Originally Posted by
TheDazed
Hm.. I'm doing a 4,500km self-supported tour so I figured I would need em, but your comment about the derailleur makes sense.. I'm not bringing a spare one of those. Now I'm questioning the decision to bring them.
Where are you going on your self-supported tour? I've traveled in some slightly remote places (Siberia, outback Australia) but even in those places there were occasional bicycle shops to get key parts. If in North America, the FedEx/USPS/UPS/DHL can do a good job getting something quickly as well. Overseas that can become a lot more awkward since sometimes bicycle parts will get hung up or not make their way through customs or only with exorbitant duties so in those cases it helps to have contacts who understand how to ship/receive goods into the particular country.