxtc

Where in the world do you carry 3 tubes? I'm lucky to fit one tube, one CO2 cartridge, a few tools, and yes some money for gas (NOS88) or a Dr. Pepper in my seat bag.

As for frame pumps, I have a Zefal that I bought in the 80's that still works like a charm. Kind of like "real steel".

Not to stereotype young fella's, but I was out for a ride this fall when I stopped to ask a more senior than me cyclist if he needed help. He asked if I had a CO2. Sure ... you can have mine. After he inflated his tire he put his mini-pump back in his bag. WHAT??? He asked for MY one and only cartridge when he had a pump?

Biker395 

Whoa. Can you imagine the pucker factor as he's sliding to the edge?

Kinda thought it's look like the bicyclist in this guy:

Bandera

When I built my CF Merckx last year I added a Lezyne mini-pump since a full size didn't seem to fit the swoopy curves.
I was skeptical until it (and a CO2 cart) got me home w/ no fuss. It's a toy compared to my Silcas but any pump that works is better than no pump.

-Bandera

rydabent

I always carried a mini pump a spare tube and a patch kit. But two mini pumps failed me, one just plain broke and the other the chuck failed. Now I carry CO2 inflator and two or three CO2 bottles plus another mini pump. So far the CO2 inflator have not failed me.

NOS88

The next day my brother and I went back to look for it, but never found it.

Biker395 

Maybe one of the local denizens made a unicycle of it: