I always ride with a professional mechanic who carries enough tools in his little kit to do anything save for bb and headset overhauls.



We teach basic mechanics courses at our co-op and the first thing people learn is how to change a tube and repair a flat... I always carry a spare tube despite the fact I almost never get flats, a patch kit, and a decent pump.

A patch kit is universal so it allows you to repair any puncture and one should carry a boot, this could be a dollar bill in the US and a fiver in Canada since we no longer have $1 or $2 notes in circulation.

If you are riding without support you should also know how to adjust a derailer, you don't have to hit them hard to knock things out of alignment and this will make your ride to the shop more enjoyable so they can straighten things out.

Being able to make small wheel / spoke adjustments is a great skill but I don't expect anyone to be able to straighten out a taco'd wheel at the side of the road, this is what a cel phone is for.

I carry a multi tool and a combined chain break / spoke wrench, a 6 inch crescent wrench, a compact bb tool, plus a few extra chain links, a quick link, a few chain ring bolts, and a few fender nuts with bolts. And cone wrenches... can't forget those.

My toolkit weighs 3/4 of a pound and might give weight weenies a fit but I often ride alone or am the go to guy on group rides when things break... I also do a lot of random roadside repairs for people.

You basically need a tool that will handle all the fittings on your bike, most modern bike fittings are allen headed and may require a Phillip's to make derailer adjustments... one can convert all these small screws to allen headed ones which are less prone to being stripped.

And as always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure so making sure your bike is up to the ride makes a lot of difference.

I have not had to do a roadside repair for myself in years but it was a good one... I bent a chain ring and snapped the chain in a few places on a road ride.

It seems like folks who ride in the dirt have better skill sets as mountain biking is far more likely to result in crashes where things need to be fixed lest one has to hike out.