saddlesores

so. can you guys repair your bikes? do you carry tools and spares?
i know you do. silly question, right? maybe not.

i live in a tiny little town in BFE texas, along the southern tier route.
lotsa bikes come through, especially this time of year now that the
temps are in the low 80's.

i don't know if it's the $2 gas has gotten more newbies on bikes,
but seems to be an increase in cross-country cyclists who are
unprepared for ordinary repairs. the few local motel owners know
i cycle, and send them to me.

so i get folks who don't carry spare spokes, don't know how
to change out a spoke, have no concept of trueing a wheel.
guy comes in a few months back, after i fix his wheel i ask
about his shifting. not so good, the derailler hanger is bent inwards
about 20 degrees. how do i fix that, he asks. oy weh.

two weeks back, guy comes through with cracked and threadbare
tires. no tubes, no spare tires. nearest bike shop? 150 miles north.
do people do any research? do they realize you can't get 700c
tires at wal-mart (65 miles) or sears (140 miles)?

and last week, driving back from odessa, find a cyclist on the
frontage road along the interstate. had 6 flats in one day.
no spares, out of patches. had a nice 520, an extracycle,
and two doggies. so he asks...get this....how do you guys
(meaning cyclists) find the holes in the tubes? then...
i'm out of patches, can i just use the glue? but, oh, it gets
better. we went to load up his gear in my pickup to get to the
next town....wait, i can't find my axel thingies...they're in the
grass somewhere.....so after we unload, time for remedial
cycling class. chapter 1: quick release skewers.

so no, we don't carry spare parts or tools. but we got
our digital cameras with extra lenses, and laptop
computers, and pda's, and cellphones, and FM radios
strapped to the handlebars (HA! no radio or tv reception
out here!), and fishing poles, and guitars, and camp
stools......and our pets.

so i think this year i've already given away enough parts
to build up a frame. saves me the trouble of putting it
all on ebay, i guess. that's about all i've got to say for
now. time for a beer.

hoogie

Yep, I can relate to that ... don't know how may other cycletourists bikes I have fixed while I have been on tour too ... from gears that were grinding and changing themselves [a small tweak on the rear deraileur adjustment screw] to a chainring that was so worn that it spun on the chain when you put any power on the cranks [managed to turn it around the other way so the rider could get to the next town and a bike store] ...
best one was a chain that was so thick with oil and mud that was hard to remove when a couple of links bent ... I started to fix it when the husband of the bikes owner says "oh yeah, thats what that is for!" and got out his own chainbreaker from soemwhere and I had to watch for over an hour while he tried to repair it himself with me looking over his shoulder guiding him ... It was painful to watch and he wouldn't let me do it even though I could have fixed it in 5 mins or less ...
I find that hanging the bike by the seat from a low branch on a nearby tree in camp works wonders ... I'm always giving my bike a tune up every few days on tour this way ... brings out others with their bikes though ... but breaks the ice too ...

MichaelW

I met a Man-Mountain from New Zealand, crossing England on a £99 discount store MTB. His main repair tool was a size 16 army boot. I spent an evening with a pair of pliers reshaping various bent parts. Still, he had come quite a distance, so I was glad I could help him.

roadfix

I carry a pound to two pounds worth of tools & parts, max. That's usually enough for 99.9% of on-the-road repairs/adjustments.

hoogie

My entire touring tool kits consists of:
Topeak Alien Multi-tool
home-made hypercracker
6" crescent, with a metre of tape around the handle
puncture repair kit [patches, fresh glue, tyre boot, 3x tyre levers, 2x spare tubes]
small selection spare bolts, spokes and stuff
cone spanner [cut in half] ... sometimes

There isn't much I can't fix on my bike with that lot ... only thing I can think of is the BB, but this is checked before each tour and can't really see it giving up suddenly without heaps of warning, or enough time to get to a shop.
The crescent and homemade hypercracker are held against the multi-tool with a rubber band, and I just put this into a pannier or back pack when riding at home as well ...
Oh, cranks have self extracting bolts and come out with an allen key on the multi-tool.

saddlesores

don't get me wrong. i'm not complaining about the unprepared.
just curious and frustrated and amazed all at once.

when i travel, i want to be self-sufficient.

repair stuff - 1-2m duct tape, 1/2 oz super glue, 35mm film can of
lithium grease, 2-3 oz bottle chain lube, sewing kit w/tent&pannier
patches & a big needle, some zip-ties.

parts - 1 ea. brake/shift cables, couple brake pads, spokes, misc.
nuts & bolts, couple chainring bolts, 1 fw pulley. maybe some skewer
guts & spare retaining pin if i'm pulling the bob.

rolly bits - several tubes, patch kit w/fresh glue (although i never, ever
patch tubes), spare tire for bike & tire/tube for bob, [tires are rolled and
zip-tied under the bob]

other tools not mentioned by others - combo headset/pedal wrench,
spoke wrench, presta/schrader adapter (for when your pump dies),
old toothbrush & small dental pick thingy. fw remover. other tools
depending on which bike i'm on.

before the tour, i take the bike down to the frame. oil the inside of the
frame. replace/adjust all components. repack all bearings. replace
consumables if needed: cables, chainrings, chain, tires, tubes....
as i'm doing this, i make a list of each tool i used, and what spare parts
might be needed - so i don't forget in the rush of packing.

my gf says i'm anal.