+1 yes a handsfree version is great !

+1 one of my favorite tools in the shop !! never thought of carrying one maybe i should. might also double as self protection from drunk bums trying to grab your bike while pedaling on the trail as you pass along...[seriously happened once]

Rick if your in Whittier I'm assuming in Ca. or you could be in Ca as in Canada or Yugoslavia not sure at all where your loc. is ! yes they have mail order but they're all over Southern Ca. from where I am

Here is my advice: get a Lezyne PRESSURE Drive Mini pump. Very light and high quality, and has an integrated hose design so you won't put torque on the valve stem. I've gone through a number of valve stems, and on the unusual-sized tires that folding bike have (in my case, 349), reducing valve stem destruction means getting stuck less in strange situations far from a tube source.

EDIT: the Pressure Drive, not the Air Drive. [I got 'em mixed up.] The Air Drive is heavier by a bit, costs more, and is designed to provide high volume and low pressure -- that is, for Mountain bikes. You don't need that in small tires. Get the Pressure drive.

+1 for Lezyne pumps :D

Since moving to Kojaks I also now carry a foldable one, the others having wire beads. Probably a a little OTT for my 10.5 mile round commute every day.

In the 2 years and 2300 miles covered, I have only ever had to fix one puncture at work. I have fixed another Brompton owners flat for her though :p

I often wonder if it is worth the hassle of carrying anything, when with a £20 note stashed away I could just fold the Brompton and call a taxi home.

Regards

Jerry

Yes EM42, Whittier California, South Whittier if that helps, i.e. almost La Mirada.

Also, and not to derail this thread, but I'm also looking for a route from South Whittier to the Norwalk Metro station other than the sidewalks of Imperial Hwy, which is what I use now. Maybe a better question for the commuting forum?

Rick / OCRR

Rick,

Hmmm.

I know the area pretty well, and the problem is that Metro Link train line: there are only just so many ways across the tracks. Florence, Imperial, and Telegraph are pretty much IT.

Depending on where you start from, Leffingwell might be a good alternative to a mile or two on Imperial Highway: just two lanes of slower traffic, and then just a mile of Imperial Highway until the Metro Link station, where you can cut South on Bloomfield, take a right on Civic Center Drive, take a left on Norwalk Blvd under the 5, then a right on Foster, and then a right on Studebaker until you get to the Green Line. But I'm guessing you already know that route post ML.

-Warr

I ride a Brommie and used to just say "well if I get a flat, I'll just hop in a cab or on the bus." But there are a few areas on my commute where public transit is a decent walk, or cabs would be few and far between--and these same areas I would NOT want to be stuck in. So I now carry:

-tube
-15mm wrench
-tire levers
-hand pump hung on the frame

I don't bother with patch kits. I know it's cheaper but I can't always find the hole in the tube, even when I've located the culprit poking through the tire. I've gotten so many damn flats over the last 2.5 years that I've gotten very quick at changing the tire, especially the front. Yesterday I managed to do it in about 10 minutes in the pouring rain. I guess that's the one upside to frequent flats--I'm very confident changing a tube nowadays and know that it will take less time than waiting for a bus or cab in the middle of North Philly at 7am...

in pouring rain ? Wow +1

I'm impressed! 10 minutes is a good time in perfect weather, but an absolute record time in the rain! Not that I've had much experience changing tubes in the rain, maybe once or twice in my life . . . but still, I'm impressed! Plus, it would be impossible to fit a patch to a tube in the rain.

Rick / OCRR

+1

i usually keep a few extra tubes around the house anyways, but in the past i have either had to do a repair in darkness (as fate would have it - lights battery was not fully charged), another in a rain storm, and another where i had to repair twice - the hole was punctured thru both sides of the tube but i missed the other side until it ran flat another km down the road...
it's much easier to swap in the new tube and then just patch the dead tube when you get home.

in my tool kit for my MuSL
new (or repaired/tested) tube on long commute or when i am expecting late ride or bad weather
else patch kit
tire levers
planet bike red zeppelin co2 inflater w/ 2 cartridges
shrader adapter for my presta tubes (in case i run out of co2)

Thanks! I wouldn't be able to do it so fast if I didn't get so many, unfortunately...ugh. It's also the tires. When I had Marathons, it took 45 minutes, a beer, and a lot of cursing to get the tire on and off! Not so with the Brompton tires and the Kojaks. The bead is much more pliable.

Of course, I don't keep a patch kit in the saddle bag for repairing holes on the road *if I can avoid it.* It's for when I pick up a second puncture on the road and I'm fresh outta spare tubes. ;-) -Warr

+1 On the Lezyne pump (I use the road drive). I also carry this titanium wrench (who said titanium needs to be expensive?):
http://www.benscycle.net/bmz_cache/1...ge.150x100.jpg
http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?m...ducts_id=11942

But I honestly avoid changing flats on the road with folders if at all possible because smaller tires are really hit or miss in terms of the ease of getting on/off the rim. So I use a rear tire liner (never get flats in front...I've had more rear tire carcass blowouts than front flats) and if I'm not more than 2 miles from origin or destination (and I'm often not when I'm riding a folder) then I just walk the rest of the way and change the flat indoors.

However, if you must fix the flat on the road then you really don't need to remove the shifter cable to replace (or patch) a tube.

one thing i noticed about flat tires, patch don't work at all. it's just a temporary fix. i had fixed quite a few tubes with holes with the readily available flat fixes and they never work for me. i will be able to put air but after couple hours it's flat again. the best solution is to bring extra tubes.

The Topeak Racerocker HPX is as good or better than the Lezyne, I have one of those, the best mini pump I have had.

Hmmm. All the patches I've ever done have lasted the lifetime of the tube. Surely there must be something else going on.

Someone mentioned that elsewhere lately, and had it been available when I got my Lezyne Pressure Drive Mini, I might have checked it out. But I'm wary of Topeak: I've had two Topeak pumps and they've both broken, while an Avenir I've had has lasted forever.

(BTW, I'm really surprised at that pump -- it's essentially a direct copy of the Lezyne. I smell a patent violation.)

strange as it may look but i have tried so many times (using spin doctor patches) on 3 of my punctured tubes and even clamped it and yet when i put it back on and put air, air will not last. tried it over and over again until i decided to just buy a new tube and putting on a new tube worked. maybe i need to get a different kind of patches and try. thanks...

After this I had a look at the Lezyne manual and I don't think there is a patent problem:

1. Pumps with removable hoses stored inside have been around for decades.
2. The Topeak pump's hose is actually not removed and screwed in the opposite end; instead it is unscrewed and just pulls out as is; it stays put, fully sealed.
3. The Topeak pump head is a really clever piece of design; as-is it does Schraeder valves and screwing it out handles Presta valves. The Lezyne seems to handle one type only - the road one I looked at is for Presta only.

So it seems the Topeak has at least two fresh innovations that the Lezyne does not.

I carry the Lezyne Pressure Drive because in addition to having the hose, and a very smooth action, it's small enough in diameter to fit inside the seat post.

As usual jur's right about the hose-in-the-end pumps. I actually have another that I ride with sometimes. It's chromed steel and quite heavy. Doesn't pump for crap. But it's real nice for convincing cars they're too close.

I carry this tool for my Mu XL Sport with IGH:

Nashbar Single-Speed Spanner
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...2_10000_202585

In along with a nicely long handled 15mm wrench it has a couple of spoke wrenches and a big boy's tire lever. And a bottle opener in case things get too silly and jur's not around to pull the tire off with his bare hands. Only cost ten bucks. Guess I ain't rich enough to live in Portland either.

Best of all it has mounting holes to fit on bottle bosses...they're positioned just right so I can slip the wrench onto the axle nut on the drive side and secure one of the mounting holes to the unused derailleur hanger bracket hole. Rides real nice there; looks like it came with the bike.

I wrap a spare tube around the front axle and secure it with velcro, tube-weenie style. A pair of nitrile gloves shoved under the seat. A couple of hand cleaner towelettes. A lightweight garbage bag to use as a ground cover. I ride with a bike poncho which is damned handy to cover yourself and the bike with while working when it's REALLY rainin'. And we all know heavy rain exponentially increases the chance of a flat. And only rear tires go flat on a ride.

I have one of those two-pronged 'touring' kickstands with pull out adjustable feet. Because of the small wheels there's plenty of height adjustment to get the front or rear wheel in the air for removal without laying down the bike.

Most important of all of course is a cell phone and a credit card. There's nuthin' you can't fix with those 'cept a broken heart.

I also tend to carry the basic tools to do minor adjustments or repairs on the road. I keep my spare tube in an old sock. It serves to protect the tube from the sharper objects in my pack, and as a glove when I need to hold the chain.

dang. i don't carry anything. i just had my second flat in a few months. maybe i should be more prepared. i am gonna get better tired though.

try using REMA Sports Patch kit they are the best in my opinion i've tried so many different brands but always go back to Rema and they are getting harder to find because of cost[German made] the shops rather carry the high profit margin types but they are mainly junk[imho].

it is also possible that the tube manufacturer impregnated silicone[or something] into the tubes this is what i've heard to prevent patch kit from sticking so that you'll just buy tubes instead of repairing them. so try switching tube brands. I always use Schwalbe tubes for a little more money they perform well and very well made and are supple to ride because of high latex content compared to other purely butyl tubes.

Thanks again everyone, for all the helpful suggestions!

Regarding patches, I use REMA even though they are a pit more expensive that the Chinese knock-offs because, honestly, I get much better results in terms of dependable patches when using REMA.

Also, like EM42, I use Schwalbe tubes, but only because they're the only ones I can find in 16" with Presta valves. If I could find a decent Taiwanese or Chinese tube with that spec (esp. Kenda or Cheng Shin) I would certainly like to try them!

For a pump, I use a Topeak Mountain Master Blaster, because it works and also because it was a spare pump lounging in the garage, so I didn't have to go out and buy one!

Commute wise, no serious problems. I did buy a TAP (Transit Access Pass) so I wouldn't have to keep hunting up six quarters for each Metro ride. I also fitted a water bottle cage to transport my coffee container in the morning, then I rinse it out and use it for a water bottle in the afternoon. Plus, I bought a better headlight (NiteRider Minewt).

Route wise, I've pretty much given up on Imperial Highway sidewalks, and now use Rosecrans almost exclusively on the roadway. The sidewalk exception is where the 5 freeway crosses Rosecrans . . . still looks a bit dicey to me, so I play it safe and use the sidewalk there. So Valley View to Foster, Foster to the Coyote Creek MUP, exit Rosecrans, then all the way to a right on Studebaker, left on Imperial sidewalk, left on Hoxie sidewalk, cross to the Metro Norwalk Green Line station.

Works for me!

Rick / OCRR

If it's a bike that's new to you make sure you are familiar with how to remove & replace the wheel, in particular the rear one with hub/cassette gears.

Yes Diode100, Good advice! Been there, done that. The IGH cable gave me a bit of bother but otherwise fairly standard operating procedure . . . now that I carry a 15mm wrench (Portland Tool).

Good to see you're in London. That's where I saw folders being used in great numbers for the first time; folders on The Tube. Quite inspirational that! The Metro in Los Angeles is not quite so wonderful.

I do have a TAP (Transit Access Pass) now, which is like an Oyster card there.

Rick / OCRR

Rick

the folder group will meet at city hall 12 noon during Ciclavia this sunday hope to see you there