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What do you carry on your folder to fix flats/pumctures? Education needed!

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What do you carry on your folder to fix flats/pumctures? Education needed!

Old 09-01-11, 09:55 AM
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What do you carry on your folder to fix flats/pumctures? Education needed!

I had an "educational experience" on my ride home yesterday when I got a rear puncture on my DaHon Curve 8. I thought I'd packed what I'd need to make the necessary repair in case this happened:
1. Spare Tube
2. Pump
3. Patch Kit
4. Tire levers

Yet I was forced to walk home (about 2.5 miles) since I forgot to pack a wrench (15mm) to remove the rear wheel. Once home and setting about trying to remove the rear wheel, I found I'd also need a pliers to pull the shift cable anchor bolt out of it's recess on the internally geared hub (Shimano Nexus). So, to the above list I've added:
5. 15mm wrench,
6. Small pair of pliers.

I thought it might be good to pack a bit of tire boot material in case I manage to slice up one of the Schwalbe Marathon tires I currently have fitted.

7. Tire boot material (I use Park's but a Clif bar wrapper or dollar bill can be used in an emergency).

I am a relatively new folder commuter user: 4.5 mi. from home to Metro Green Line station (1/2 hr. approx.), fold bike, ride Metro for another 1/2 hr. approx. Unfold and ride to work 2 mi. (10 min. approx.). Reverse proceedure in the late afternoon.

So . . . what do you experienced folding bike commuters carry in the way of on-the-go bike repair materials and tools? Please advise!

Rick / OCRR
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Old 09-01-11, 11:20 AM
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Hi Rick,

I take the GL too, twice a day (plus the Metro Link), covering about 31 miles each way in about an hour. I'll keep a look out for you. I ride a blue Dahon Mariner from 2006 and have a bright yellow helmet. If you see me, be sure to say "hi."

In my small saddlebag, I carry the following:

1 spare tube (either new or permanently patched at home)
2 pedros tire irons (haven't needed them so far - I'd lose these if I was out of space in the bag, but I still have space)
1 park patch kit (the kind that uses vulcanizing glue for permanent repairs)
1 park instant patch kit (uses self-adhesive patches which are sort of temporary, but the repair job is fast)
1 multitool (Topeak Alien II 26-Function Bicycle Tool)
1 really spiffy 15mm axle wrench/tire iron (Portland Design Works 3 Wrencho Tire Lever)
4 latex gloves rolled in a ball (no need to get oily changing the rear tire - I have gears and a derailleur)
plus...
1 Lezyne air pump, either in my backpack on the rack or attached to the waterbottle cage.

If you aren't riding a trail, I wouldn't worry about slicing a tire, but if you have the room, you might as well carry the extra material. I don't bother.

And really, that's it for tools.

Hope this helps. See you out there.

-Warr
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Old 09-01-11, 11:55 AM
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Hi Rick, just when you thought you had it all covered! I ride a Xootr Swift and I usually only bring a mini tool, tire levers, mini pump, patch kit, and a spare tube. The only tricky thing is to make sure I've packed the correct size tube that day (I use the same bag - usually a fanny pack - when I ride some of my other bikes, all of which have 700c tires except for the folder, which is a 406). I agree that it's a good idea to carry some sort of boot material, and I am too cheap to sacrifice a dollar bill.
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Old 09-01-11, 12:03 PM
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I carry stuff similar to Rick's setup.

Except instead of a pump, I have pump/CO2 combo. And quick releases now, but I'll vouch for either the PDW 3Wrencho or Surly Jethro Tule as a carry-along wrench for dealing with hub nuts.

Trick for getting the cable out of the Shimano IGH maze: Shift into lowest gear, grab cable housing just in front of the arm off the hub with the cable stop, and pull. The cable will pull the shifting mechanism on the hub and should give you enough slack to fit just the cable through the slot in stop. Only rub is if the ferrule at the end of the housing sticks in the end of the arm, but usually you can grab it somehow...
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Old 09-01-11, 12:15 PM
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Brompton Touring bag has 2 pockets on the back..
one has the puncture kit, spare tube tire levers and a wrench..
the other, some water.

The bike included a pump, on a clip, on the rear of the frame.

Last edited by fietsbob; 09-01-11 at 12:20 PM.
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Old 09-01-11, 05:01 PM
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You can repair a tube without taking the wheel off as my dad first taught me.

Invest in some tyre liners and say goodbye to punctures. Just sand the edges smooth.
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Old 09-01-11, 05:08 PM
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It does not matter of I ride my folder or any other bike... I pack my travel kit which has a multi tool, 6 inch adjustable wrench, a few spare 5mm nuts and bolts, tire patch kit,and a spare brake and shifter cable packed inside and then make sure I have the right replacement tubes and my pump.
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Old 09-01-11, 05:11 PM
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Do you have any preference of brand/type Jur?
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Old 09-01-11, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by chagzuki
Do you have any preference of brand/type Jur?
Whatever I can get here, which is Slime and lately also Zefal.
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Old 09-01-11, 06:10 PM
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All you were missing was the wrench. When I'm prepared, I carry the usual, plus a 15mm stubby GearWrench that was about $10 at Sears (cheaper than Jethro Tool, PDW, etc.). Not that I'm very frugal; I have the overpriced PDW "Shiny Object" C02 inflator.

On my short commute, I bike without any flat fixin's. I carry a phone and money and never veer more than a mile from public transportation.
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Old 09-01-11, 06:24 PM
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Originally Posted by jur
You can repair a tube without taking the wheel off as my dad first taught me.

Invest in some tyre liners and say goodbye to punctures. Just sand the edges smooth.
If the tube is repairable. I have slashed a sidewall on a tire on some glass, had to pull the wheel to replace the tube and boot the tire. Fortunately I was able to boot the tire in that particular case.

FWIW I carry:

Spare tube
Morph Pump
Park MTB 3 Rescue tool
Leatherman
Small Adjustable wrench
12" or so of duct tape
Patch Kit
Cellphone
Money

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Old 09-01-11, 07:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Transformer
All you were missing was the wrench. When I'm prepared, I carry the usual, plus a 15mm stubby GearWrench that was about $10 at Sears (cheaper than Jethro Tool, PDW, etc.).
I carry this 15mm stubby

https://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...4&blockType=G4

IIRC it is lighter than the Portland Design Works wrench/lever.

For a good deal on CO2 cartridges, check this

https://www.amazon.com/30-Gram-Thread...4927867&sr=1-2

they work well with the Innovations inflators.
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Old 09-01-11, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by jur
Whatever I can get here, which is Slime and lately also Zefal.
Jur, do they affect the riding, rolling resistance, etc?
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Old 09-01-11, 08:24 PM
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yes all those necessary tools and

don't forget the disposable latex/vinly gloves

small pocket magnifyer to check for embeded thorns

you don't want to fix another flat after you've just fixed one !
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Old 09-01-11, 09:07 PM
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Originally Posted by kamtsa
Jur, do they affect the riding, rolling resistance, etc?
Short of doing a carefully controlled test, I can't detect any effect at all. Certainly they slow me down a lot less than any puncture. I have more than once won (social!) events because the hot contenders were sidelined with punctures.
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Old 09-01-11, 09:23 PM
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Originally Posted by EM42
yes all those necessary tools and

don't forget the disposable latex/vinly gloves

small pocket magnifyer to check for embeded thorns

you don't want to fix another flat after you've just fixed one !
You could also run a finger round the inside of the tyre to check this, pack plasters instead for this option
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Old 09-02-11, 08:20 AM
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Thanks for the replys everyone! Since I repaired that puncture (w/Rema patch and glue), all has been good on the bike commute/Metro ride.

The Sears wrench looks good kamtsa, but I like the tire lever on the other end of the Portland tool (as suggested by wernst) so I'll order one of those; maybe two so I'll have one for my fixed gear bike which also uses 15mm axle nuts.

Re: Tire liners, I've always considered them to be more trouble than they're worth (Mr. Tuffy, Slime, etc.), but in this commuting context I may reconsider. Thanks for that suggestion jur. I just have to locate some made for 16" diameter, wide (or med.) tires. And on the subject of tubes, does anyone know a good source for 16" Presta tubes? I got a couple from the Schwalbe website, but they were far more pricey than normal presta tubes.

Yes, wernst, I will look for you on the Green Line commute. I take the 6:05AM train out of Norwalk, and not sure which one (3:45PM?) back via 110/Harbor Fwy station. I have a dark grey DaHon Curve that looks really rather boring (silver components otherwise) and wear a white Bell helmet (how generic is that?) and 6-6-1 SPD sandals.

Will also consider adding a multi-tool (as suggested by several riders) since I have a Topeak Alien somewhere . . . just have to track it down. I use latex gloves when I work on bikes at home, but I will add them to my commute kit. Thanks for the suggestion EM42. I don't even own a pocket magnifier, but that's a good idea too; just have to find one.

Thanks again for sharing all the knowledge!

Rick / OCRR

Last edited by Rick@OCRR; 10-11-11 at 02:55 PM.
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Old 09-02-11, 09:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Rick@OCRR
Yes, wernst, I will look for you on the Green Line commute. I take the 6:05AM train out of Norwalk, and not sure which one (3:45PM?) back via 110/Harbor Fwy station. I have a dark grey DaHon Curve that looks really rather boring (silver components otherwise) and wear a white Bell helmet (how generic is that?) and 6-6-1 SPD sandals.

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Rick,

Well, it looks like our paths won't really cross much. I leave Norwalk at around 7:05 in the morning and leave the Crenshaw station around 4:50 in the afternoon. But you never know!

-Warr
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Old 09-02-11, 09:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Rick@OCRR
Yes, wernst, I will look for you on the Green Line commute....
We need BF Folding Bikes identification stickers.
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Old 09-02-11, 09:50 AM
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Originally Posted by wernst
Rick, Well, it looks like our paths won't really cross much. I leave Norwalk at around 7:05 in the morning and leave the Crenshaw station around 4:50 in the afternoon. But you never know!-Warr
True wernst, You never know. I could be running late or you could be early . . . still, an hour is huge in this context. Will try to add a photo of my bike that I took this morning as it sits here in my cube at work.

The numbers in the background are from various cycling events I've entered (not on my DaHon!). Rick / OCRR
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Old 09-02-11, 11:31 AM
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I carry nothing. Flats are so rare, I just catch a taxi or buss. I always fit new tubes. I don't tour through.
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Old 09-02-11, 01:23 PM
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Thanks for the suggestion EM42. I don't even own a pocket magnifier, but that's a good idea too; just have to find one.
ur welcome Rick ...try your local Harbor Freight should be less than $4 for those I think my vision is not as good but I love inspecting things that i take apart for example seeing if there are pits on a bb spindle or bearing races or inspecting threads on a screw or checking for fractures on frame joints etc etc. its kinda fun !
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Old 09-02-11, 03:07 PM
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Originally Posted by EM42
ur welcome Rick ...try your local Harbor Freight should be less than $4 for those. I think my vision is not as good but I love inspecting things that I take apart, for example, seeing if there are pits on a bb spindle or bearing races or inspecting threads on a screw or checking for fractures on frame joints etc etc. its kinda fun !
Thanks EM42, I'll try to find a Harbor Freight close to me (or do they sell on-line too?). I will be good for seeing those sharp bits that I can feel with the tip of my finger, but can't actually see. Guess I should have some tweezers too?

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Old 09-03-11, 12:30 PM
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A pair of 3.5X or stronger reading glasses also work well, and keeps both hands free. I use them all the time for fine soldering work. A tick removal kit might be another option, and comes with magnifier and tweezers.
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Old 09-03-11, 04:23 PM
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I carry a sharp scriber to pick out objects. One of those from a sliding square set.
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